A/N: Written for week 16 of SPN Hiatus Creations on tumblr. Prompt: lore.
"I'm just saying," Sam began, clearly still not wanting to give up this argument, "that I think it'd be a good idea."
"Yeah, for a nerd," Dean reasoned, taking a sip of his coffee.
Really, Sam's idea wasn't a bad one, but it sounded boring. Dean didn't like boring. He wanted to be where the action was, not stuck inside with a book and notebooks like Sam was suggesting.
"Dean, come on. You're a total nerd when it comes to lore. Look, you don't even need to do a lot of digging. You know this stuff like the back of your hand."
Dean nodded thoughtfully, accepting Sam's praise. Maybe his brother was winning him over. Besides, having a complete bestiary written by them that they could add to the multitude of books in the bunker? It'd be totally cool. And helpful for anyone who came after them. He looked at their initials they'd scratched into the table they were currently sitting at.
They had to leave more than just that as their legacy.
Why not help others who would might stumble upon the bunker in the future?
"Fine," he agreed. "Let's do it."
"Cool. I was thinking we do it alphabetically, so let's start with angels."
Dean groaned. "But I hate angels."
"I'll let you do a section on Cas," Sam bargained.
That brightened Dean's mood a little, so they set to work. They planned out the various sections they'd do first, Sam writing them in alphabetical order, and then they figured they needed a system for it. They decided they'd describe the monster or creature, and then talk about how to kill it. When they got to the discussion on the killing part it felt strange they'd be putting in a section about Castiel. But he was important to them, so they'd do it. Maybe they could add in a few other things about vessels and the Apocalypse so it wouldn't be all weird having an angel who would be seemingly random to outsiders in there.
They didn't get to work on it right away. Sam started digging out some books he thought would be useful on the creatures they'd heard about, but hadn't had any dealings with, like Baku, or black dogs.
While Sam did that, Dean went to call Castiel. He wanted his permission before writing about him. He knew he was busy looking for ingredients to open a portal to Apocalypse World, but maybe he had a couple minutes to spare.
"Hey, Cas!" Dean greeted when his friend picked up.
"Dean, this isn't really a good time right now."
"Oh. Um… Okay. I'll keep it short, then. Me and Sam, we're writing a bestiary of sorts, and I - we - were wondering if it's okay to have a chapter on you."
"Me?"
"Yeah. You're an angel, you're important. I thought… I don't know, I thought maybe it could be something special." The last sentence sounded pathetic to him. He wasn't too sure how to explain this to his friend, not sure how to get him to understand how badly he wanted to do it. He hoped he'd get it and that he'd be okay with it. But the one question seemed doubtful. Dean wasn't so sure he himself would give someone else permission to write about him.
But Dean cared a lot about Castiel, and he didn't always know how to say it. Maybe writing about it in that book would help.
"Can I look at it afterwards?"
"Course!" Dean responded instantly. "I'm sure Sam'll want you to go through the whole book. He's pretty excited about it."
"I can imagine. Now, Dean, I'm sorry. I really do have to go."
"Right, right. Well get back home safe, okay?"
"I will. Goodbye."
Dean felt a longing after Castiel hung up, but he brushed it aside. Cas would be fine. Sure, he hadn't been the last time, had been captured by demons, and before that he'd… he'd died.
But this time…
This time he'd be okay. He had to be.
Besides, Dean didn't have time to think about it. He had a chapter to write. And right now there wasn't a single thing he could do about finding Jack or Mom, and they weren't on a hunt. Maybe this could keep him busy.
Dean didn't like to admit that compiling information for the bestiary was enjoyable, but it was. He liked being able to geek out about changelings, and ghouls, and ghosts, and skinwalkers, and werewolves, and witches, and vampires. The chapter he and Sam wrote about demons was cold and calculated, kept distinctly separate from themselves, otherwise they'd fill it with hate. But they had other chapters where they could let that seep through; chapters about Azazel, and Ruby. They wrote about Dagon, and Ramiel, and a bit on Asmodeus. The chapter on Crowley was difficult since Dean missed him even though he told himself he shouldn't.
Sam put in a chapter about Lucifer. Dean let him do it all on his own, and didn't ask questions when Sam would switch from coffee to beer and then asked Dean where he kept his scotch. Dean was worried when he let Sam have scotch, knew his brother usually liked to try and be in control of himself, but the chapter was difficult for him. He'd offered to take over at one point, but Sam had snapped at him.
They wrote about Heaven together, and then when they wrote about Hell, they did it while holding back tears, keeping their words professional, and pretending they didn't see the pain in the other one's eyes.
Dean wrote about Purgatory, since there wasn't much Sam could put in there.
It was a bit confusing when they got to Rowena, but they managed to keep emotions out of it. She often left them feeling confused, though Sam seemed a bit closer to her now and it made Dean uncomfortable.
It was all kinds of fun writing about vampires. Something about it felt really good for Dean, especially the vampire cure. Could've been because he'd almost been a vampire, but he didn't want to psychoanalyze himself too much. It wasn't like he was getting paid by the hour or anything.
