Part Two: White Suits and Red Roses
2009
Sam had packed up and stopped hunting with his brother. After telling Reese the reality of the apocalypse and why it started in the first place, the little trust she had for Sam was shaken. He had set Lucifer free and now the whole world was in danger. And knowing that the boys were vessels for the big prize fight, she didn't know if she could stay with them. She had promised a few hunts and that was all. Those a few hunted turned into more an than a few. She had been hunting with the boys for two months. Facing a Horseman, helping Dean with Raphael, and meeting Castiel, hunting didn't seem so easy anymore. Rather than saving lives, she felt she was fighting to save her own. After Sam left, her and Dean stuck together. They ended up in Kansas City. Reese pulled her car beside Dean's as they both got out and retrieved their things. Booking two rooms, Reese walked into the smelly one bed room and fell against the bed. She let out a long sigh. What have I gotten myself into? She thought. She ran a hand over her face and decided to take a quick shower. Once she was finished, she dried her hair, changed into her night clothes and sank into the blankets of the hard bed. It wasn't perfect but it would do.
Just as sleep was calling her name, she heard her cell phone vibrate on the night table beside the bed. She cracked open one eye and reached out to grab it. She groaned when she saw who it was. Against her better judgement and the time of the night, she accepted the call. "Dean, I'm tired. We just drove sixteen hours straight. I need a couple hours now and again." She said keeping her eyes closed.
"I know Reese. I'm tired too. Listen, I just talked to Cas, he's gonna be here in the morning to help us find the Colt."
"The Colt? Why do we need it?" Reese asked. Dean had told her about the Colt after they started hunting together. A special gun designed to kill anything. A powerful weapon.
"I think we can stop the devil with it." Dean said bluntly.
"Dean, you're crazy. He's satan, I think a little more than a bullet is going to take him down." Reese sighed. "Get some sleep. We can talk about this more in the morning." Before Dean could object, Reese hung up on him. She slammed the phone back on the table and drifted off to sleep.
Once Dean heard the dead dial tone of the phone, he shut it quickly and sighed. Reese was just like him when it came to sleep. And he couldn't blame her. Driving for that long with no stops can wear a person out. He let all thought exit his mind when he closed his eyes and let sleep take over him.
2014
The floor was cold against Reese's feet as she got out of bed. The cool crisp air rolling down her arms. She sighed as she reached for her robe and slid it over her shoulders and down her arms. She looked at the dirty old clock hanging above the fire place. A quarter past nine. She thought. He should be back anytime now. She got off the bed and walked over to the counter and made a glass of stale coffee. It wasn't a luxury now a days, but it would do. She needed something to get up in the morning when he wasn't home. She walked over to the table and took a seat in silence. She sipped on the coffee when she decided it was time to get dressed. She poured the contents into the sink and rinsed out the mug. She slowly got dressed. Her old tattered jeans, hugging her legs warmly. Sliding on an old plaid, she buttoned it up, leaving the top two buttons open, and tucked the tail in. She reached over to grab her belt that was hanging over the chair in the bedroom. She slung it around the loops of her pants and buckled it. She didn't need a belt, but it didn't feel right not wearing one. And finally, the one thing she hated wearing, but instructed to wear it, her gun holster. She sighed again as she wrapped the straps around her right thigh. She buckled them and grabbed her gun laying on the nightstand. She checked the clip and set the safety before sliding it into place. By the time she was finished with her hair, she heard a familiar sound coming up the driveway to camp. She loved hearing the sound of the old vehicle, because she knew he was home. She grabbed her jacket and walked out the door and down the steps. She got to the convoy of vehicles before she spotted the one she was looking for. Then she saw it. An old dark green jeep three spots from the front. Then she saw him open the driver door and hop out. She watched him walk to the back of the jeep and start throwing boxes onto the ground. A supply run usually only took a few hours. This one took almost a day. Reese knew they had spotted trouble while out on the run. She walked over to the group of people and started helping out by handing out the supplies to the other people who were walking up. She made sure she the others got what they needed before she did. They came first. Once the supplies were handed out, Reese took her spot next to the man. He reached to the back of the jeep and took out an old can of cold beer. "We got supplies that will last us at least a month." he said, holding the beer over his head. "Tonight. We celebrate!" With that he popped the top of the beer and the crowd around cheered. Reese felt an arm snake around her waist and pull her close. She looked up at the man and smiled. Brilliant green eyes meeting her blue ones.
"I was starting to worry. You'd been gone a while." Reese said pecking the mans lips.
"Yeah, ran into some crotes on the way out. Nothing we couldn't handle." he said, taking a sip of the beer. He let a small smile play on his lips before nudging her to move forward. "Come on, lets go get ready for the celebration." With that, Reese followed the man to their shared cabin.
2014
Dean woke up laying on his back, with no blanket. His body shivered slightly. He cracked open his eyes and noticed something off. He looked down at his shoulder and noticed he wasn't laying on a mattress. Just the frame of the bed. He sat up quickly and looked around, not recognizing where he was. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He walked over to the open window and leaned between the curtains to look outside. His face distorted into confusion at what he saw. His eyes grew wide as he looked upon the town that was barely a town. Buildings collapsed, cars burnt black, and not a person in sight. He looked around until he felt a pinch in his mind. He quickly grabbed his jacket off a rickety chair and slung it over his shoulders. He ran out the door and down the hall to the next room. He knocked. Panic rushing over him. "Reese?" he yelled. No answer. He squared his shoulders and busted down the door. Only to find the room in the same shape of his when he woke up. "Oh, no." he whispered to himself.
