Let It Bleed

So, a Supernatural story in The Vampire Diaries style... What can I say? I was inspired by TVD. I know what you're probably thinking: if you're inspired by TVD, write a TVD story. But I just couldn't manage that.

Here are some explanations for the story (because some things aren't explained): first of all, the roles. In this story, Dean is like Damon, Sam is like Stefan and Ruby is like Katherine (for Elena I created my own character). Oh, and Castiel is like Klaus. I tried to keep the characterizations of the SPN characters, though.

Second of all, the story is completely based on the Vampire Diaries, but I changed a few things. In TVD, Katherine slept with both brothers, right? Well, in this story Ruby was never that much of a bitch. She only loved Dean, but Sam was also in love with her and tried to win her over. Despite that, Ruby only cared about Dean. Also in my story Sam and Dean knew that Ruby was alive all along. She did fake her death, but she told the brothers the truth.

And my characters are not teens. Ruby's doppelganger is 27 years old and the others are around her age too.

By the way, it helps a lot if you watch The Vampire Diaries because there are some things that I didn't bother explaining.

Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you, Sammy
happy birthday to you!

When I realized yesterday that it was Sam's birthday, I decided to post this on his birthday, and so I began to try and finish it. I did manage to finish it on his birthday, but I didn't have enough time to read it through again and post it, so it's a day late. Oh well...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not Supernatural, not The Vampire Diaries.

146 years is a very long time. Many things can happen in 146 years. People die, generations come and go, world wars break loose, scientists discover new things… You name it.

So when Sam Winchester returns to his hometown, Lawrence, after 146 years of hiding and running, his brother immediately knows that something's up.

And he is going to figure out just what it is.

It doesn't take him too long to find out why Sam came back.

He arrives in Lawrence at late evening and decides to go to a nearby bar, get a drink and a woman he can have some fun with (both sexually and as a meal). Then he would rent a hotel room, sleep, and the next day he would find out what little Sammy is doing back here.

That plan dissolves into thin air the moment he steps into the bar.

His eyes immediately find her face, as if she was a magnet to him. He freezes for a moment, his entire body going numb until he realizes that it's not her. It's definitely not her. He doesn't know how he knows, he just does. Whoever the woman sitting with her friends, laughing, might be, she's not Ruby.

On the upside, now he knows why Sam is here.

Her name is Serena Gilbert. She's 27, she's a journalist in the local paper, she lives with her best friend in an apartment and she's everything Ruby's not. And not in the good way.

Serena's… dull. Somewhat boring. She's too careful and responsible, and she never has fun. She always chooses the safe way.

Ruby's the exact opposite of her in every possible way. Even their clothes and hairstyles are different.

And yet, they look like twins. Face, body, voice. Everything.

There's no explanation. They can't be twins. Because Ruby is a vampire and because she's older than Serena with five hundred years. So, what the hell is going on?

That's something everyone would like to know.

Sam has considered connecting Ruby somehow, see if she knows something (and she probably does), but then decided against it. Involving Ruby would cause too much drama in his opinion.

Dean has contemplated talking with Ruby too, but in the end, he didn't do anything to find her either. He was not going to run after her, no. He will not be a pathetic loser who chases after women, even if that's what he really wants to do. She'll come around sooner or later. She won't be able to stay away for long, she never could.

He just wishes she would hurry up already, because things are becoming awfully boring here. He decided to stay in town with double S (meaning Sam and Serena, Dean had given them the nickname and it's actually a really funny story, he will love telling it to everyone) because he was curious and he had nothing better to do and because (but don't tell this to anyone) he could look at Serena and pretend she's Ruby (and yes, he knows that makes him a pathetic loser). But now Sam and Serena are together and they're living their boring, unexciting, predictable life just like an old married couple, and Dean's beginning to get really frustrated with everything and everyone. Furthermore, he might or might not feel a little lonely without Ruby around.

Frankly, he just wishes she were here too.

Be careful what you wish for, Dean. Because you might just get it, and not the way you want it.

Four months after Sam and Dean came waltzing back to town, she arrives back too. Ruby. The girl who started it all.

