Supernatural – The Books
Dean and Sam and the new world
The end had ended, or so Sam and Dean thought, but then they blinked and life was– Different. His mom and dad were still alive, Adam and his mom existed, and have been a hurdle in John and Mary's epic love story, but they had remained together, and Sam and Dean apparently had grown up with a smart and sweet young brother, though several states over, usually seeing him only during holidays.
Life was– Like a dream.
Dean prayed to Cas, and the angel appeared before the brothers and confirmed that he too remembered a different world, a world with demons, hunting, a world where the Winchester brothers were feared by demons, angels, humans all in between, a world where Lucifer had rebelled, where God vanished, where Heaven itself Fell.
Castiel expressed deep concern about what was happening, but he said with a hint of a smile that Heaven was unlike anything he had ever even dreamed of, with his brothers and sisters happy and productive, the Archangels were generous, kindly protectors of Earth – of humans. Even Lucifer was a gentle angel, never the first but never the last to speak in their Father's creation's behalf.
Heaven was– Good. All angels were good. And... There were no demons.
Demons did not exist. Lucifer never fell... And demons were never created. Darkness existed in the world, as it should to maintain balance, Castiel said in his usual rough voice, but it wasn't like before. There were no shadows just lurking in the corners, no scheme to take over the world and transform it into an ashen wasteland.
Sam was tentatively hopeful, though he had to confess he couldn't think it was so easy. Dean had seen too much, been too much to trust it, but faced with his brother's silent happiness at peace, and his friend's quiet reassurances that he would look after them, and their loved ones, and keep a very distrustful eye out on Lucifer and evil in general, he tried his best to just... Live.
The brothers had memories of this alternate lives, where Sam was a budding lawyer with a string of affairs and no serious relationships, and Dean was an executive at a large car manufacturer. Sam teased his brother about it, reminding him of their dream other life, where Dean was Dean Smith and a more than successful businessman. The older brother huffed but couldn't be angry at the way his little brother looked proud of him.
They were good in this life. They had not been touched by deep loss, cruelty, betrayal and heartache, and the world was safe without them. No one was going to die because of them, no one would remain in fear because the Winchesters weren't running around the country in their old Impala.
Car, which, belonged to Dean, much to his glee and Sam's soft relief. It meant more to them than they could ever explain to anyone else, and it felt right that that piece of their other life was still around. Nothing else was, after all.
John had his own garage, and he worked a lot with restoring old cars, the classics, while Mary had become a high school teacher. Her family was all gone, though from a very documented car crash just before she married John. His cheating had been a dark time for the family, but she'd forgiven him eventually, and they were stronger than ever.
Everything was just right. Too right for Dean's taste, but he tried to shove it all aside and live his new life. Sammy took to being a real lawyer well, and other Dean's memories flooded over real Dean's mind well enough that his work was a piece of cake, and he came to enjoy it. It didn't quite feel like his life, kind of like when he was Dean Smith, but in this life, he was Dean Winchester, so that had to tell him something, right? Sam remembered, and so did Castiel, so maybe... Maybe...
One day, he was walking around town with Sam, when he saw it. He did a double take and quickly called for Sam's attention, and the Winchesters turned back into the monsters the monsters feared as they walked into the small bookstore where author Carver Edlund.
They knew he recognized them the moment he set eyes on them and widened them in shock. He got up, knocking his chair back, but remained in place long enough for the brothers to rush over and grab him. With the indignant protests of Chuck's fans and the bookstore's staff, Chuck snapped out of his shock, apologized hastily and asked the brothers to stick around, that they'd talk later. It was hard to trust the man, but the brothers relented and remained close enough for one of them to always be watching Chuck.
Afterwards, the man walked up to them with tense shoulders but a resolute expression.
"Hey, guys"
"Really?" – Dean mocked.
"Let's get right to it" – Sam interrupted – "Do you know what's happening?" – Chuck nodded faintly.
"I re–wrote history"
"You– What? How? I thought you were just a prophet" – Dean said quietly, mindful of being in a public space.
"I am. I was a prophet" – the writer shrugged – "But then I became something... Else"
"What?" – Sam questioned with a frown. Chuck gave them a grin.