Dean walked down the stairs and out onto the street. He still couldn't believe his eyes. There was nothing. Just rubble. He walked down the street, still confused on what happened in the few hours that he was asleep. He walked a few more blocks before he heard the sound of glass shattering. His body jerked to the direction of it. He walked around the corner of an alley way and saw a little girl on her knees, looking down at the broken glass. "Little girl?" He asked. She was silent. Dean took a few more steps toward her. "Little girl?" he repeated. "Are you hurt?" still silent. He raised his arms and dropped them again. "You know the not-talking thing is kind of creepy, right?" Just as he bent down he noticed blood drip from her mouth. He furrowed his brow as the girl's head had jerked to look at him. She grabbed a sliver of glass and hurled toward Dean. The glass catching his side. He grunted as the pain sliced through him. The girl took another swing with the glass but Dean moved his body out of the line of attack. Without thinking twice, he landed a hard blow to the girls face with his left fist. The girl fell to the ground, neck snapped. Dean looked down at the girl and winced at the pain of his side. He looked down at it, placing his hand over it. His eyes caught something in front of his and he looked up. The word "Croatoan" painted on the wall in huge red letters. Dean's eyes widened. "Oh, crap."
A man stepped around the corner followed by a huge group of silent killers, at least ten of them. Dean sighed as he took a few steps back. Then the group started after him. Dean clenched his teeth together as he spun his body around and took off back onto the street. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him. Running into a garbage can, Dean turned his body and ran down the street. He looked back to find the group gaining on him. He breathed hard through his nose as he picked up his pace. The group continued to chase after him, not losing any energy at all. Dean slowed down enough to make a turn into another alley way. his legs ached as he came to a stop. Cornered between the group of hostiles and a fence blocking his way. He turned and looked at the group, they had also slowed down to a walk. But before Dean could make a move, a barrage of bullets came from behind him, taking down the group in front of him. Dean fell to his knees and looked at the military tank roll in, weapons firing in all directions. A group of men hopped out of the tank, as an old oldies song blared from it. The men opened fire on the group, taking them down with no problem. Dean crawled on his hands and knees to get out of the way. Then he jumped to his feet when he found an opening. Then the bullets ricocheted off the wall at him. He covered his head as he got out of range. His back crashing against the wall, waiting for it end. Once the firing stopped and he heard the tank leaving, he stood up and followed the trail of the alley.
It was night by the time Dean reached a fenced area. He grabbed a piece of metal and began digging at the end of the fence. Once he had enough dug, he opened the fence and crawled between it. He stood and dusted off his jacket and looked at the sign hanging on the fence. His eyes grew. "August 1, 2014." he said looking at the scene before him. He spotted a car and walked towards it. He opened the door and sat down in the seat. He pulled wiring out from under the steering wheel and cut two wires. He raked them together, creating a spark and starting the car. Once the car was started and running idly, Dean situated his body in the seat and took the road. Heading to the only place he knew. He took out his cell phone and raised it up to get reception. With no luck, he shoved it back in his jacket pocket. He turned on the radio, only to hear static. He quickly turned it off again. He sighed. "That's never a good sign." His eyes glued to the road, a voice rang threw his ears, making him hit the wheel with a gasp.
"Croatoan pandemic reaches Australia." the voice rang.
"I thought I smelled your stink on this Back to the Future crap." Dean annoyingly said.
"President Palin defends bombing of Houston." the archangel Zachariah, continued. "Certainly a buyer's market in real estate. Let's see what's happening in sports." he paused to turn the page of the paper he was reading. Dean glanced at him with a 'what the hell' look plastered on his face. "That's right. No more sports. Congress revoked the right to group assembly. What's left of congress, that is. Hardly a quorum if you ask me." he kept rambling on, liking the sound of his own voice seemingly.
"How did you find me?" Dean interrupted.
"Afraid we had to tap some unorthodox resources. Human informants." Zachariah said, glancing at Dean. "We've been making inspirational visits to the fringier Christian groups. They've been given your image, told to keep an eye out."
"The Bible freak outside the motel." Dean answered his own question. "He, what, dropped a dime on me?"
"Onward, Christian soldiers."
"Okay. Good. Great. You've had your jollies. Now send me back, you son of a bitch."
"Oh, you'll get back. All in good time." Zachariah smiled. "We want you to marinate a bit."
"Marinate?" Dean questioned again. Zachariah kept his eyes forward on the road.
"Three days Dean. Three days to see where this course of action takes you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That your choices have consequences." Zachariah stated as he held the front page of the paper to Dean. Who could only glance at it in short spurts without losing control of the car. "This is what happens to the world if you continue to say no to Michael. Have a little look-see." with a quiet flap of wings, he was gone. Dean looked over to the passenger seat and found it empty. He slammed his hand on the wheel again, irritated. He bit his lip and pressed the accelerator, urging the car to go faster.
Once he got to South Dakota, he pulled into Bobby's driveway. He quietly crept up the stairs of the porch and opened the door. The house was littered with dust and cobwebs. "Bobby?" Dean called. "Bobby, I'm coming in!" he called again, making his way through the house. Once he passed through the kitchen, he glanced into the living room to find Bobby's wheelchair on it's side, with three holes in the back. Blood staining the seat. Dean swallowed the lump in his throat. "Oh, no." He walked over to the chair and picked it up, setting it up right. He bent down and ran his fingers over the holes. "Where is everybody, Bobby?" he whispered to himself. He stood to his feet and walked over to the marble desk and took off the front piece, taking out a journal. He opened it up and flipped through the pages. He pulled out a picture. Six men stood with weapons, standing next to a sign. Bobby, Castiel, and four others, stood with bright smiles on their faces. Dean looked at the sign in the picture. "Camp Chitaqua." He then dropped the journal and the picture and headed back to the car and hit the road.