She visits Sam first (which hurts Dean a lot, he admits), pretends to be Serena and plays games with him, curious if he's going to realize the truth. He does, eventually, but it takes him more time than it should.

Then she disappears for days again.

She likes this; she likes making grand entrances and then leaving everyone wondering just what she's up to and why she's here. It's her thing. And Dean knows that, he does, but… he's hurt she didn't even come to see him. She chose Sam instead.

Well, that's just great.

He comes home one night to find her sitting on the couch, legs crossed, her expression playful and looking very comfortable. Her eyes burn a hole through him as he walks in the room and slowly stops at the edge of the couch.

Neither of them speaks for a moment. He knows she's waiting for him to say something, and because he's an impatient man, he breaks the silence.

"Ruby."

"Hello, Dean," she greets him with a smirk and waits.

Typical.

She just expects him to fall into her arms after two little words as if nothing had happened. And he did, in the past. It was always like this: she shows up, he's delighted, they kiss and spend the night together, and the next day she leaves and he doesn't see her again for a few years. But not now. He's been waiting for this moment a lot and he thought he wanted this, but now that she's here… he realized that it's not enough.

Correction: he always knew it was not enough, but he decided he's going to act on that feeling. She either stays with him or she can go for good.

He walks over to the cabinet and pours himself a glass of whiskey. "What are you doing here?" His tone is short, clipped.

She frowns. He's usually happy to see her. Why the change suddenly? "I came to see you," she answers him like the answer should be obvious.

"Yeah? And last week you came to see Sam." He wasn't going to mention that, because he didn't want to waste time with unnecessary fights, but the bitterness took over. Isn't it sad that he's jealous of his own brother?

Ruby laughs quietly. So this is what it's about? He's jealous? Oh, good old Dean, he never fails to amuse her. Does he really not know he's the one she wants?

"Are you jealous, Dean?" she asks him. He doesn't answer her and turns away, but suddenly she's standing in front of him.

"Come on, Dean, don't be jealous," she smirks. "I didn't want Sam when he was in love with me and I certainly don't want him now when he loves someone else. Though, isn't it poetic?" she muses. "He's in love with my doppelganger."

Dean's head snaps up at that sentence. "Doppelganger, huh? What do you know, Ruby?"

She shakes her head. "How about we don't talk about this right now when we could be doing other things?" She trails a finger down his chest suggestively, smiling like the devil she is. He wants to give in so badly and just get lost in her, but his need for answers wouldn't let him.

"Fifteen years, Ruby. You can't just show up after fifteen years and expect everything to be okay," he exclaims, leaning away from her. "You can't expect me to just fall into your arms."

To say she's shocked would be an understatement. She didn't expect him to react like this.

"Why not?" She doesn't understand what his problem is. "You always do."

True. But this time is not always.

"I just want answers, Ruby," he declares. "What's going on? And don't tell me you don't know, because I know you do."

She sighs, frustrated and angry with him. He can't just let go and enjoy her company, can he? No, of course not, he's Dean after all.

"Yes, Dean, I do know things." She takes his whiskey from his hands and takes a sip. "But I'm not gonna tell you anything…"

"Why the hell not?" he shouts, suddenly agitated.

"The less you know the better," she grits her teeth venomously. She doesn't like to be shouted at. It makes her unreasonably furious. "I have to go now," she says before he can do anything. She drinks the reaming whiskey in one gulp and sets the glass down on the table, turning around to leave.

He doesn't say anything, and he doesn't stop her. He just watches her go, all the while thinking that he should make her stop and go kiss her. But he doesn't.

She doesn't really want to leave him. She wants to stay with him and she wants to stay forever. It actually physically hurts her to walk away, but she has no choice.

It's better this way, she tells herself. The less he knows the safer he is.

She leaves town for a while and then comes back again a few weeks later. She just can't stay away, not now when things are about to come to a head finally. After waiting so long, everything will be over soon. Hopefully.

She meets Serena too, face to face. It's a thrilling experience. It's like looking into a mirror, and at the same time, it's different. They're different.

