Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.
This is an episode story. It takes place in episode 5.04, "The End". Dean meets the future version of Evy.
It's been a little while since I've written from my original Evy universe, so I'll give a recap. At this point in Evy's story, she's still recovering from Lillith's attack. She's gone back to stay with Bobby, and Dean and Sam have separated. Dean is thrown forward in time to 2014, and meets the future version of himself. He learns that not only has Sam said yes to Lucifer, but that Evy has fallen victim to the apocalypse too. In the story, Evy gives Dean some unique advice for when he returns to his own time.
I couldn't think of a better way to distinguish between the original Dean and the Dean from 2014, so they're mostly referred to in the story as younger Dean and older Dean. Also, as a part of the story (it will make more sense once you read it), Evy develops a stutter. If anyone reading this happens to suffer from a stutter, or knows and/or cares about someone else who does, please don't think I am making fun of anyone who has the problem. That is not the intention.
I hope everyone had a great holiday and, if you are in the US, are not suffering too much from this recent crazy cold weather. Stay safe and stay warm!
Evy woke up shaking, but she was used to it at this point. Her leg was aching, but she was used to that too. She'd been dreaming about better days, with Sam and Dean before the end of the world. In the dream, not only had she been able to walk and run, she could talk and laugh and not worry about getting sick again. Evy looked at her food stash, surprised to see that she had more food than she thought. She knew she should try and keep working, but she had been working every day for almost a week straight. So she grabbed a little food and one of her books and sat back to read.
Towards the middle of the day, Evy left the cabin to go out into the woods. She knew that Dean would hate it, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to use the bathroom in the cabin. That just wasn't going to happen. She had just shut the back door and sat back on her bed when she heard a knock from the front. She grabbed her gun and cocked it.
"Open."
The door opened, and in stepped Dean and Cass. Dean told someone outside to wait, and Evy relaxed. She put the safety back on the gun and slipped it back under the bed. Cass came over and hugged her as Dean stood beside the door.
"Hey, baby girl."
"It's ab…bou…about t..time." Evy stuttered out. "It's b..been a w…wee..week."
"I know. Sorry, kiddo. Couldn't get away." Dean explained.
"Are you g…gonna hu…hug me or w…wh…what?"
Dean smiled, and made his way to her.
Cass, who still had an arm around Evy's shoulder, said, "You're the only one that can get him to show his affectionate side."
"Don't tell anyone." Dean said.
"Y..your sec…secret s…safe with me." Evy said.
Dean smiled again, but he had business to get to. "I'm afraid this isn't just a social visit, kid."
"What do y…you me…mean?"
Dean opened the front door, and Evy's mouth hit the floor. In front of her was Dean. A second Dean. This second Dean looked a few years younger than hers. He seemed even more surprised than she was. Evy looked to Cass, who simply shrugged.
"I…I'm…sick a…ag…again. I'm s…seeing st..stu..stuff." Evy said definitively.
"You're not seeing stuff. And you're not sick again." Dean said.
"Baby girl?" The younger Dean said. "Baby girl, what happened to you?"
"Wha…what's going o…on?" Evy asked. "Wh…wh…who is th…this?"
"It's me, baby girl. He's from 2009." Dean said. "Zachariah sent him back to see what would happen if he didn't say yes."
"Yes to M…Mi…Michael?" Evy asked, and Dean nodded.
"What happened to you?" The younger Dean asked again.
Older Dean sighed, and sat down next to Evy. "She got infected by the virus."
"What?" The younger Dean asked.
"I g..go..got the vi…virus." Evy answered.
"How are you still alive?"
"She got the virus a few weeks after we moved out here…." Older Dean started to say.
"I ca…can speak f..for my…myself, Dean!" Evy said impatiently.
Older Dean threw up his hands and let her talk.
"We moved out here right after Sa…Sa…Sammy said y…yes." Evy said. She spoke very slowly; she stuttered less when she did that. "I started wor..working on a way to f…fight the vi..virus. I found a w…way to test th…the blood for the early st…stages of the virus."
"Everyone at the camp's required to take that test every week now." Cass said.
"B…Before I could keep going, though, I st…started feeling s…sick. I th…thought it was a c…cold or s…something at first. But I t…tested myself and I was p…positive." Evy said.