For a time they skipped the chapter on Nephilim, not sure what to say. They missed Jack. Dean was surprised by how much he missed him, and whenever they sat down to write the chapter, sometimes at the end of a hunt, they found themselves talking about the kid instead.
He wasn't just some terrifyingly powerful being with capacity for both good and evil. He was family, someone they should've been able to take care of, but couldn't. Dean saw it as his fault. Sam saw it as his own. Maybe it was just the stupid angels. They had wanted Jack after all, for reasons that Dean could figure out, dark reasons that they avoided discussing.
But it was difficult to write professionally and unemotionally about a being, a person, that they missed so much. So they held off.
The book was left forgotten for awhile. Dean went with Ketch to Apocalypse World, and he just felt like he couldn't do it anymore. He'd failed again. No Mom, no Jack.
No hope.
One late night Sam tried to see if Dean wanted to write another chapter, maybe add a little bit to the one on revenants, or start the zombie chapter. He did really enjoy the lore about zombies, but he wasn't feeling up for it.
Truth be told, Dean didn't even know how Sam was still getting out of bed. Not long after losing Jack he hardly had been, lying around for hours and hours. Maybe Sam had taken up this project to avoid that. Maybe Dean should get back to it to avoid it himself, to find something to do amongst his despair.
He eventually let Sam's prodding sway him, and he worked on the chapters his brother suggested.
They eventually finished. Well… almost.
Still one last chapter.
Nephilim.
They finished it the night Jack came home.
And it was the last time Dean would see that book for awhile.
Jack was human now, Sam was leading the people who had come from Apocalypse World, Dean was possessed by Michael, Lucifer was dead, and Castiel was trying to help where he could. Some days Jack felt like all of them were drowning.
One night after a hurried dinner, Sam had set off secretly, following a tip about where Michael might be; he wanted to get to him before anyone from Apocalypse World. They wanted Michael dead, not caring if Dean would die as well. Sam wanted to save his brother.
As much as Jack wanted Michael dead he also saw the value in saving Dean. He was family.
He didn't have much to do, and was looking through the books in the library. He came across a particularly thick one in a black, leather bound cover, letters cut into it imprecisely as if done by an unpracticed hand. Curious, and noticing it looked newer than the other books, he pulled it out. The pages were a clear white instead of the yellowed and aged pages in the others in the library.
Jack sat down with it.
He smiled when he began to read the introduction.
The book was written by Sam and Dean, a bestiary detailing all the monsters and powerful beings they knew of, the different locations that were important, and explaining different events. Sometimes it was almost like a journal, sometimes more like what a textbook was probably like (Jack hadn't come across many of them in his year alive). But the introduction itself made his heart swell as he thought of them, the two men he loved so much.
There was a chapter on Castiel, written by Dean, and it almost sounded like a letter to the angel. It was about some of Castiel's mistakes, Castiel's personality, how he could seem so wise sometimes and at others, almost like a child. But Dean understood how much Castiel cared and that he was trying his best. Jack saw Castiel in much the same light.
He flipped through it, and stopped at the chapter on Nephilim.
Jack suddenly found a strong hand on his shoulder and jumped.
He met Castiel's blue gaze.
"Father? I… I thought you would have gone with Sam."
"He wanted me to stay behind to keep an eye on you," he responded, giving his shoulder a squeeze before sitting down in the leather armchair next to him.
"I'm fine," Jack told him.
Castiel said nothing, but Jack could tell he didn't believe him. No one ever did. They were right not to. Jack was lying.
"What are you reading?" he asked.
"A bestiary, I suppose. Sam and Dean wrote it."
"Let me see."
Jack shifted in his seat so his knees were closer to Castiel's, and he held the book between them. Castiel ran a hand over the page, now smiling fondly.
"So they did finish," he mused. "Wasn't sure they'd gotten around to it."
"How do you know?"
"This was their last chapter. They wanted to write it, but they missed you too much."
"So they wrote it before Dean…?" Jack began, but then trailed off, letting the question hang in the air.
"Just before then, I assume."
"There's a chapter about you," Jack shared, lightly grabbing the page corner to start flipping it.
Castiel placed his hand over his, stopping him. "I know. Dean asked my permission before writing it. He read it to me, as well."
Jack found himself tearing up, his throat aching.
Even though Sam was usually around he realized he missed him too. When he was there he was distant. Usually Castiel didn't have time for him either. Jack understood and he tried to power through, but somehow, something about this book had shaken these emotions loose, emotions he'd buried for Dean's sake.
"I miss him," Jack eventually said, the short statement managing to encompass all he felt, all the emptiness and the longing for things to be right and whole again.
"Me too, Jack. Dean is a good man."
"Sam, too. And you. This… This book, it means a lot, doesn't it? It can do a lot of good."
"Yes, it can."
Jack carefully closed the book as if it was ancient and weak, something to be protected. But really, it meant something to him, to the world. It was a collection of powerful information, of lore, of his family and some of their hardships and triumphs.
It was their legacy.