The county courthouse was a bit larger than the brothers had expected, and they'd had to split up just to be able to search it all, neither really knowing what he was looking for. While Sam talked to some locals who apparently spent their days hanging out in the old building, Dean inspected a replica of the gallows used in the town before someone had put a stop to the hangings.
He walked up to the plaque mounted by the exhibit that explained the history of the noose and trapdoor that had taken so many lives. He stooped to run his fingers over the gleaming metal surface and found himself unpleasantly surprised when his hand went right through the seemingly solid slab.
"Uh, Sammy," he beckoned, turning to his brother, "come over here a minute."
Sam bid his new friends farewell and trudged over to where his brother was standing, gazing at the plaque with mild interest. "This had better be important, Dean," the younger grumbled, "because those guys back there saw Jake hanging around a couple days ago."
"Watch," Dean said, pulling a quarter from his pocket and dropping it onto the plaque. It disappeared, leaving a small ripple like a stone dropped in a pond.
"Is that-?"
The elder nodded. "I think it is. What do you want to do about it?"
"Jump in?" Sam shrugged. His brother sighed. It wasn't the best idea in the world, especially since they weren't sure they'd found the right wormhole, if that was even what it was.
"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Dean asked, bending down and poking the metal slab with his index finger, "so, who's going first?"
They looked at each other, each daring the other to take the plunge first. Finally, Sam pushed past his brother and stuck a hand into the plaque. He turned to look at Dean, who just nodded, before sliding through head-first.
Dean waited a couple of minutes, glancing around the room to make sure that the only witnesses were otherwise occupied, before jumping in.
He was immediately met with a blast of frigid air and a bought of nausea so strong he almost hurled. Then he was only aware of a feeling of freefalling and a sudden impact with something soft that squirmed uncomfortably under his weight.
The hunter glanced at what he had fallen on and found his brother struggling to push himself up.
"Sorry, Sammy," he muttered, sliding off his brother and holding out a hand to help him up. He looked around, taking in his new surroundings, and found that they were right back where they'd started. The courthouse. "Nothing changed."
"You sure?" Sam asked, brushing himself off and pointing to the gallows exhibit. It had been covered by a blue cloth so that only the plaque was visible. A sign hung on the metal, announcing the grand unveiling of the exhibit, which would take place on May 7, 1989.
"We went back in time seventeen years?" Dean asked, his wide eyes searching his brother's face for any indication that it was a bad joke. Sam just nodded.
"Yeah. Let's start looking for Jake."