Reese sat on Dean's knee as she sipped on her bottle of old beer. She winced at the taste of it. Dean simply chuckled. "Ugh. I don't think I'll ever get used to drinking stale beer." she said, taking another sip. Dean smiled again as he took a sip of his own. Members of camp were gathered around a huge fire, with music being played softly. This is their idea of celebrating. Sitting around a fire, their loved ones an arms length away, listening to songs of the good days. Dean's hand rested on Reese's waist and he gently squeezed it, letting her know he needed to get up. He grasped her hand and made her follow him away from the group. "What is it?" Reese asked, looking him in the eyes.
"Nothing. It's my turn for patrol." Dean said, finishing his beer and tossing the bottle into the brush. "I'll be back in a few hours."
"I'll be home waiting for you then." She smiled up at him. He leaned down and kissed her lips passionately. She let out a small moan as he pulled away. "Why is it when you kiss me, it's like you're kissing me goodbye?"
"It's not a goodbye, sweetheart. Just a see you later." Dean said with a wink. He pecked her lips once more before turning on his heel to head off to his patrol. Reese smiled and watched him disappear into the darkness. She hugged herself as she walked back to the bonfire. She walked over to Castiel, who was dancing with one of the girls of camp. She poked his shoulder.
"Hmm? Ah, yes." Castiel turned his body to look at her. "What's up, cherub?"
"Just wanted to let you know, I'm turning in for the night. Dean left for his patrol so there's no need for me to stay." Reese said with a smirk. Castiel let go of the girl he was dancing with and put his hand on Reese's waist and grabbed her hand and danced with her.
"Oh, you can't leave yet. The fun hasn't begun yet." Cas said, twirling her in a circle.
"Oh, Cas. You know my idea of fun isn't smoking reefer." she chuckled. Cas stopped and put on a pouty face. He sighed.
"Suit yourself. More for me!" He pecked her cheek and turned to resume dancing with the girl. Reese turned on her heel, chuckling to herself as she walked to her cabin.
Dean walked around the perimeter with his gun in his hand. His ears picked up a rustle in the bushes. He knelt down and quietly walked over to the sound. There was a man, about his height looking inside his run down Impala. The other man stood, and the moonlight caught his face. Dean's eyes widened as he could have swore he saw himself by the car. He tiptoed over to the man.
"Oh, baby. What did they do to you?" the man said. Then Dean knew that something was up. He was close, his eyes focused on the man in front of him. The one thing he did not expect was to step on a twig, causing the man to look at him. Then he knew he was tripping. He looked at himself in the eye before landing a hard blow to the other man's face. The man's body curled and landed in the seat of the Impala. Dean sighed as he picked up the man, threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and hauled him back to his cabin. Reese was going to flip when he got home.
Dean carried the man behind the cabins, not wanting to bring attention to himself. He dropped the mans body on the porch of his cabin. He heard footsteps as he walked to the door. Reese opened the door to see Dean about to walk in. "Dean, what was that noise?" Reese asked, tugging her robe around herself. Dean huffed.
"Listen, don't freak out." Dean started.
"Dean, what's going on?" Reese stepped forward again. Dean swallowed and took a side step, revealing the man on the porch. Reese stepped outside. "What the hell?" she said softly.
"That was my question." Dean said. "Let me get him inside, then we can question the dude when he wakes up." Reese nodded and helped Dean drag the body in the cabin. Reese opened his jacket and searched it. She pulled out a lock pick, a switch blade and a set of keys out of his pocket. She looked up at Dean, who cuffed the mans's hand to the metal railing.
"Aren't these yours?" she asked, handing the objects to him. Dean picked the keys from her hand.
"Keys to the Impala. I haven't seen these in a couple of years." he said to himself. "Set those on the table. I'm gonna go get my big gun for when this douche wakes up." Reese nodded and stood. She decided to get dressed again, clinging her thigh holster to her leg. She pulled out her gun, checked the clip and set the safety. She made herself a cup of coffee for herself and Dean and took a seat at the table as Dean took apart his AK. After twenty minutes of waiting, the other man groaned and shook his head, waking himself up. He pulled at his hand, but quickly noticing that it was cuffed. Dean put the clip back into the gun before his eyes shot to the man who was now awake. Reese stood and walked over to Dean. She laid a hand on his shoulder.
"What the hell?" the man said.
"I should be asking that question, don't ya think?" Dean replied. He lowered his gun and took aim at the man on the floor. Reese squeezed his shoulder gently. The man's eyes kept bouncing back and forth between her and Dean. "In fact, why don't you give me one good reason why I shouldn't gank you right here and now." the other man squirmed on the floor.
"Because you'd only be hurting yourself." the man said. Reese rolled her eyes.
"Great. A smartass."
"Very funny." Dean said as he laid his AK back on the table.
"Look, man…" he chuckled nervously. "I'm no shapeshifter or demon or anything, okay?"
"We know. We did the drill while you were out." Reese said. The man looking up at her with a very confused look. "Silver, salt, holy water. Nothing."
"But you know what was funny…" Dean chimed in after her. "Is that you had every hidden lock pick, box cutter and switchblade that I carry. You wanna explain that?"
"Oh, and the resemblance, while you're at it." Reese finished. The man looked at the two in front of him. He sighed.
"Zachariah." He said. Reese's hand gripped Dean's shoulder as his hand reached to grab hers. Dean stood to his feet, his jaw tense.
"Come again?" Dean said with a low voice.
"I'm you from the tail end of 2009. Zach plucked me from my bed and threw me five years into the future." he paused and looked at Reese. "You haven't changed a bit." Dean pushed Reese behind him.
"Where is he? I wanna talk to him."
