Title: The Elysian Fields
Author: theblackrose16
Beta: Elsa Kallan
Summary: Set after 6x22. Dean and Sam are tired. Tired of fighting, losing loved ones, tired of having to find a solution to fight the next big power. Just when they were ready to throw in the towel, an unexpected visitor appears. He gives the brothers a choice, a way to stop all the madness once and for all. Will they take it or will they continue trying to fight a losing battle? MULIPLE MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS
Characters: Sam, Dean, Castiel, Gabriel, John, Mary
Warnings: Angst, character death, major spoilers.
Word Count: 1, 984
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
The world as they knew it was burning down to the ground all around them. Sam and Dean were exhausted; at the end of their proverbial ropes. After everything they had sacrificed, the two brothers had thought that when they had stopped the Apocalypse that their lives could just maybe go back to normal. Well normal by their standards at least. But the hits just kept on coming. Sure Sam came back but he was short one soul. When they finally did get his soul back, they then had to deal with Eve, the fucking mother of all monsters.
If their lives weren't bad enough, they then found out that Crowley was in fact still alive and then Castiel, Cas of all people, went over to the dark side. It… it was just too much. The proverbial last straw on the camel's back. To add to all that, the wall in Sam's mind came down, almost killing him.
Sam and Dean stood with Bobby watching Castiel declare himself their new God and just couldn't summon the will to fight any longer.
"You will bow down and profess your love unto me, your lord. Or I shall destroy you," Castiel declared his ultimatum as Dean stared at him unable to believe what was happening.
Then between one heartbeat and the next, everything seemed to freeze except for Sam and Dean.
"Hi boys," a quiet voice greeted from the corner.
The Winchester brothers spun around towards the figure that had spoken and almost felt their jaws hit the ground. Just when they had thought that nothing more could shock or surprise them this happened. For standing in the corner, walking forward slowly was someone they had thought was good and dead.
"Gabriel?" Sam whispered.
"Yeah, Sammy. It's me."
Dean was more suspicious. He eyed the new comer wearily.
"What do you want? 'Cause honestly? We can't deal with much more."
Gabriel's eyes were unusually serious and sad. The archangel bypassed the frozen form of Castiel, walking towards the brothers who were now standing side by side.
"It was never supposed to turn out like this," Gabriel told them quietly.
He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders.
"I'm here to offer you boys two options," he informed them while holding up two fingers as though illustrating his point.
"One – I leave and you continue on as before and hope against all hope that you can do something about Cas. And if you do, you are going to have to face the problem that come after that; and the one after that until the day you die," he paused, allowing this to sink in.
Listening to Gabriel's first option, Dean felt his heart sink even lower. He and Sam couldn't keep doing this. It was killing them even though it seemed like they just couldn't die, or at the very least stay dead, which somehow made it all the worse.
"Option Two – We erase this entire timeline so that none of this ever happened."
"How?" Sam asked hesitantly.
Gabriel gave him a sad smile before answering.
"We go back to that night your nursery caught on fire Sam, but this time… none of you survive."
There was silence in the room except for the sounds of Dean and Sam breathing. The two brothers' thoughts were racing.
"What…uh… what will happen to us?" Sam asked.
Dean shot his brother a look, not really surprised that Sammy was considering a permanent way out.
"There will be a special part in heaven created just for you and your family since you technically won't have existed. It's where I'll be, Sam - your Jess will be there, your parents and… and the Cas that could have been."
"The Cas that could have been?" Dean asked, confused.
"Yes, who Castiel would have become had he not gone down this path."
Dean and Sam stared at him. This was the most serious they had ever seen him. Even when he had gone against Lucifer, Gabriel hadn't been this serious.
The Winchester brothers turned their heads to look at each other, each searching for what the other wanted. Both aware of just how tired they were. Without saying a word, their eyes held an entire conversation.
I can't do this anymore.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Yes. Do you?
I'm with you.
No turning back after this…
Just get on with it.
"Take us back, Gabe," Sam told the now living archangel, releasing a breath a he hadn't realised he had been holding in.
Gabriel gazed back at the brothers, hazel eyes understanding underlined with sadness. Those two should never have had to deal with all that they had in their short lives. With a little nod, the trio found themselves out the room and winged off into the past.
Dean opened his eyes to find himself, Sam and Gabriel standing in what he vaguely remembered as Sammy's old nursery. Two seconds later, he heard a voice he'd never thought to hear again.
"Come on, lets say good night to your little brother," Mary said as she lowered a four year old Dean to the floor.
He immediately ran to the crib to peer over at baby Sam.
"Mom," Sam breathed.
Dean heard him and gave him a hint of a watery smile before turning to the scene unfolding in front of them.
"Good night, Sam," little Dean said as he kissed Sammy's forehead.
Mary stepped up behind her son, placing a hand on his back as she stroked her baby's head.
"Good night love."
"Hey, Dean," John greeted.
Sam and Dean smiled at seeing their Dad again even if he couldn't see them.
