Chapter 14.
Sam texted Jack to meet him outside the bunker. They walked to the group of trees on the edge of a field, a place Sam sometimes used to get some time to think alone. Only there did Sam break the silence. "I think I can help Dean and Castiel, but I'll need your help."
"You have it, whatever it is." said Jack.
"Don't decide so quickly. It involves a deception and I know you hate those."
"And so do you, so why do you want it now?" said Jack.
"Because I don't think there's any other way to fix the problem. Dean won't consider the warding idea, Cas is losing his mind trying to think of something else and the stress it's putting on their friendship is phenomenal. My idea will just give them some peace until we can do something more effective."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Have you heard of the placebo effect?"
"Unless they were a seventies rock band, probably not." said Jack.
"Well, basically, if you give someone a pill and tell them it will cure them, there's a good chance it will alleviate their symptoms purely because they believe in it."
"That really works?"
"Yes, humans can be very gullible. Angels can be too. We just need to convince them both we've found something in the lore that enables the making of two talismans that give them the power to control and so close the link between them."
"Dean has already said no to the wards." said Jack.
"Dean won't do anything that feels like binding or repelling Cas." said Sam, "He can't do it. You know how Dean feels about betrayal."
"But Cas consented."
"Dean thinks Cas will do anything. He's probably right. We have two instinctive martyrs, each eager to sacrifice himself for the other. This will not be presented as wards, but as something that gives each control over his own mind. If we can just convince them that it works, it will work. They'll both be able to kill the link at will."
"Are you sure?" said Jack.
"Pretty sure. I'm pretty sure the link exists because they wanted it to. It's not a conscious thing, but they seem to control it. Neither can close it because neither really wants to. I mean, Cas was almost completely alone for millions of years. His closest friends were the other angels in the garrison and they weren't exactly bosom buddies. Now he has Dean and a direct connection to someone who cares about him. Of course he can't just shut it down. Dean's been alone a lot too and even when I've been around, he can't talk to me because he wants to protect me. They're both trying, but all the willpower in the world can't stop the connection they both need so much."
"Then how will our placebo talismans help?" said Jack.
"Imagine you had a room that held everything that mattered to you, but you had to guard the door day and night. It wouldn't matter what was behind that door, it would be exhausting. We are just putting a key into their hands, so they can lock the door and walk away from it. If we can make them believe in the keys, we are giving them control. From there, they can make up their own minds."
Jack nodded. "You're good."
"I'm planning to lie to my brother and to an angel of the Lord because it's easier than trying to pick my way through their entangled insecurities and self-doubt." said Sam, "I doubt if I am even adequate. I just need to do something, before Dean says something to Cas he can't take back."
"I don't understand why you need me."
"Jack, they both trust you. They both know how honest you are. I spin them this line, they're going to ask a lot of questions. If I say you and I found this solution together and you back me up, they will listen."
"So why didn't you let me think this was a real way to fix it?" said Jack.
"It didn't feel right. I don't want to use you, Jack. I certainly don't want to exploit your trust."
"Just theirs?"
Sam knew how Jack felt. He hated it too. "Yeah, just theirs." he said.
"If we say we think it will work, we're not actually lying." said Jack.
"No, we just don't mention the placebo thing." said Sam.
"So now we just need to find two convincing-looking talismans."
"Identical would be best." said Sam.
"I'll search the store rooms. Of course, Castiel might be able to tell there's no power in the thing."
"I hadn't thought of that." Sam admitted.
"But maybe I can just add a little shimmer to the aura of the thing, a tingle to the touch, just for angels."
"You can do that?"
"I can try." said Jack, "Being half archangel has to be good for something, right? And Castiel is not half archangel and might not be able to read the power clearly. He'll just know there is power there."
"You may be a genius." said Sam.
"It may not work. If it doesn't, neither of them will trust us."
"I know." said Sam.
"But if it does work, they can both relax and enjoy the party." said Jack with a smile. "That has to be worth the risk."
"And if, later, they want to explore the link and its potential advantages, they only have to remove the talismans."