Chapter Three – Time Loop
Three cell phones had no service while two laptops had absolutely no Internet access. Sam remained outside using all three cellular devices to get a signal while Dean was in the backseat with Amy. She slept quietly against his chest as Dean kept his arm around her and the other hanging out the backseat window. His eyes went to his younger brother, trying to find a signal, and then it went back to the young woman leaning against him.
She finally started to come around. Amy awoke suddenly and moved rapidly in Dean's arms but he kept a strong hold of her. "Hey hey," Dean comforted, "it's okay…"
Amy relaxed against his grasp and sighed, "Dean…did we…are we really in 1997?"
Dean stared out the window and explained, "Our cell phones have no service. The computers have no Internet. We're still on the side of road." He took in a deep breath. "And I believe it's basically confirmed that we are, in fact, are back in 1997."
"You," Amy thought, "you called it a time loop?"
"Our dad told us about these things when we were younger," Dean explained.
Amy shifted in her seat and she looked up at Dean.
He continued: "Time loops are portals that – by theory – can take you anywhere in time – past or future. There have only been a few, possible accounts of people actually going into the past. We haven't necessarily gone back in time…we're sort of in a repeat of what happened…it's still a real time and place – not our time and place – but the people we encounter, like the Rivers, they're live-and-kickin' people...
"See, if we had actually gone back into time…just our presence here would be a danger to the future…meeting the Rivers could completely change 2005…you remember Back to the Future…but we've traveled through a portal so it's a sign that we went through a time loop…"
"So this time loop was just randomly hanging out on a Kentucky highway?" Amy asked.
"I guess…" Dean thought. "That's all Sam and I know about time loops. The 'expert' would be our dad…"
"Wait a minute…" Amy sat up slowly. "I have a feeling we're going to go see this expert."
Dean nodded and sighed. "Sam says it's the best way to figure this out…we don't know if we can get back…we don't know how or when…I know our dad would know and plus he has contacts that we can speak with…"
"So we're just going to hang out in 1997?" Amy asked, bewildered. "No caution or anything?"
"Well…" Dean suggested. "We could just hang out by the street for a while and see if the portal comes back. Or we move a bit faster and work this out."
"I like the second option."
Dean smiled and nodded, "Good."
"Do you know exactly when we are?" Amy asked.
"The sun is out…it's slightly warm…but we can tell the temperature is cooling…we both guess fall – possibly August or September…"
"1997…" Amy repeated softly. "We're just eighteen now…wow…"
"Well hey, meeting our younger selves could be fun too…" Dean offered.
"Fun," Amy repeated. "You're eighteen-years-old and all of a sudden you meet your future self eight years ahead of you… 'woo hoo' and 'ha ha' don't seem to cover the feelings that eighteen-year-old might have."
"Well, once Sam is done realizing our cell phones have no service," Dean called loudly at the window, "we can go test that theory…"
O.O.O.O.O.O.
Sam drove the car while Amy and Dean had moved up to the front. They had decided not to go to a hospital but go straight to the Winchester's house.
It was odd for Sam and Dean to imagine going to the house they were both raised in – the house they learned to fight – the house that would be their haven from the evils their father tried to protect them from.
After Mary Winchester died and the house was not completely taken away by the fire, the Winchester men had stayed with Amy's family. John was great friends with Amy's parents, Mike and Kate, and the Cromwells did all they could to take care of the struggling family.
They had stayed with Amy's family for a total of a month before John purchased a smaller house. It had been a small cottage with two floors – the second floor only had one room-the bonus room-used for the boys' training. The fire brought the Winchester's very little money but it was enough to start over.
Although John Winchester never gave it a thought to forget and move on.
The familiar country side was beautiful. All three stared out the windows looking at tall, beautiful trees and the endless grasslands.
Dean remembered how their father took them out fishing once in the country, by the lake. It was one of the few memories Dean had that actually involved the family spending time together.
Amy hadn't been back to Kansas in four years. It was bad enough being away from home to go to Kansas State, but leaving the state for good was much more difficult.
Dean and Sam had just been in Lawrence not too long ago.
O.O.O.O.O.O.
An hour later…Dean, Sam, and Amy were back home.
It was indeed fall for the people in the town were decorating their stores and houses with fake red and orange leaves and putting out pumpkins by their doors.
The three of them remembered the town so well.
They saw familiar faces and familiar shops. Amy gazed at places she and her friends used to go to. She missed the small town.
It was so beautiful. It was different for the guys. The feeling of going back a couple of weeks ago had been difficult. Actually being back in 1997 gave it a more peaceful feeling.
Dean was happy at the thought of seeing their dad.
Amy pointed out the window and said happily, "Look, Parker Theatre…they tore it down my freshman year of university…"
Parker Theatre was there, a couple of adults were coming out of the red building.
Sam was so focused on the buildings and the stores. The trees were still full and green and the grass was so fresh. Everything felt so homey.
O.O.O.O.O.O.
The black Impala pulled in front of their old house. Not the one they had moved to later on. The place where Mary had died.
The three stared at the place blankly. It had been fixed up and looked as if a fire had never touched it.
A lump seemed to be caught in Dean's throat. Amy, feeling him tense up, reached across and held his hand in hers. He gave it a small squeeze and sighed.