"Okay." The younger Dean said. He was struggling to understand this. "So, again, how are you alive? I thought you…"
"I wa..wanted him to d…do it. I didn't wa….want to r…risk inf…infecting anyone else. But D…Dean said no." Evy explained.
"Why not?" younger Dean asked.
"He sa…said he wanted to wa…wait and s…ee if I c..ould be…beat it. But he couldn't l…let me stay in the c…camp or there would have been a m…mu…mutiny." Evy said. "So he b…brought m…me out into the w…woods and sh…shot into the a…air so ev…everybody would th…think I was d…dead."
"What?" younger Dean asked, turning to the Dean that Evy knew. "She was sick, so you dragged her in the woods and left her here alone?"
"He d…didn't have a c...choice." Evy said. "Th…they wo…would have k…k…killed me."
"What happened next?" younger Dean asked, though he looked distinctly more displeased than he did before.
"He d…didn't leave m…me alone. He t…told ev…everyone in the c…camp that he was g…going on a l…long mission to f…find other s…survivors. He s…stayed with me un…until I st….started to g…get better." Evy said.
She suddenly stopped, gasped, and grabbed her leg. She leaned into Cass's shoulder and squeezed his hand tightly. Cass whispered something in her ear. Neither Dean could make out what it was he was saying, but Evy was nodding her head and seemed to find genuine comfort in it.
"Baby girl?" younger Dean asked.
"It'll pass. Give her a minute." older Dean said.
Evy eventually loosened her grip on Cass. "That's ge…getting w…worse."
"We'll take care of that tonight, baby girl." older Dean said.
Evy looked up at him, surprised. "You f…found it?"
"Yeah."
"You're g…going to…tonight?" Evy asked.
"Yeah." older Dean said. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Evy thought about it for a minute. "Y…yes. I can…can't live l…like th…this any…anymore."
Older Dean nodded. "Okay. But you need to tell him the rest of the story."
Evy nodded and continued. "I was si…sick for w…weeks. I d…didn't lose m…my mi…mind th…though. I had s…seizures. I had a fe…fever that d…didn't go a…away for a l…long time. But th…that wasn't th…the worst of i…it."
"What do you mean?" younger Dean asked.
"The v…virus wo…woke up the d…dead nerves from when L…Lillith attacked m…me." Evy said. "It was l…like go….going th…through all of it a…again."
"Oh, baby girl." younger Dean said. The Evy that he knew in his own time was still recovering from Lillith's attack, so the event was still all too fresh in his mind.
"D…don't look at m…me l…like th…that. I d…d…don't n…need y…your p…pity." Evy said.
"Sorry." younger Dean said.
"Ab…about a month or so l…later, I st…started to g…get better. B…but th…there w…were si…side effects." Evy said. "It l…left me w…with th…this stupid sh…shake a…and st…stutter."
"And pain." Cass said. "She gets sudden bouts of sharp pain in her arms and legs."
"Y...yeah." Evy said. "That too."
"So you've just been hanging out here ever since you got better?" younger Dean asked.
"I'm st…still w…working." Evy said. "On my b…better d…days, I w…work on a c…cure for the v…virus."
Younger Dean looked around. The small, abandoned cabin had a microscope and a few books. Her tools were scarce, but he could easily believe Evy had used whatever strength she could summon and tried to find a cure for the virus. She was smart enough to do it too. The Evy he knew wasn't even eighteen yet, and could figure things out quicker than anyone younger Dean knew. He was beginning to feel guilty. He had already, in his mind, caused Evy's attack by coming back from hell. Apparently, continuing to say no to Michael would hurt her again.
"Did you find anything?" Cass asked.
"N…no." Evy said sadly. "De…Deanie, I'm s…sorry."
"Don't apologize, baby girl." older Dean said as he pulled her to him for a hug. "You tried. I know you tried. You did good, kiddo. I'm proud of you."
Evy squeezed him tightly, making older Dean shake as much as she was. It was the one thing younger Dean had seen that didn't make him upset. Apparently that had stayed the same. As hard as Dean could make his heart to anyone else, Evy was the easiest way to soften it up.
"H…how are you g…gonna h…hide me? I'm n…not ex…exactly q…quiet." Evy asked.
"We're getting ready to leave now." Dean explained. "The camp's packing up."
"I've got just enough angel mojo left to make you invisible until we get to the car." Cass said. "You're riding with me and the younger Dean. I'll make you invisible again when we get there."
"I g…get to b…be in…invisible? Th…that's k…kinda cool." Evy said.