"I don't know."
"Oh, you don't know."
"No, I don't know. Look, I just wanna get back to my own friggin year, okay?" Dean wiped his hand over his mouth and bent down in front of the younger Dean.
"Okay. If you're me…" he paused. "Then tell me something only I would know."
Reese stood in her place and crossed her arms. Younger Dean scoffed and licked his lips. He thought for a minute. Then the lightbulb kicked on.
"Rhonda Hurley." Dean tilted his head, as did Reese. "We were, uh, nineteen. She made us try on her panties." Older Dean's face flushed as he realized he was telling the truth. Reese let out a small gasp and looked down at Dean. Dean glanced at her. "They were pink and satiny and you know what? We kind of liked it."
"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Reese chuckled. Dean looked up at the ceiling, recalling that memory of many years ago. He looked back to the younger version of himself.
"Touché." he said as he stood up. Dean patted Reese's arm and smiled. Reese looked at him and her face flushed.
"He's not lying is he." Dean was silent. "Ew." she said quietly and then chuckled. Dean's face was beat red as he turned to look at younger Dean again.
"So, what, Zach zapped you up here to see how bad it gets?" The older Dean asked, placing his weapons into a duffel. Reese stood beside him with her arms still crossed.
"I guess. Croatoan virus, right? That's their end game?" the younger man said. Dean nodded.
"It's efficient, it's incurable and it's scary as hell." he said, glancing at Reese, who hugged her arms closer to her body.
"It turns people into monsters." Reese spoke quietly. "Started hitting major cities about two years ago. World really when down hill from there."
"What about Sam?" the younger man asked. Dean stopped putting the items in the duffel and looked at Reese. Her arms dropped to her sides as she took a step closer to Dean. She raised her hand and placed it on his arm. Reese knew Dean hated talking about Sam, especially now. Younger Dean's eyes played back and forth between them, waiting for an answer. Reese nodded to Dean, letting him know that he could talk about it. Dean looked down at his younger self.
"Heavyweight showdown in Detroit. From what we understand, Sam didn't make it." Dean finished and looked down at the table. Reese gently squeezed his arm.
"You two weren't with him?"
"No." Reese answered. "No, we haven't talked to Sam in five years." she looked at the younger man in the eyes. He had the same eyes as the Dean standing next to her. Except they were full of life, not dulled down by the days of war. She bit her lip as she looked up at the older Dean. The younger Dean's bottom lip trembled. He knew something was up.
"We never tried to find him?" he asked quietly.
"We had other people to worry about." Dean said as he picked up his duffel.
"Where are you going?"
"I gotta run an errand." He answered turning to look at Reese.
"Whoa you're just gonna leave me here?"
"Yes. Reese is going to stay here and watch you. I gotta camp full of twitchy trauma survivors with an apocalypse hanging over their head. The last thing they need to see is a version of the Parent Trap. So, yeah, you stay here."
"Okay. All right. Fine, but you don't have to cuff me, man." the younger man yelled back. Dean stopped at the door with Reese on his heels. He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the keys to the cuffs. "Oh, come on. You don't trust yourself?"
Dean looked down at his hand and back the younger man.
"No. Absolutely not." He handed the keys to Reese, pecked her lips and walked out, shutting the door behind him. The younger Dean scoffed.
"Dick." he said. Reese walked over to him and knelt down beside him.
"You get used to him." She said, unlocking the cuff to his wrist. "Don't forget, he is you." she smiled as his arm dropped beside him. He rubbed his wrist with his other hand to sooth the pain from hanging there so long.
"So, when did we become a thing?" he asked suddenly. Reese then stood up and walked to the fridge and grabbed two beers.
"A couple of years ago." she said softly. "I went out on a mission with him and a crote got too close. Almost lost my head. Literally." she chuckled as she rubbed her neck. Dean stood and walked over to her. "Luckily, Cas hadn't lost his grace yet so…"
"Wait. Cas it here?" Dean interrupted.
"Yeah. Just a few cabins over." Dean rushed to the door. "Dean! Dean… you… him… ugh! You were told to stay put!"
"I just need to talk to him."
"I'm telling you, Dean. Cas is not the same person he was five years ago."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Let's just say… he's more… free range." Reese said. Dean raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Okay. Well, you can take me then. Since you have to keep an eye on me." he said with a smirk and a wink. Reese's cheeks flushed, remembering how Dean used to do that when they first met, and they were getting to know each other. The flirts, the winks, even the 'accidental' touches she would receive. She sighed.
"Okay. Come on. But I'm warning you now. So, don't freak out on me." with that, she and Dean walked over a couple of cabins to Castiel's. People not noticing that this was not the Dean they were used to, which worked out for Reese. She really didn't feel like explaining this issue with her people.
The walk to Cas's cabin was silent. Reese noticed Dean glance down at her. Reese could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She hadn't seen light in his eyes since before Sam had said yes to Lucifer. The freckles on his nose stood out more on his cheeks and nose. She sighed as she walked up the stairs of Cas's cabin. He didn't have a door, so she just motioned him to go in. Dean raised an eyebrow at the beaded door and slowly walked through them. He heard his voice speaking softly.
"In this way, we are each a fragment of perception." Dean slowly moved into the room where he saw Cas sitting on the floor, legs crossed and surrounded with women. "Just one compartment in that dragonfly eye of group mind. Now, the key to this total shared perception is, um. It's surprisingly physical." Cas's head snapped up to look at Dean as he was completely through the door. Reese pushed in behind him. Dean caught his eyes and nodded. Cas smiled at him. "Excuse me. I think I need to confer with our fearless leader for a minute." Cas looked back at the girls. "Why not go get washed up for the orgy?" Dean's eyes widened and Reese looked down and blushed, smiling. Dean looked back and forth between Reese and Cas, utterly confused. "You're all so beautiful." Cas said, giving them a teethy smile. They got up and left. Dean and Reese took a few steps in toward the center of the room, Reese's arms still crossed over her chest. Cas stood to his feet, stretched his arms behind him as he stretched his crunched body.
