We'll Always Have Kansas by asesina
Disclaimer: Kripke owns SPN.
A/N: set after the apocalypse ends. Dean wakes up in the Impala and finds himself in Lawrence, Kansas. Castiel makes an appearance and lets him know what happened and drops hints about the future.
Written on a whim. I don't think it's particularly stellar or complete, but I felt like writing a weird little fic like this. Non-beta. Enjoy!
"But, somewhere back there in the dust
That same small town in each of us…"
Don Henley, "The End of the Innocence"
Dean was instantly aware of the pain in his left side. His eyelids slowly fluttered open as they adjusted to the glaring sunlight that seemed to aim at his pupils with laser precision.
"What the hell?" Dean muttered as his eyes finally adjusted to the light. He nearly jumped when he saw that he was sitting in the driver's seat of the Impala. The car was still running.
Dean could feel the heat of day beating down on the Impala, and the overheated engine didn't make matters any better. He turned off the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition.
Dean looked at his surroundings with bleary, unfocused eyes. He felt like he had just been hit in the head or been out on a week-long Jack Daniels bender.
He was surprised to see that he was parked on the side of a quiet residential street. There was something oddly familiar about the road, but he couldn't quite remember why.
Dean exhaled slowly as he massaged his temples. He didn't remember driving to this street at all. What the hell kind of business did he have on Wisteria Lane?
Dean seemed to recall vague glimpses of a sword, glowing yellow eyes, and dozens of dead bodies in a boundless field.
Either the Apocalypse had just happened or he had watched too much Lord of the Rings.
The Apocalypse.
"Son of a bitch!" Dean muttered. He sighed in frustration as he unsuccessfully attempted to make sense of the past few days, weeks, or however the hell long he had been out.
Did the world really just end?
Dean decided that sitting in the Impala wouldn't answer any of his burning questions, so he cautiously opened the door of the car and looked around before stepping out into the heat.
Dean winced as he stepped out of the car and onto the pavement. When he set his left leg on the hard blacktop, it sent jolts of pain up his left leg. Dean nearly doubled over from the pain. He was barely able to stand, so he leaned on the trunk of the Impala to steady himself for a moment.
"What the hell just happened to me?" Dean wondered aloud, wincing as he pulled up his jeans leg to examine the damage.
His left leg was a bloody mess. Dirt and dried blood covered the dozens of lacerations and bruises that decorated his leg like a sticky mosaic.
Dean almost gagged at the sight. His hand flew to his left side, and he was horrified to find several shallow stab wounds and scratch marks on his abdomen and chest.
"Did I get in a fucking car accident or what?" Dean asked himself. He looked around the street to see if he could find a phone, a person, anything.
"No, Dean. You saved the world."
Dean's eyes widened when he heard the familiar gravelly voice.
"Cas?!" he exclaimed, spinning around in disbelief.
He was instantly sorry for moving so quickly. His body complained in reply and sent millions of angry signals to the sensory receptors on the left side of his body.
"Hey," Dean managed with a grimace.
Castiel was unbearably luminous. He was undoubtedly revealing a little of his true form, and Dean could only look at him through the slits of his eyes.
"Cas, turn off the fireworks. I can't even look at you, man," Dean admitted gruffly.
He stared at Castiel with reverence and even a little fear as the angel stared back at him with his steely blue eyes.
"Dean, hold still," Castiel commanded. He put a hand to Dean's forehead and whispered a few words.
Dean looked down at his leg and gingerly touched his side.
The pain was completely gone.
"Cas, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on here? Where am I? What happened?" Dean demanded, glaring at Castiel with wild, frantic eyes.
"Dean, please," Castiel said firmly. He exhaled slowly and lessened the brightness of his aura as he stepped closer to Dean.
"Are you ready, Dean?" Castiel asked.
"Ready for what, Cas? What the hell's going on?" Dean demanded.
"Are you ready to know what really happened?" Castiel continued, motioning for Dean to follow him. He started to walk down the cul-de-sac towards a little green street sign that was just out of eyesight.
Dean's eyes widened when he read the cheery cursive greeting:
"Welcome to Lawrence".
"What are we doing in Lawrence, Cas?" Dean asked. His voice rose several octaves, and Castiel raised a hand in the air and motioned for Dean to calm down.
"We're back at the beginning, Dean," Castiel said mysteriously.
"Why did you take me here? Cas, you can't just teleport me to my hometown and expect me to start over," Dean said exasperatedly.
He glared at the angel, but Castiel simply looked away.
"You're lucky that you have forgotten so much," Castiel said ruefully. He started into Dean's questioning eyes, and he motioned for Dean to continue following him.
Dean's thoughts suddenly turned to his little brother. He remembered a vague feeling of fear and dread, but he ignored it and put his hand on Castiel's shoulder.
"Cas, where's Sam?" Dean asked in a low voice.
Snippets of conversations, fights, and bitter accusations floated to the surface of his conscious mind. Dean remembered Sam abandoning him at the motel in Omaha. He saw Sam catch a ride at the corner without even turning to give him one last glare.
Dean also saw flashes of a terrible battle. He saw Sam's eyes turn yellow as the veins on his forehead bulged with a blood that was so curdled and evil it could only mean one thing.
"Sam gave in," Castiel said suddenly.
"Where the hell is he now, Cas?" Dean shouted. His heart hammered in his chest as he attempted to sort out his thoughts and, most importantly, continue to inhale and exhale.
Dean was nearly hyperventilating when Castiel put a hand on his chest.
"Stop," he commanded, and Dean's heart slowed to a regular pace.
"Dean, I cannot reveal everything to you. You will remember it all in time," Castiel began.
"Just tell me where Sam is!" Dean cried. His eyes were rimmed with bitter tears, and he feared the answers to his desperate questions.