"I'm glad you got something to smile about." older Dean said. "You ready to go?"
"I w…want to t…talk to h…him. A…alone." Evy said, nodding towards the younger Dean.
"I don't know about that, kiddo." older Dean said.
"J…just b…because I'm we…weaker th…than I w…w…was doesn't m…mean I c…can't kick y…your ass, D…Dean." Evy said.
Older Dean threw up his hands. "Okay. Okay, tough guy. We'll be outside whenever you're ready." Older Dean and Cass walked outside.
"Sh…shut th…the door. And d…don't e…eavesdrop."
That made both Dean's smile. That, apparently, was exactly what older Dean was planning to do. He shut the door behind him and Cass and Evy waited a few seconds. She seemed to be gathering her thoughts. Evy finally turned to the younger version of Dean and asked,
"D…did h…he tell y…you to say y…yes to M…Michael s…so th…this w…wouldn't happen?"
"Yeah." younger Dean answered. "Are you gonna tell me the same?"
"No." Evy answered. "D…don't d…do it. D…don't listen to h…him."
"What?" younger Dean asked. "You don't want me to do it?"
"N…no. You t…try harder th…than w…we did. K…kick M…Michael and L…Lucifer's a…asses. D…don't let them w…win." Evy said.
"What makes you think we're not fighting?" younger Dean asked.
"B…because I k…know you." Evy said. "Y…you think it's t…too hard s…so you're g…going to n…not t…try."
"Baby girl, if he couldn't do it here…" younger Dean said.
"D…don't l…let this h…happen. Don't l…let th…this h…happen t…to m…me." Evy said. "P…promise m…me."
"Okay, kiddo." younger Dean said. "I promise. I'll do my best."
"Is S…Sammy okay?" Evy asked. "Th…the o…one you know?"
Younger Dean wondered whether to tell her the truth. Something was obviously about to go down. Evy was ill, and had been for quite a while. She looked exhausted, and what she had told her Dean about not being able to live like this anymore had scared him. He decided she didn't need to know the whole truth, that he and Sam had split up and that she was still living with Bobby. He had already decided it wouldn't stay that way anyway.
"Yeah, kiddo. He's fine." younger Dean assured her.
"G…good." Evy said, smiling. "M…make sure h…he s…stays th…that way."
"Yes, ma'am." younger Dean said. "You ready to go?"
"One m…more th…thing." Evy said.
"What?" younger Dean asked.
"I c…could have ch…chosen to d…die my…self w…when I g…got infected. I o…only st…stuck ar…ound bec…because D…Dean asked m…me too. When y…you g…get back to '09, d…don't do th…that to y…your E…Evy."
"What does that mean?" Dean asked.
"D…don't make h…her st…stay al…alive just f…for you." Evy said. "Pr…promise me i…if the t…time c…comes, you w…won't m…make her s…stay alive."
"Are you telling me to let her die?" Dean asked. "I can't do that."
"O…only if th…that's h…her c…choice. If she's m…making th…the ch…choice, pr…promise me you'll l…let h…her do it." Evy said
Though it went against all his instincts, Dean promised her. "Yeah, kiddo. You got it." Attempting to change the subject, he asked, "You ready to go?"
"I g…guess w…we sh…should. I d…don't w…want y…you to k…kick th…the d…door d…down." Evy said with a smirk.
"Guess you really do know me." younger Dean laughed. "Come on."
The three of them worked together to get Evy to the camp. A few hundred feet away, just beyond the eyeline of the entrance to the woods, the older Dean walked out first, clearing the path for them to get to Cass's truck. Cass picked up the lightweight Evy in his arms, making her invisible just as they started walking out. Evy clung to Cass's neck, making him shake as he walked. Older Dean stood guard, in case anyone stopped to question why Cass was shaking the way he was, but no one did. Cass walked around to the driver's side door, opened it up, and carefully placed Evy inside. Younger Dean took his seat next to her, and Cass got in. Older Dean leaned over his younger self, kissing Evy's cheek.
"Everything's gonna be okay, baby girl. I love you."
"L…love y…you too, D…Deanie." Evy replied. Older Dean went to his own vehicle, and soon they were off. She turned to the younger Dean and said, "S…sorry if I s…smack you. It's n…not on p…purpose."
"It's okay, baby girl." younger Dean said. "How are you feeling?"