"What are you, a hippie?" Dean asked. Reese lightly smacked his shoulder.
"Dean!" she said. Dean shrugged.
"I thought you'd gotten over trying to label me." Cas said, rolling his eyes.
"Cas, we gotta talk." Dean said.
"Whoa, strange." Cas said as he looked at the younger man.
"What?"
"You are not you. Not now you anyway." Cas seemed to catch on. He looked at Reese and she nodded in confirmation.
"No. Yeah. Yes! Exactly."
"What year are you from?"
"2009." Reese said before Dean could answer. She walked up beside Dean and dropped her arms, and stuck her hands in her back pockets of her pants. Cas sighed.
"Who did this to you? Is it Zachariah?"
"Yes." Dean said, venom slipping from his tongue. Cas put a finger on his bottom lip.
"Interesting."
"Oh yeah, it's frigging fascinating. Now…" Dean slapped his hands together, "Why don't you slap on your angel wings and…" Cas turned his back on him and chuckled. Dean finished his sentence slowly and looked at Reese. She simply looked at him. "Fly me back to my page on the calendar?"
"I wish I could just strap on my wings, but I'm sorry, no dice." Cas said in between his laughs.
"What are you, stoned?" Dean asked.
"Generally, yeah."
"What happened to you?"
"Life." Cas simply said. Dean looked at Reese again.
"I told you he was different than the Cas you know, Dean. But I see that hard head of yours hadn't changed in the last five years." Reese's body turned at the sound of vehicles pulling in. She stepped outside onto the porch and waited for the elder Dean to show his face. Dean and Cas followed her. They saw Dean pull out two beers from a cooler and toss one across the hood to another man. He popped the top and took a swig. Back on the porch, Dean took off to his clone, Reese on his heels to stop him. Dean stopped when he saw his older self pull a gun from his thigh holster and point it at the other man.
"Hey!" The younger man yelled. Reese pulled at his jacket.
"Dean, wait!"
"Hey! Watch out!" Dean ripped his arm away from Reese and took a step forward, but before Dean could get any closer, his older self took his shot and the man fell to the ground. The others turned and looked at the younger man, confusion plastered on their faces. Reese walked to the younger Dean and slapped the back of his head.
"You idiot!" She said as she walked to the older Dean. The older Dean turned and looked at his younger self and Reese stalking over to him.
"Damn it." he said between clenched teeth. He turned and looked at the other men in front of him. "I'm not gonna lie to you. Me and him…" he pointed at his younger self. "Pretty messed up situation we got going. But believe me, when you need to know something you will know it. Until then, we all have work to do." he finished and stalked over to the younger man, shoving past Reese like she wasn't there.
"Dean…" she called but he ignored her. He grabbed the younger man's jacket and drug him to his cabin. Reese hot on their heels.
Once they arrived, Dean shoved Dean into the cabin. "What the hell was that?" he asked.
"What the hell was that?" the younger Dean repeated. Reese walked beside the older Dean and crossed her arms."You just shot a guy in cold blood!"
"We were in an open quarantine zone. Got ambushed by some crotes on the way out." The younger Dean shook his head in confusion. "Crotes! Croatoans. One of them infected Yeager." Reese looked at him, worry flushing down her face. Dean felt the heat and turned to look at her. "I'm fine." he said laying a hand on her shoulder before looking back at his younger clone.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"Because after a few years of this, I know." he answered quietly. "I started seeing symptoms about a half-hour ago. Wasn't gonna be long before he flipped. I didn't see the point in troubling a good man with bad news."
"Troubling a good man? You just blew him away in front of your own people. Don't you think that freaked them out a bit?" the younger Dean asked.
"It's 2014. Pluggin' some Crote, it's called commonplace. Trading words with my friggin clone, that might have freaked them out a little."
"All right look—"
"No! You look!" Reese yelled between them. She had had enough of the bickering. Her head was about to explode. The younger Dean's body turned and looked at her, his eyes widening at her boldness. The older Dean took a step back, but kept his eyes hard on his clone. "This isn't your time, it's ours. You don't make the decisions, we do. So from now on, when he says to stay in, you stay in!" she sighed and turned her back on them. She lifted her hand and covered her face. All of this was starting to get the better of her. Speaking to both Dean's was hard and frustrating. The younger Dean had no idea what had happened in the last five years, not to mention how they even got together and the older Dean just as hard headed as the younger one, maybe more. He was stern but gentle. The gentle side of him was slowly fading with the times. So much laid on her shoulders, she almost prayed for the end. The older Dean sighed and pulled her into a comforting hug before releasing her and walking over to the counter. He grabbed three glasses and a bottle of old whiskey.
"All right, guys. I'm sorry. Look, I'm not trying to mess you—Me— Us up here."
"I know." Dean said as he poured the dark liquid into the three glasses.
"This has been a really wacky weekend." the younger man sighed.
"Tell me about it." Dean said as he sat the glasses down on the table. Reese walked up behind him and snatched her glass and downed it quickly. She hated the taste but it would take the edge off. She watched the boys sip on the glass at the same time and drop their arms at the same time. She still couldn't get used to seeing two Dean's. She leaned into Dean's side and he wrapped his arm around her.
"What was the mission anyway?" the younger Dean said. Reese looked up, curious herself. Dean sat his glass down and opened his duffel after taking his arm from Reese. His long fingers wrapped around a gun. Samuel Elkins' Colt was pulled from the duffel.