"God gave me the ability to redo our lives, and I did. In doing that, I changed many people's lives, as you might've noticed already" – he raised his eyebrows.
"And what about" – Dean stepped closer and hissed – "demons? Lucifer?"
"I had to change that, otherwise you two wouldn't be where you are now" – he shook his head – "In any world with demons, your mom would've died and John wouldn't become a hunter, and so would you, so I had to start with Lucifer, because, that's where all starts, right?"
"But how? I mean, you say it like you changed a little detail when in fact you probably changed the entire history of the world since Lucifer's Fall" – Sam said quietly.
"I know, but, God allowed it. He said I could change my life, yours, Castiel's" – he paused – "and Lucifer's, so I did"
"Lucifer's– He remembers too?" – Dean groaned – "Oh, c'mon!"
"He remembers a world where he was too angry, too hateful" – Chuck shook his head – "God only allowed me to change things if it happened this way. You two humans, since you were always a package deal, me, a prophet slash, whatever, Cas, an angel"
"And Lucifer, the creator of demons" – Sam added.
"Exactly. If one of us wasn't in on the change, it would fall onto itself, and life would return to what it was, and none of would be the wiser, not even me"
"God is such an asshole" – Dean commented, and Chuck shrugged.
"What can I say?"
"But He remembers too, right?"
"Of course He does" – the writer scratched his neck uncertainty.
"What now?" – Dean demanded.
"Well, there's one more who remembers, come to think of it..."
"Who?"
"What other category of creature can you think of besides what I just listed?" – the brother frowned at one another.
"Care to share with the class?" – Dean barked.
"The Pale Horseman" – Chuck said simply.
"Death? Death remembers?"
"Death forgets nothing" – the writer said, rather ominously – "The Horsemen aren't angels or demons, so they will always exist"
"All of them?"
"Yes, but only Death remembers" – he paused – "I think if you call Him, he'll come around and chat"
"No thanks"
"So, is this like the world we went to, where we were actors? No magic, no nothing?"
"I wouldn't say 'no magic'. This is a world with angels, after all" – Chuck looked the brothers in the eye – "I wouldn't go looking for it, though"
"For magic?" – Dean snorted – "Yeah, no thanks"
"I know it's hard to believe" – Chuck warned – "but your guys were hunters your whole lives, and I'm still a little bit prophetic, so I know how you're feeling, and I know it'll be difficult to adjust to this new world, but. This is a good world, and your lives are good, right?"
"It is" – Sam said softly. Dean huffed but didn't reply.
"So don't worry about it. Cas is keeping an eye on things, right? And I'm still a prophet, sort of, and I have my own little angel bodyguard, so things will work themselves out. So, live your lives, and forget you were ever... Dean and Sam Winchester, runaway hunters"
"I don't think that's going to happen any time soon" – Dean told him, looking and nodding with his brother.
"Then don't forget about it, but don't let it affect this life you guys have now" – the writer sighed – "I'm writing the books, you know"
"You are?" – Sam questioned, snickering at Dean's annoyance.
"If something were to go wrong, I would like to know I did my part to prepare people, and this is the way I can do it. You guys want them? I can send you guys all of them" – he chucked – "I keep crapping them out, somehow"
"Comes with the territory of being a prophet, huh?" – Dean said sarcastically.
"Something like that. So, hum, if you guys give me your phone numbers and stuff, I can sent the books, no problem"
"Sure thing" – Sam said, ignoring his brother's huffs. He exchanged contact information with the prophet.
"Hey, guys?" – Chuck called out as they walked away – "If I See the world ending, I'll give you guys a call, yeah?" – though his tone was light and joking enough for anyone listening, his eyes were hard and serious, and the brothers nodded in thanks.
"Man, this is so weird" – Dean commented as they walked over to a coffee shop.
"You're telling me. Lucifer knows and he's done nothing about it"
"Maybe he's bidding his time"
"Yeah" – they remained in silence and didn't discuss it further that day.