Evy smiled. "Y…you're th…the f…first p…person to a…ask m…me th…that in a w…while. Ev…everyone j…just ass…assumes I f…feel cr…crappy so th…they don't as…ask."
"Well, how are you feeling?" younger Dean asked.
"Th…this is an o…okay d…day. I c…can th…think and f…focus at l…least." Evy said.
"Good." younger Dean said.
As they got a little further down the road, Evy asked for the blanket underneath younger Dean's seat. He pulled it out for her and helped her to wrap up. They talked a little, about what things had been like after moving to the camp. Dean told her about what his Sam had been up to, kicking his addiction to demon blood. Evy seemed amazed; it seemed the Sam from her timeline had never stopped. Evy leaned against Cass's side, looking out the windshield as he drove. At one point, Cass laughed and said,
"I think it had something to do with the other angels leaving. When they bailed, my mojo just kinda…I mean, Dean, I'm all but useless. Last year, broke my foot, laid up for two months."
Evy sat up a little and smacked Cass's side. "Y…you're n…not u…useless. D…don't s…say that."
"It's true though, kiddo."
"N…no, it's n…not. If I'm n…not, y…you're n…not." Evy insisted.
"Okay, okay, settle down." Cass said. He leaned down and kissed her forehead briefly. "Why don't you get some sleep?"
"A…and m…miss my f…first c…car ride in y…years? No w…way." Evy said.
But before they got another fifteen miles down the road, Evy was fast asleep. Dean watched her carefully as he talked to Cass. She was only twenty-two, but seemed much older than that. She didn't shake in her sleep, and she looked at least somewhat peaceful for the first time since Dean had seen her. She had a slight smile on her face. Dean reached over and pushed her messy hair out of her eyes. He suddenly missed the Evy that he knew more than ever.
"There's something you should know." Cass said suddenly, breaking Dean out of his thoughts.
"What?"
Cass sighed. "If your Evy is anything at all like this one, she feels like she's a burden to you and Sam."
"What?" Dean asked, looking down again at the sleeping Evy. "That's crazy. We'd never have made it without her."
"I tried to explain that to her. Dean did too." Cass said. "But there's always a small part of her that thinks that she's not as capable as you and Sam."
"I don't get it. Why would she think that?" Dean asked.
"Think about it. Sam raises her because she thinks she's a burden to your father. She gets attacked by the Shtriga, knocked out when you fought Azazel, and attacked by Lillith." Cass said.
"Yeah, but for every time she's ever fallen or gotten hurt like that, she's helped me and Sammy out of a thousand tight spots." Dean objected.
"Make sure you tell her that when you get back." Cass said. "A lot."
Dean nodded, taking Cass's advice to heart. The rest of the ride was spent mostly in silence, everyone absorbed by their own thoughts. When they parked the truck, Cass and Dean got out. Older Dean met them, and gave Evy instructions to stay in the truck until he came back to get her. It felt like forever, but eventually he did come back.
"Come on, kiddo. Let's go."
"D…Deanie, w…wait. I need t…to tell s…something. M….might n…not get an…other ch…chance." Evy said.
"What is it, kiddo?" Older Dean asked. The sound of gunfire could be heard in the background. "We don't have a lot of time."
"I l...love y…you." Evy said. "Th…that's a…all."
Older Dean stopped and looked at Evy for a long moment. He'd become so wrapped up in leading the camp and keeping everyone, especially her, alive, that he'd forgotten how much he really did care about her.
"I love you too, kiddo."
Evy wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing as tight as she could as Dean carried her up the stairs of the building. They made it to the roof, and Dean set her down. She walked slowly behind him, and finally they found what they'd been looking for. Evy saw a suit, white as snow and sitting on a body that still looked familiar to her, despite not laying eyes on it in years.
"How's life, you son of a bitch?"
Evy's breath caught in her chest; Sam was facing her. Stop it. It's not Sammy, she thought. She didn't say anything, just took in Lucifer standing in front of her. Dean made it clear they were there to fight him, to kill him, to finally rid the world of him.
"You're welcome to try." Lucifer said with a chilling smile.
"Before we get to that, though, I need to ask you for something." Dean said.
He turned and helped Evy come towards them. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and helped her take a seat on a concrete bench that was close by. Lucifer watched them carefully. If Dean didn't know better, he'd have thought that Lucifer was feeling sorry for her.