"Dean, we don't know," Castiel said simply.
"What do you mean?" Dean demanded angrily. He brought his face close to Castiel's as he squinted into the angel's ice blue eyes.
"We don't know if Lucifer destroyed his body or if he's still alive," Castiel admitted. Dean's shoulders slumped with exhaustion and maybe, just maybe, a hint of relief.
"Dean, there's no use in looking for Sam right now. Even if he is alive, he will not be the brother you remember," Castiel admonished, noting the brief look of sadness that crossed Dean's face.
"Maybe it's better if he did die. I wouldn't want a brain dead zombie for a brother," Dean muttered, wondering if he really believed what he was saying.
"Dean, this isn't about you and Sam. This is about you. You have the chance to start over," Castiel said in an attempt to distract Dean from his wistful reverie.
"What do I have left, Cas? I lost everyone that I ever loved. I don't have anyone left. Hell, after giving me this speech, you'll probably disappear with a blink like I Dream of Jeannie," Dean said.
"What genie?" Castiel asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just some old show with this hot genie named Jeannie who'd… never mind," Dean trailed off as he noticed Castiel's confused expression.
"I'm not going to disappear right now, Dean. I needed to bring you here for a reason. There are things happening here beyond my control. You could consider me the messenger," Castiel said.
"From God?" Dean asked skeptically.
"Yes, from the Lord," Castiel answered with resolve.
"So, what the hell happened? I'm unconscious in the Impala and you show up and heal me. What happened before all this return to memory lane crap?" Dean asked.
"We won," Castiel said.
"What? You mean Lucifer's gone?" Dean asked with wide eyes. "How?"
"You said yes too," Castiel replied.
"So I was Michael?" Dean asked with a confused expression.
"Yes," Castiel answered.
"How'd I look? Was it like Highlander?" Dean asked with a smirk.
"It was over in an instant, Dean. The battle had been going on for days, and you didn't want to do it. You didn't want to fight Sam. Over a third of the world's population died, and you were nowhere to be found. You finally accepted, and you and Sam fought in Wyoming. The sky was dark and the fields were littered with bodies. It was just like the prophecies said, but Lucifer's death was instantaneous," Castiel said quietly.
Dean took a moment to let it all sink in. He couldn't believe that he and Sam had actually both said yes to Michael and Lucifer.
So much for free will.
"Cas, why?" Dean began. His voice shuddered slightly, and he leaned against the street sign for support.
"Why the fuck did this happen? Why did it have to be us?" he screamed, balling his fists as his entire body trembled with rage.
"Dean, I do not know the reason for everything. Even angels have limited knowledge of the plans of heaven," Castiel replied.
"You angels and demons destroyed us! You zapped me back to this ghost town that used to be my fuckin' childhood home. How cruel can you be? Did you really think that this would help? Did you really think that I wanted to be reminded of how I lost Mom, Dad, and Sam?" Dean yelled. He allowed several hot tears to trail down his dirt-caked face.
Castiel was silent.
"Dean, this is all part of the plan. You are back in Kansas for a reason. It's up to you to decide what you want to do with your future. The fight is over. You're free," he finally added. Dean was still seething with anger.
"Now I'm free, huh? After you duped me and my brother into being angel and demon condoms? After I killed Sam and you erased my mind so I wouldn't have to deal with the reality of the fact that I murdered my little brother? After you brought me back to Lawrence to mock me and shove it all in my face?" Dean exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Cas. I thought you were different from the other angels. I guess you're just taking orders like the rest of them, Dean added bitterly.
"Dean, your fate is not decided. I was just sent here to let you know that the war between heaven and hell is finally over. Consider Lawrence your Eden," Castiel said.
"Eden? Should I be watching out for any talking snakes?" Dean asked with a glare.
"He's gone," Castiel said.
"Cas, listen. I'm just tired of being controlled, manipulated, and lied to. I'm also freakin' sick of being teleported across the world, but that's another story. I just want to remember, Cas. I want to see it all, and then I want to wipe it all from my mind completely," Dean admitted.
"You will see it all in due time, Dean. If you like, I can help you through the memories and the horror of it all. However, you aren't ready to see it yet. You still have some growing to do," Castiel said.
"Growing? What the hell am I supposed to do? Haven't I learned enough?" Dean exclaimed.
"No. You have to go out into this town, this country, this world. You have to follow your own path and improve the world in your own way. You have a tremendous responsibility, Dean, but it's up to you to decide how you want to change the world. You don't have to be the vessel for an archangel anymore, Dean. You can be yourself," Castiel answered.
"What am I supposed to do, Cas? Where do I start?" Dean asked.
"You have to start by working on yourself. Once you realize what you can do to help this world, you can begin to usher in a new era for this earth," Castiel said.
"I must go now, Dean. I hear that they're having a family reunion in heaven," Castiel said with a small grin.
"Cas, this still doesn't make any sense. Why is this town deserted? Will you come back down and help me out?" Dean asked as he saw Castiel's outline beginning to fade.
"I'll never be far," Castiel said with a smile as he lifted a hand in goodbye and faded into the glaring afternoon light.
"Where the hell do I go from here?" Dean wondered to himself. He began looking for the familiar white façade of his old childhood home, and he fought back tears as he thought of the years they had spent there.
It was an eternity ago.
Dean's reverie was interrupted when he felt the buzz of his cell phone vibrating in his pocket.
Curiously, he flipped open the cover. His eyes widened when he saw the caller ID.
"Receiving Call from Sam".
Dean's hand shook slightly as he pressed the answer button and hopefully whispered,
"Sammy?"
The End.
I know it's bizarre, surreal, and somewhat rushed. Sorry for the plotholes! Let me know what you think.