As the months and years passed, the brothers built upon their lives while keeping tabs on Chuck, who did always send Sam his new books without fail. The more scholarly Winchester read them with gusto, like reading about his other life soothed a long ignored pain in his heart. Dean was the one who talked to Castiel, and the years passed and Lucifer seemed all too interested in keeping Heaven and Earth as peaceful as possible with the help of his brothers and sisters, former hunter and angel became close, like they never allowed themselves in their other lives.
John and Mary were surprised when their eldest son came home one night for dinner and introduced Castiel Novak, his boyfriend. Sam was the first to greet the newcomer, who presented Mary with flowers and shook John's strong hand without a hint of apprehension, even as the man played big, bad protective daddy. Dean commented later that it was nice to see that a shadow of John Winchester, badass hunter, remained in this John.
Seeing their son happy and devoted for once, the couple gladly took Castiel in, especially after discovering he had no family. Technically true (though Sam and Dean had discovered Jimmy Novak lived a wonderfully pleasant and normal and violence–free, devout life with his wife and daughter).
When it came time, Dean and Cas chose a surrogate and she carried two of Dean's children, one son he named Robert John and nicknamed RJ, since Bobby was alive and well, living out with his wife in usual gruff but sweet fashion, and Dean couldn't bear to have a soon called Bobby, plus a daughter Dean cried over when he spotted her blond locks, recalling Jo, but decided against naming the little girl after the woman. Castiel asked if she could possibly be called Claire Charlotte, and Sam told his brother it was very fitting.
Sam took his time finding a companion, eventually allowing himself to fall in love and marry called Elizabeth Cannalis, who looked hauntingly like Ruby's first incarnation. Dean repeatedly fought with him on it, but after spending enough time with the woman, he came to realize she was not Ruby, and Sam wasn't in love with her because she has Ruby's first face. He only completely backed off, though, after Cas reassured him that she was a normal human, and her soul was very bright and good. They had three sons, and Dean snorted, much to John and Mary's confusion, at the name of the firstborn, Michael, teared up at the second's, Kevin, and downright giggled at Gabriel. Sam hissed that the last one was named after Elizabeth's grandfather, which made Dean shake his head and congratulate him.
To the brothers' amusement, RJ was quiet and the biggest fan and protector of smart and outspoken Cece, while Mike was the consummate big brother, always looking after friendly and bookish Kevin and mischievous and prankster Gabe. The five grew up together, and being mostly close in age, were each other's best friends, much to Dean, Sam and Castiel's happiness.
It was Castiel, with his dreamy, storyteller voice, who first introduced the children to the world Carver Edlund wrote about, and when they were old enough, he teamed up with the Winchester brothers to tell them that it was all true, and had all happened in another life. Michael, even the leader of the pack, demanded proof, and all the then teens gasped when Cas opened his shadowy wings, and Dean smiled at the now fond memory of his first meeting with the angel.
From then on, all the children were trained in hunting, and they took to it with ease. Cas mused it was probably in the Campbell and Winchester blood, and neither of the brothers could argue against it, given how Mike and RJ worked in unison, Kevin and Cece poured over Chuck's books, and Gabriel came up with all plans to overcome the mock hunts the brothers created for them.
The world wasn't the same as the one Sam and Dean left behind, there was no darkness waiting to engulf them the moment they stopped fighting, but they could not trust Lucifer to remain quiet forever, so they trained their kids, they tried to drill them into the mindset of a hunter, into knowing that the only world they knew could become all too close to their fathers' vanished from, and they should be ready, and they should prepare their children, and their children's children, for one could never know when an angel could turn treacherous and willing Fall, or come to Earth to wreck.
Chuck told Sam one day, after the kids had grown old enough to head off to college, that he was 'something else', not just a prophet, and, along with Cas, he would make sure any Winchester child, carrying the name or not, would know of the world that was, and would be ready for an apocalypse, if it ever came. Dean made him promise he'd look after Cas after Dean was gone, though the prophetic smirked and asked why he thought his death would be an impediment to the unique love between a human and an angel.
Life was– Good. Life was good. Dean kept a loaded gun in his nightstand, and Sam always had salt and holy water lying around, but they lived their lives, and it was all well.
Because if anyone deserves a happy ending...