Sam stared at the home for a moment. "I can't believe it…I remember…I remember that even after the house was repaired…no one lived in it for so long…Dad refused to ever go near it-"
"C'mon Sammy," Dean said.
Sam…Sam thought angrily.
"Let's go and find Dad," Dean offered. He turned back, refusing to look at the old house. "We need to find a way to get home."
Amy turned to Dean sadly. She tried giving him a hopeful smile but he merely returned a fake grin.
Sam pulled the car away and continued down the road.
O.O.O.O.O.O.
Their old house had been in a subdivision called Cradle Way. The subdivision had been two blocks away from Amy's home.
The three continued to stir in their seats as Sam drove. Everyone seemed to be eager to get to the Winchester house, but they tried to not show it.
Amy's head turned as they traveled down the street and a marble sign read: Ocean Sand. Her old neighborhood.
"I can't believe this," Amy whispered breathlessly. The sign was only in sight for a minute but it stuck with her.
She was tense. Dean put his arm around her but she didn't seem to notice. Her breathing was irregular and Amy tried to take deep breaths.
"Amy, you okay?" Sam asked.
She nodded quickly and sighed. Amy choked out, "It's just…I've handled ghosts…demons…and now…I'm back in 1997…I don't think it's fully hit me yet…"
"Breathe…" Dean reminded, watching Amy gasp for air quickly.
The car ride seemed to last forever. Everyone remained quiet while Amy tried to get her breathing pattern together.
Everything was the same. It was exactly like they had remembered.
Dean remembered him and his father leaving right after graduation. It would be the first time John would take Dean on an actual road trip. Sam either remained at the house or he stayed with Amy's parents. Dean and John would come back regularly, checking in on Sam, but after about a week they'd be back on the road.
Sam turned the corner.
Cradle Way…
The three stared at the nice-looking sign wordlessly. No one could be heard breathing.
"We're here…" Sam muttered.
All three heads turned toward all of the houses.
Dean gazed at one brick house and said, "That's where Sandy Jacobs lived…"
Amy was finally able to swallow.
The black car stopped on the corner of the street. Sam turned the ignition off and everyone stared at the direction he was gazing at. Their eyes looked down the street and they found the house.
It was brick house with a two-door garage. Pulled into the driveway was the black Chevy Impala.
"Two Impalas," Dean thought, "sweet."
"It means Dad's home…" Sam paused and gulped. "I can't believe it…" he whispered. He saw the house. He saw the car parked in the driveway. It was all right there in front of him.
"Look…" Amy whispered.
Dean and Sam noticed another car pulling into the driveway. It was an old, familiar Ford Mustang. The dark green vehicle pulled up beside the black Impala.
From where they sat, Dean, Amy, and Sam watched three teenagers get out of the Mustang.
"Holy crap," Amy muttered.
The driver was a tall eighteen-year-old girl. She had straight, dark brown hair that reached below her shoulders. The teenager was wearing a tight blue dress and black boots that came below her knee. The girl carried a black backpack by her side and a book in her hands. She had a younger looking face…but it was still the same face that resembled Amy's.
The teen that came out of the front seat was just a couple of inches taller than the driver. He wore a black Zeppelin shirt and jeans with holes in them. He carried a plain black backpack that seemed to have barely anything in it. His hair was still short but was more closely blonde than dirty blonde.
Finally, a younger teenager came out of the backseat. He wore jeans, Converses and a brown T-shirt. The fourteen-year-old was just as tall as the eighteen-year-olds. He carried a large, heavy gray backpack. His hair wasn't shaggy or long, it was shorter and straighter.
"It's us…" Sam whispered, not believing himself completely.
The teenagers were laughing as they walked up the driveway. Younger Dean led the way as Younger Amy and Sam walked side by side talking. Dean opened the front door and the two followed behind him.
In the car, Amy, Sam and Dean were staring wide-eyed as their younger selves disappeared into the house.
Dean crackled his knuckles suddenly and sighed.
"So…" Amy crooned. "Do we, umm, should we…"
"I think so…" Sam finished.
He started the car up again and Sam drove the Impala down the street.
O.O.O.O.O.O.
Sam parked the car across the street from the house.
"So what do we do?" Amy asked oddly. "Just go up…I mean…holy crap…"
"Look…" Dean announced. "Seeing our younger selves can be traumatic…so just be cool about it…we need to see Dad otherwise we'll never figure a way to get home…"
Sam nodded as he turned off the ignition.
"Hurry, lets go…I'd rather go up to the door than someone greet us outside," Amy said quickly. She was so nervous the young woman was shaking.
O.O.O.O.O.O.
Dean, Amy, and Sam walked side by side as they trailed up the familiar stone steps and toward the front door.
Straightening out his blue shirt, Dean took a deep breath and then knocked several times on the door.
"Oh God oh God…" Amy whispered silently.
Sam's hands were hanging loosely by his sides.
Here we go…Sam thought.
The door slowly opened…
It was neither of the teenagers.
The forty-year-old man wore a green-black flannel shirt and jeans. He wore black boots and his face had a thin mustache and beard growing.
The younger John Winchester narrowed his eyes at the three.
"Hi Dad," Dean said slowly. "We're from the future."
O.O.O.O.O.O.
A/N: I hope you're all enjoying. I wrote this chapter while I was tired so, please, bear with me. Comments/Feedback/Reviews appreciated. I'll update ASAP.