"Daddy," little Dean exclaimed, running over to his father.
John picked his son up, smiling.
"Hey Buddy. So what do you think? You think Sammy's ready to toss around a football?"
Despite the situation Sam could help chuckling softly at little Dean's facial expression.
"No, Daddy," he answered as Mary made her way over to the pair.
"I'm heading to bed," she told her husband.
John hugged Dean to him.
"Sweet dreams, Sammy," he whispered as he carried his oldest son to bed.
Adult Dean quietly made his way over to the crib to gaze down.
"Jeez, Sammy. I forgot how small you used to be," he chocked.
Sam turned to Gabriel.
"Can we not watch Azazel kill Mom, please? Watching Jess die was bad enough."
Gabriel reached out and placed a hand on Sam's arm in comfort.
"You don't have to worry about that, kiddo. We'll burn the house down before he comes."
Dean looked at Gabriel imploringly.
"Does it have to be a fire? Can't everyone just die in their sleep?"
"No can do, we need a fire to burn extremely hot so that there isn't any DNA left. We can't leave any bodies or anything else for Azazel or one of the others to bring back or reanimate," Gabriel responded, apologetic for the pain that this was causing the brothers.
The older hunter gave a barely perceptible nod, indicating that he understood.
In the next second, they were across the hall in younger Dean's room. Seeing Sam looking at his little big brother in concern, Gabriel was quick to reassure him.
"I've put mini you, mini Deano, your father and your mother to sleep. They won't wake up, and none of them will feel it."
Minutes later the crackling sounds of a fire could be heard from the open doorway. Sam stood behind his big brother. Completely disregarding Dean's dislike of chick flick moments, he wrapped his brother in a tight hug which Dean quickly reciprocated with Gabriel looking on while their childhood home, with the younger version of their family inside, went up in flames.
Gabriel had started a mass fire in every room of the house simultaneously. He'd also silently put up wards to prevent Azazel from getting in and interfering. The brothers turned when they heard a scream of pure outrage at being thwarted when Azazel arrived too late to get to his would-be protégé'.
They were surprised when Azazel tried to gain entrance and was bounced back by an invisible force. Sam raised an eyebrow questionly in Gabriel's direction.
The Archangel merely shrugged and muttered, "Shield."
The fire was in full furyby now, the air already thick with smoke as the brothers looked around their childhood home and then back at each other.
Slowly, adult Dean and Sam began to fade until they couldn't be seen anymore. With a flap of his wings, Gabriel disappeared a second later.
The Winchester family never woke up. The story of the family being killed in the fire was all over the news.
KANSAS NEWS
FAMILY OF FOUR KILLED IN HOUSE FIRE
BY ESTHER DANIELS
On Friday 2nd November, residents of Lawrence, Kansas were shocked when tragedy struck as a home burned to the ground with all four of the family members still inside, killing them all. The house belonged to John and Mary Winchester who lived with their children, four year old Dean and six month old Samuel. Neighbours were horrified to learn that the family had been killed in the blaze.
"They were good people, little Dean was such a sweet child and Sam was an adorable baby," Mrs Olivia Lewis who lived across the street from the Winchesters commented.
The fire is believed to have started at around 8:30 P.M. after the family had gone to bed for the evening. Mary, little Sam and Dean were found in their beds, while John was found in what was once the living room.
Sadly, Friday night was the day that the Winchester's youngest son celebrated his six month birthday.
"Dean loved his little brother. Many siblings don't like a new baby taking away their parents' time from them but not Dean. He adored Sam," Abigail Newcastle, a friend of Mary's said.
Neighbours and friends have placed flowers and cards on the property in front of the burned down home in memory of the Winchesters.
The investigation into the fire at the Winchester home is still on going and the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but there are suspicions that arson may have been involved.
"I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt the Winchesters. They were such a lovely family. Who would want to hurt them?" a confused and concerned neighbour commented.
Police are asking that anyone who might have any information to please come forward.
Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the Winchesters.
The Winchesters' memorial service will be held on Tuesday at 14:30 P.M. at the St. Gabriel Church on Evergreen Street.
DID YOU KNOW?
A shocking 16,4% of deaths are the result of a fire and 27% is deliberately set. The fire department urges people to regularly check the wiring in their homes and to replace them once they start to fray.
In the back booth of the dinner, two blocks from the Winchesters burned down home, three figures were huddled around a table covered in newspaper articles and other papers all related to the Winchesters.
"It just doesn't make any sense. There is no way that that fire was natural but I can't think of anything that did it," the scruffy looking man wearing a baseball cap muttered.
"This case just don't make a lick of sense, Bobby," the dark skinned man commented.
"I'm beginning to think we're never going to find out what happened, Rufus" the third man said.
"It's just such a waste, Caleb. They were all so young, the least we can do is gank the evil sonsofbitches that did it," Bobby argued.
"I know but we've been looking for weeks and we got nothing. I'm just saying maybe we should move on," Caleb spoke quietly.
AN: I will write an epilogue at a later date