"You are suffering, child." Lucifer said.
"Y…yes." Evy said simply, holding onto Dean's hand.
"What is it you want me to do for you?"
"H…heal m…me." Evy asked. "P…please."
"You are aware what that means?" Lucifer asked. "There is only one way to heal you."
"I kn…know wh…what I'm ask…asking." Evy said. "J…just p…please m…make it qu…quick."
"Very well."
Lucifer did nothing more than lift his hand, and Evy was suddenly in darkness. She woke to see Lucifer standing over Dean's body, his shoe on top of Dean's neck. With one quick snap, he ended Dean's life as well. She wanted to scream, beg him not to kill Dean, but before she could say anything, Dean was standing behind her. Evy was standing on her own two feet for the first time in years. She felt fantastic. She could move, she could breathe, she wasn't in pain. Dean was smiling.
"Let's go, kiddo. It's over."
Evy grabbed Dean around the waist. "I love you, Deanie."
"Love you too, kiddo."
They both turned when they heard someone else come up onto the roof with them. It was younger Dean. Evy looked at her Dean, guilty for leaving the younger one behind. Older Dean shook his head.
"We can't help him. We need to go."
Unknown to the younger Dean, who was confronting Lucifer now himself, Evy and the older Dean headed off into their next life. Evy had opened his eyes. He was now convinced fighting Lucifer and Michael to the very end was the right thing to do. It almost certainly meant his death, maybe even Sam and Evy's, but they couldn't bend to the angel's will. Once he was back in his own time, Dean found himself face to face with Zachariah. His first stop after Zachariah and Cass was to Bobby's. It was early in the morning, not even six o'clock yet. Bobby had been up for a few minutes, and Evy was in the kitchen with him, just beginning to wake up completely. Both of them jumped when the kitchen door suddenly opened, and Dean walked inside.
"Dean? What are you…?"
Dean grabbed Bobby's other kitchen chair and turned it to face Evy. He grabbed her hand and asked her,
"Kiddo, listen. I know you feel like you're not ready to come back out with me and Sam. But I need you. Please. We both do. We're fighting Michael and Lucifer, but we need your help."
Evy was shocked. Had Dean guessed how she was feeling? Like she'd never be able to hunt or help them again? Like she was too weak to do anything? Like Lillith's attack had been her fault? All these things and more had been going through her mind.
"Dean, I don't know if I can help…"
"Listen to me." Dean said. "Sam and I could never have gotten as far as we have without you. You're the reason we're still alive. I'm going to meet Sam in a couple hours. Please, kiddo, please come with me."
Evy looked to Bobby, who was smiling as if to say told you so. She sighed. She didn't feel ready, but Bobby had been trying to convince her to go back out, and apparently Dean felt the same way. She had no doubt Sam would be on board too. Things between her and Sam had been tense the last time they'd been together, but Evy was tired of being angry with him and was willing to give him another chance.
"Okay. Let's go." Evy said.
"Alright." Dean said, grabbing Evy to hug her. "Let's go."
Three hours later, they were parked and waiting for Sam to pull up. Dean had wanted to surprise Sam and not tell him that Evy was coming with them, but Evy had said no. Sam seemed excited she was back with them, but he knew better than to think she wasn't still upset with him. After Dean and Sam made up, Sam turned to Evy.
"I'm sorry, Cricket." he said, for what felt to him like the hundredth time.
"I know, Sammy." Evy said. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before answering him. "You promise you're done with the demon blood? For good?"
"Yes. I swear." Sam promised.
"And you'll never leave me like that again?"
"I promise, Cricket." Sam promised again.
"Okay. I believe you." Evy said. "If you promise it won't happen again, we can start over."
Evy grabbed Sam around the waist, helping a relieved Sam let out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. Sam had honestly believed he had damaged his relationship with her permanently. But Evy's forgiving nature had taken over again, and Sam vowed that he'd never take advantage of it again.
"Thank you, Cricket." Sam said. "I promise I'll never leave you again."
"I know, Sammy. Let's go."
"I say that's a plan." Dean said. "Let's get on the road."
"First place we're going is somewhere for breakfast." Evy said. "You didn't even let me eat before we left Bobby's."
Dean laughed, his encounter from the future still fresh on his mind. He was grateful to have a second chance with Sam and a mostly healthy Evy, and he took Evy from Sam's grasp and held her tight.
"Anything you want, baby girl."