"The Colt?" Reese and Dean said at the same time.
"The Colt." Dean repeated.
"Where was it?" the older Dean smiled.
"Everywhere." he said. "They've been moving it around. It took me five years but I finally got it." he laid the gun down on the table and picked up his glass again. Reese stared at the gun, taking it in. "Tonight. Tonight I'm gonna kill the devil." he finished his glass and set it down. The younger mans eyes widened and Reese grabbed his arm and squeezed it. Dean leaned down and kissed her head before putting the gun back into the duffel and walking outside to another cabin. Dean and Reese looked at each other and followed him. Cas joined the group once they got into the strategy cabin. Dean pulled the Colt out along with a map and laid them out on the table. Reese, younger Dean and Cas all waited for Dean to start with his plan. "If anything can kill Lucifer, this is it."
"Great." Reese chimed. "Have we got anything that can find him?"
"We don'd have to find Lucifer, we know where he is." the younger Dean looked at him funny. "The demon we caught last week, he was one of the big guy's entourage. He knew."
"Dean you know demons lie. How do you know he isn't lying?"
"No, trust me, He wasn't lying." Dean smirked. Reese sighed.
"How do you know Dean?" Reese asked again, begging for a straight answer.
"Reese…" Cas said with a smirk, "You know our fearless leader, is all too well-schooled in the art of getting to the truth." he finished, the smirk fading. The younger Dean's head shot up. Reese looked at the older Dean with a long look on her face.
"Torture?" the younger man spoke. "Oh, so we're torturing again. That's good. Classy." he winked. Cas snickered. The older Dean looked at him annoyingly.
"What? I like past you." Dean rolled his eyes and placed his index finger on the map.
"Lucifer is here. Now. I know the block, I know the building." Reese looked down at the map, biting her lip.
"Oh good! It's right in the middle of a hot zone." Cas chirped.
"Crawling with Crotes, yeah. You saying my plan is reckless?"
"Are you saying we walk in straight up the drive way, past all the demons and the Crotes and shoot the devil?"
"Yes."
"Okay. If you don't like 'reckless' I could use 'insouciant' maybe." Cas said.
"Are you coming?" Dean asked, tired of Cas's banter.
"Of course." he sighed.
"But why is he?" Reese asked, "He's you five years ago. If something happens to him, you're gone."
"He's coming." Dean snapped. Cas looked at Reese with a sympathetic look as he stood.
"We'll get the grunts moving."
"We're loaded and on the road by midnight."
"Alrighty!" Cas said as he walked out of the house. Dean looked down at Reese.
"I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now." he said as he pulled Reese into a hug and kissed her head. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly. The younger Dean interrupted the moment.
"Why are you taking me?"
"Relax, you'll be fine." Dean said, leaning up from Reese but not fully releasing her. "Zach's looking after you, right?"
"No, that's not what I mean. I wanna know what's going on." Reese let go of Dean and took a step back. Dean looked at his younger self with a hard look in his eyes.
"Yeah, okay. You're coming because I want you to see something." he paused. The younger man waiting for him to finish. "I want you to see our brother." Reese looked at the younger man, her brows furrowed with dread. She hated reliving that part in her life.
"Sam? I thought he was dead." the younger Dean questioned, utterly confused.
"Sam didn't die in Detroit. He said yes." Dean said.
"Yes?" he asked, still confused. Reese sighed. She took a step forward, placing a hand on Dean's chest, pushing him back slightly, shaking her head at him. Dean hated reliving it also. "Wait. You mean…"
"Yes, Dean. Sam said yes to Lucifer." Reese said quietly.
"Why would he do that?" the younger man asked.
"I wish we knew. But we don't have a choice. It's in him and it's not getting out. We have to kill him, Dean."
"And you need to see it." Dean said, taking a step forward again. "The whole damn thing, how bad it gets, so you can do it different."
"What do you mean?" he asked. Reese knew where this was going and she hated it.
"Zach said he was gonna bring you back. Right? To '09?"
"Yeah…"
"When you get back home… you say yes." He said. Reese grabbed his hand and interlaced her fingers in his. When he got on the 'saying yes' speech, it was hard to bring him back down. "You hear me? Say yes to Michael."
"That's crazy. If I let him in, then Michael fights the devil. Battle's gonna torch half the planet."
"Look around you, man!" Dean yelled. Reese closed her eyes and squeezed his hand tighter. "Half the planet is better than no planet, which is what we have now!" he sighed again, looking down at Reese, her eyes pooling with tears. He looked back up at himself. "If I could do it over again, I'd say yes in a heartbeat."
"So why don't you?"
"I've tried!" his voice shaking Reese to the core and she let go of his hand. "I've shouted yes till I was blue in the face! The angels aren't listening. They just left, gave up! It's too late for us, but for you…"
"Oh, no. There's gotta be another way…"
"Yeah, that's what I thought too. I was cocky, never actually thought I'd lose. But I was wrong. Dean…" his voice cracked. "I was wrong. I'm begging you. Say yes." The younger man looked at himself with a hard saddened look. Older Dean shook his head and smirked. "But you won't. Because I didn't. Because that's just not us, is it?" he scoffed as he looked down at Reese, a tear running down her face.
The sun was just rising over the horizon as they approached the abandoned building. Reese rode in the jeep with Older Dean while the younger Dean rode with Castiel. Reese glanced over to Dean and noticed his eyes were glued to the rode and she slid her hand over to his leg and gently placed it there. She looked back at the road. She felt a warm hand over hers and fingers lace with hers. She looked over at him, eyes still glued to the road as he picked her hand up and kissed her knuckles. She smiled at him and looked forward. "I don't know how this is going to go, Reese." he said. "It could go south."