"How do we look exactly alike?" Serena asks, shock covering her features. She tries to lean away when Ruby drags her finger down on her neck, but she's too scared to make big movements. She doesn't know Ruby wouldn't hurt her because she's essential to her master plan.

"You're asking the wrong questions," she whispers in her ear as she passes her doppelganger by and disappears in a second.

It's not the how. It's the why.

A day after this startling scene, Serena comes home with brown hair.

She just couldn't stand to look at herself in the mirror and see Ruby. She couldn't stand to be like her. There had to be a striking difference that set them apart.

Dyeing her hair was the first thing that popped to her mind.

Well, it's official, thinks Dean when he first sees her new appearance. Ruby does look better than her.

He sits up on his bed in the middle of the night because he can't shake the feeling that somebody's there and that somebody is watching him.

He is right: the first thing he notices is the shape of a woman sitting in the window. Though it's so dark he can't see her face even with his vampire abilities, he knows who the woman is.

"Ruby."

When he says her name she gets up from the windowsill and sits down on his bed.

"Hey Dean," she smiles tentatively. She doesn't know why but she feels a little shy, and she's never shy. Maybe it's because she's just about to tell him her story and reveal her darkest, dirtiest secrets.

"Why are you here?" He's a little surprised to see her in his room in the middle of the night, especially because he hasn't seen her since she refused to tell him anything she knew.

"You want answers? I can give them to you."

"What? Why? I thought 'the less I knew the better'." He has to admit, he is a little suspicious. After all the last time he saw her, she refused to give away anything. The sudden change was more than a little alarming.

"The less you know the more unprepared you are," she corrects herself. When she realized that Sam will do anything to protect Serena and Dean will help him in anything he can, she realized they will not back down. They are already too involved. So she figured she could tell them the truth and help them get ready for the upcoming battle. "Look, Dean, I know you met Bela and I know she told you about Castiel, right?"

Bela had been the vampire who turned her unintentionally a long time ago. She knows almost the whole story and it's only a matter of time before she tells them everything they want to know. Ruby wants to forego her.

Dean nods gruffly. "Yeah, she did say something about a fella named Castiel. An Original or what. He's after Serena."

"That's right," confirms Ruby. "But I bet she didn't tell you why."

"No. No, she didn't."

"Well, Dean," she takes a deep breath to steady herself. "Are you ready to hear my story?"

In the end they manage to slay Castiel, but at what price?

Serena dies. A vampire and a werewolf die. The witch who kills Castiel can't handle channeling so much power and dies too.

And Sam… on the day of Serena's funeral, he takes off his ring and walks into the sunlight. It's Dean who finds his remains.

Yes, murdering Castiel takes its toll, but at the very least the world is free of another ruthless, powerful monster, right?

And she's free. She's finally free after hiding for long five hundred years. She can go anywhere, meet anyone, do anything without having to watch her every step carefully.

She can be with Dean.

All this time she couldn't be with him, because if Castiel found her, he would kill him too. And she couldn't even tell Dean the truth because she knew he wouldn't care about his own safety, but now…

Bad, terrible things happened when the sacrifice went down. People died. Dean is still not over his brother's suicide. She's still not entirely convinced Castiel won't just magically come back to life and ruin everything again. She's still not convinced all of this is real. But it will get better. They will get used to it.

They have eternity to make things right.

Yeah, I totally failed this story, I know. I'm almost ashamed. I think the problem might be that I can't write about vampires. I tried before and it didn't work out. Part of me didn't even wanted to upload this, but it's Sam's birthday and I have to honor him somehow.

So... I killed Sammy (and taking into account that I wrote this on his birthday, it's pretty sad.) And I made Cas the bad guy. It was pretty weird. Originally I intended to make someone else the bad guy, maybe Alastair or Azazel. I don't know why it ended up being Castiel.

And Serena... I know that Serena is almost Elena, but I just couldn't imagine Katie Cassidy as an Elena. When I hear Elena I think of Nina Dobrev. So that's why I made up Serena. I think the name suits Katie.

And for those of you who don't watch the Vampire Diaries: I know you probably didn't understand the story, so ask away. I'll answer the questions.