Title : Earth Angel
Pairing: Sam and Jess
Rating: G
Summary: Written for the SPN Halloween Challenge - Prompt #119 - Sam goes back to Stanford one Halloween and encounters Jess' ghost.
As the wind gently rustles the changing leaves and the moon hangs heavy in the midnight sky, things really don't seem all that different from Halloweens past. Nights filled with candy corns and rounded pumpkins with jagged smiles. But time has a way of catching up with everyone, and so I stand , not too terribly far from the place I once held very dear, and I wonder why I'm even here.
Why would a man like me, scarred and solemn, journey hours out of his way on a whim? On a night that is made for youth and exuberance and mischief. I'm not really sure, but I think I just needed to feel close to a time when my dreams seemed flesh and my future certain. Needed to be close to the things I treasured back when I was young and excited about my life, and even a bit mischievous in my own subtle ways. But now, that man is gone. What remains is a pale comparison. Brown has become gray, looming has become hunched, and idealistic has become resigned..
In the distance I hear gales of laughter and feminine giggles, quickly followed by the purring of a well-tuned engine as the younger generation prepares for a night of adventure. And I don't mean the kind that requires rock salt or silver bullets either. Hearing that engine takes me back to a time when Dean would gun the Impala's engine at the stoplight, just daring the yuppie in the next lane to take us on in his flashy Porsche. Tonight, beneath the moon's illumination, that image actually makes me smile. I haven't been able to think of my big brother and smile in a very long time. I guess holding your closest friend, the protector of your soul, in your arms as they take their last breath will do that to a person.
Walking a little further into the clearing that used to be one of Jess' favorite spots, I feel just a bit lighter, somehow. My knees don't ache quite as much, and I stand somewhat taller. If I didn't know better, I would think I was actually standing in the late afternoon sun, with its gentle heat, rather than in the inky blackness of an October night. Brushing aside a clump of decaying leaves from atop a large, smooth rock, I take a seat to await whatever the night has in store for me.
Leaning back against the tree behind me, I let my mind wander. To my Father's rare, tentative smiles. To Caleb's cockiness. To Dean's devilish smirk. God, how I miss them. Miss them all. Closing my eyes, I find myself drifting on a sea of memories. Before long, I give in to the pull of sleep, uncaring of my surrounding or the wisdom of letting down my guard.
Hours pass, or maybe only seconds, when I catch the scent of jasmine on the air. A favorite bouquet from days gone by. Next I feel the warmth of soft fingertips cradling my face and moist breath, tinted by a hint of cinnamon, caressing my lips. "Sam, baby! You came! You finally came!" tickles my ear as I slowly open my eyes.
Unable to breath, surrounded by the contentment her image brings to me, I just sit and stare and marvel at how fate ever now and then plays in favor of the enduring. Oblivious to the fact that my heart has ceased to beat and my body is no longer a part of this new experience, I finally speak, "Yeah, baby. I took the long way around, but I'm finally home."