"I know. But I'm going to be with you to the end, Dean. You know that." he smiled softly and kissed her knuckles again. "I love you, Dean. I hope you know that."
"I know. And I love you too, Reese." he said quietly. In the past five years, she had never heard him say those three words. She knew as soon as he said them, this mission was not going to end well. She simply smiled at him, a single tear pooling on her lid. She quickly blinked it away.
The vehicles slowed down to a stop once they reached the entrance of the building. They all got out, weapons at the ready and they huddled down behind cars. Reese knelt down beside the older Dean and placed her hand on his shoulder. He glanced back at her and nodded. She did the same. Dean looked forward at the building and pulled out a set of binoculars. He searched the windows before dropping his arms. "There. Second floor window. We go in there."
"You sure about this?" Reese asked quietly. Dean looked back at her.
"They'll never see us coming." Cas looked at Dean skeptically. "Trust me. Now weapons check, we're on the move in five."
"Hey, uh, me." The younger Dean piped. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" The older Dean sighed as he raised from his position. They walked behind the cars so the others wouldn't here them. The older Dean looked back at Reese and motioned her to come along. She stood to her feet and followed.
"Tell me what's going on." The younger Dean asked, once they were out of ear shot of Cas.
"What?"
"I know you. You're lying to them, and to me." He said pointing to Reese and Cas.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. See, I know your lying expressions. I've seen them in the mirror." Reese looked at the men, confused. "There's something you're not telling us."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh really? I don't seem to be the only member of your posse with some questions, so maybe I'll just take my doubts to them." he said, taking a few steps away before Dean stopped him. Reese slug her gun over her shoulder and crossed her arms, becoming irritated.
"Okay, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. Wait."
"What?"
"Take a look around you, man. This place should be white-hot with Crotes. Where are they?"
"They cleared a path for us…" Reese said. Realizing what Dean had planned. Her heart began to break.
"Which means this is…"
"A trap." Reese answered. Dean simply looked down at her. "You were just going to send us in there? To get killed?" She said taking a few steps toward him.
"Reese…" the older man said. The younger Dean started to walk away but Dean grabbed his arm to turn him back. The second he was facing him, he threw a punch and his body fell to the ground.
"Dean! What the hell?"
"Reese, I have to see him. I have to kill him." Dean pleaded.
"No Dean. Not without me or Cas. And that's final." She turned her back on him. With his mind set, he grabbed Reese from behind and wrapped his arm around her neck, cutting off her air. She scratched and clawed at his arm, but his body was twice her size. Darkness started taking over her vision.
"I can't let you do that, Reese. You're gonna stay here, where you're safe." Dean whispered. Reese's body went limp in his arms as he gently laid her on the ground. He moved a sliver of hair from her face. "I love you, Reese." he said as he took a few steps over to Cas. Told him a little white lie to save face before sending him in alone to distract the clan. He moved around the building to the back to meet his brother.
The light crept through her lids as she slowly opened her eyes. The sound of gunfire echoing through her ears. Her eyes snapped open, remembering where she was. She sat up quickly to see the younger Dean, laying on his stomach still asleep from the blow. She crawled over to him and shook his shoulder. "Dean. Dean, wake up." she said. Shaking his shoulder rapidly, Dean finally came to.
"Ugh. What happened?" he groaned.
"You happened. Now come on. We have to find him." Reese said as she helped Dean to his feet and dragged him around the back of the building. She knew Cas wasn't going to make it. She said a quick prayer for her friend and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Dean hot on her heels. Lightening lit up the sky as they rounded a corner into a rose garden. Dean grabbed her arm, jerking her into his body. He wrapped his arms around her once he saw the man in front of them.
He was tall, hair slicked back behind his ears. Reese's eyes fell to the man placed under his pearl white shoe. She gasped and tried to escape Dean's arms as she saw the older Dean laying beneath the man's foot. The older Dean's eyes looked up to see her in his younger selves arms. He looked her in the eye, silently telling her goodbye. With one quick movement, she heard the bones in his neck snap as the man moved his foot upward. She buried her face in Dean's chest. The man heard her gasp and turned his body to look at them. Dean's eyes widened when he saw his brother's face.
"Oh. Hello, Dean." he said, a small smile on his lips. "Aren't you a surprise." he said, still smiling. Reese looked at the man through tears as she clung to Dean's shirt. Dean's arms still wrapped tightly around her. Another loud and bright strike of lightening struck and the man was behind them. "You've come a long way to see this, haven't you?"
their bodies jerked around to see him. Dean's arms released Reese's body but his hand grabbed hers. She laced her fingers in with his, terrified. Dean's hand tightened around hers as his face hardened and his shoulders straightened.
"Well, go ahead. Kill us." Dean said. Reese straightened her body as she looked at the man in front of her.
"Kill you?" the man's eyes fell to the older Dean laying on the ground. "Don't you think that would be a little redundant?" he sighed. "I'm sorry. It must be painful, speaking to me in this shape." He said, walking towards them. Reese's hand squeezed tighter around Deans, their knuckles rubbing together. "But it had to be your brother. It had to be." He reached out to touch Dean's shoulder but he quickly moved out of the way. Lucifer dropped his arm with a sigh. "You don't have to be afraid of me. What do you think I'm going to do?" he asked, looking between Reese and Dean, and then walked over to the rose bush.
"I don't know, maybe deep fry the planet?" Dean asked, his voice cracking.
