Stepping into the Real

Chapter 2

Jared was sitting in the Impala – he was sitting – in the Impala and they were driving, he was in the actual passenger seat of the Impala and Dean Winchester was driving, Jared swallowed hard and stared out of the window, considering, carefully, his next move. Hell, it was going to be fucking hard to stay in character for a start, in fact he didn't have a clue if 'his' character was right anyhow, he was an actor not some college geek boy, he didn't know shit about alternative universes or being sucked into another direction, all he could ascertain is that he was no longer in Vancouver and the character he had been playing for the past year and a bit seemed to actually exist. He shot a look at his 'brother', Dean seemed to accept his/Sam's silence and wasn't pressing for any conversation at the moment which was fine as Jared couldn't think of a damn thing to say, he guessed that any conversation that started with 'Hey I'm not actually Sam – just some actor who actually plays him – in a fictional series – called Supernatural' just wasn't going to go down too well. He gazed out at the dark streets, trying to work out in his mind what might be going on – all he did know is that he was Sam and he was going to have to be Sam for a while longer, while he tried to work out exactly what to do. He wished Jenson was with him, he was sure the older man would know what to do in a situation like this; a slightly hysterical laugh escaped his lips as a thought hit him – when had they ever been in a situation like this?

"Something funny?" Dean turned his head slightly, his green eyes sharp "Are you sure you didn't hit your head there bro?"

"No – I'm good" Jared kept his voice soft "Where are we going?"

"Back to the motel" Dean was still watching him "You need fixing up, a good shower, some food and some sleep" he frowned "Are you sure you are ok? No headaches – no visions?"

"No – Dean – I'm fine – you're right – I just need a good night's sleep" Jared forced a smile "Guess the hunt didn't turn out the way I thought it would"

"Ok – let me know if you need anything ok?"

"Sure Dean" Jared's head was beginning to hurt – but it was more with the strain of constantly being Sam than any other reason. He wondered, randomly, what timeline they were in, was his 'dad' dead? How long since Dean had picked 'him' up from Stanford? Fuck, he could hardly ask anything like that without Dean becoming instantly suspicious and Jared didn't want anything to piss off Dean – because he had enough knowledge of the character – to know that a pissed off Dean was not a good Dean and Jared needed to keep him as sweet as possible and for as long as possible because Dean might be his only way of getting back home and at the moment he felt a lot like Dorothy lost in the land of Oz.

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Sam lay back in the large bathtub and sighed, whoever this Jared character was, he certainly knew how to live; everything in this trailer was designed to fit someone who was taller than average and Sam couldn't help but enjoy the luxury of actually fitting in everything from the bed to the bath. He lay for a while longer and finally got out of the tub, wrapping himself in a large towel whilst he looked for something clean to wear. This Jared's wardrobe was huge, full of loud shirts – some in pink – cowboy boots and a huge array of unsuitable jackets and hats. Sam picked out the least garish of the shirts and a plain pair of jeans, shaking his head, shit he'd give his right arm for a decent tee shirt and a warm hoodie.

The man who looked like his brother was lying on the couch when Sam entered the lounge, he looked relaxed and at home and he grinned at Sam, gesturing that he should sit "You ok Jare?" his voice was concerned "You still look a little shaky – you were lucky dude – Eric felt enough sympathy for you to let you off the hook tonight – so we've a free evening – what do ya wanna do?" Sam frowned, he had no idea what this guy was talking about, and he was feeling too tired and too fraught to even try and guess. He had no idea what had happened to him, only a few vague theories and none of them seemed feasible. Was it possible that he had slipped into another dimension where another version of him and Dean existed? Or was he in a coma and imagining all this? He put his hand to his head, it hurt and he wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, waking up, he hoped next to his brother in their cramped motel room.

"Jared?" the man's voice held some concern "Are you ok?"

"Yeah" Sam's voice sounded harsh to his own ears and he chose his words carefully "Yeah"

"Look man – don't sweat – we all mess up at times – it'll be alright tomorrow – lets go and grab a few beers, play a little pool, you know – take a little R & R"

"Ok" it seemed the right thing to say because the guy who looked like his brother grinned and leapt up from the sofa, a mischievous gleam in his eyes "Hold that thought – I'll go and bring the car round"

Sam continued to sit, biting his thumbnail, his head buzzing. He leant over and picked up a magazine which was flung casually on the coffee table in front of him and he felt his heart leap into his mouth as he looked at the front cover, unable to believe his eyes. The picture was clear and colourful, him and Dean standing, looking all mean and very moody, in front of the Impala. The headline read 'Supernatural Studs' and as Sam read on, his predicament became all too clear 'Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles star in the second series of the successful CW series Supernatural – catch it every Thursday at 9pm on the CW' Sam brushed a long finger over the picture in front of him and swallowed hard – fuck – they had turned his fucking life into a television show! How the fuck had that happened? He stared at the face of the actor who 'played' Sam Winchester and shook his head – fuck – if he were here – then this Jared character must be in his place – with Dean – Sam felt hysterical laughter bubble and he thought he had problems……