"Why?" he asked, turning his body back to them. "Why would I want to destroy this stunning thing?" Lucifer said taking steps towards them, stopping in front of Reese. She stood her ground as Lucifer was right up on her. Dean never let go of her hand. "Beautiful in a trillion different ways…" he said, running his hand down Reese's face. Reese closed her eyes in disgust. "The last perfect handiwork of God?" he finished, venom dripping off his tongue. The two remained quiet. His shoulders straightened. "You ever hear the story of how I fell from grace?"
"Oh, good God. You're not gonna tell us a bedtime story, are you?" Reese yelled. "My stomach's almost out of bile." she spat. Dean kept his eyes forward.
"You know why God cast me down?" Lucifer continued, not affected by her words. "Because I loved him. More than anything. And then God created… you. The little hairless apes. And then he asked all of us to bow down before you, to love you more than him and I said, 'Father, I can't.' I said, 'These human beings are flawed, murderous.' And for that, God had Michael cast me into hell. Now tell me, does the punishment fit the crime? Especially when I was right." he sighed. "Look what six billion of you have done to this thing and how many of you blame me for it?" Lucifer finally finished his speech, a smile on his face. Reese looked up at Dean, tears in both of their eyes.
"You're not fooling me, you know that?" Dean said, dropping Reese's hand and pulling her behind him. "With this sympathy-for-the-devil crap. I know what you are."
"What am I?"
"You're the same thing, only bigger. The same brand of cockroach I've been squashing my whole life. An ugly, evil, belly-to-the-ground, supernatural piece of crap. The only difference between them, and you, is the size of your ego." Dean said, holding back tears. Lucifer's lips curled into an evil smile.
"I like you, Dean. I like both of you." he said, Reese peeking around Dean's shoulder. "I get what the other angels see in you. Goodbye. We'll meet again soon." He said, turning his back.
"You better kill us now!" Dean yelled. Lucifer turned and looked at them again.
"Pardon?"
"You better kill us now." he repeated. "Or I swear I will find a way to kill you and I won't stop." the tears finally fell down his cheeks.
"Oh, I know you won't." Lucifer walked toward them again. Dean holding on to Reese's arm. "I know you won't say yes to Michael either, and I know you won't kill Sam." Tears streaming down both of their faces at the sound of his voice saying Sam's name. "Whatever you do you will always end up here." he raised his arms. "What ever choices you make, what ever details you alter, we will always end up here. I win. So, I win."
"You're wrong." Dean choked, tears falling freely now.
"See you in five years." With a loud rumble of thunder, Lucifer was gone. Dean felt Reese's arms leave him as he turned around to see she was replaced with Zachariah. He pushed his two fingers out and touched his forehead and a white light shot through Dean's eyes.
2009
Reese shifted under the blanket as she felt a slight breeze over her face. She cracked open her eyes and her body jolted upward when she saw a figure standing in the shadows. "Oh my God, Cas." she said sighed in relief, holding her hand over her heart. "You scared the crap out of me."
"I apologize." Cas said softly. "I need you to come with me." Reese raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Dean has a visiter. And we have an appointment." Cas said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Wait just a damn minute there feathers. At least let me get dressed." She said, throwing the blankets from her. The cool air from the room sending cool chills up her bare legs. Cas turned his body away, embarrassed.
"I'll give you a moment then…" Cas said, his body turning out of sight of her. She chuckled as she slipped her jeans back over her legs and buttoned up her plaid shirt. She sighed as she slipped her phone into her front pocket and her gun in the waistband of her pants. She cleared her throat and Cas slowly turned to look at her.
"I'm ready now. Let's go get his ass out of trouble." she said taking a step towards him. He laid his hand gently on his shoulder and with a quiet flap of wings, they were gone.
Dean stood in his room staring at Zachariah. "You son of bitch." Dean said through gritted teeth.
"That is going to happen if you continue to say no, Dean." Dean fell silent and his jaw clenched. His fist balling painfully. "So, are you ready to cooperate?" Zach said, taking a small step forward.
"Well, I'm enlightened to," Dean started, a satisfied look across Zach's face. "But I'm gonna say… 'shove it up your ass'." Dean said, smiling. Zach had had enough. He stepped up to him but in a blink of an eye, he was gone, only a slight flap of wings being heard. He sighed and chewed on the inside of his mouth.
Dean opened his eyes after the sudden rush. He saw two figures in the shadows. Once his vision cleared to recognized the figures. "Cas. Reese." he said relieved. "You have no idea how it's great to see you." He sighed. Cas smiled.
"We had an appointment." Reese looked up at Cas. His sense of humor was starting to come through, for an angel. She looked back at Dean. The look in his eyes were comforting. She watched him put his hand on the angel's shoulder and point at him.
"Cas. Don't ever change." he said, squeezing Cas's shoulder gently. Cas simply smiled at him. Wether nor not he knew what Dean meant by that, she'd never know. Reese crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the men, she smiled at them. Dean caught her smile and walked over to her. Reese lowered her arms and tucked her thumbs in the pockets.
"Reese." Dean started. Reese looked in his brilliant green eyes and a small smile played on her lips.
"Yes?" she asked quietly. Dean smiled softly and laid his hands on her arms, his thumbs rubbing endless circles. Heat started to bloom in her cheeks as she was becoming lost in his eyes.
"Don't leave." he said softly. "Just don't leave." He gently squeezed her arms and released them. Reese looked deep into his eyes, trying to figure out what he meant by that.
"I'm not leaving, Dean. We've been through too much for me to leave now." she said as she grabbed his hand and squeezed. Dean smiled. Reese released his hand and Dean reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone and began dialing. "What are you doing?" she asked softly.
"Something I should have done earlier. If we're gonna beat this thing, we need everybody." Dean said, putting the receiver to his ear. She smiled, knowing he was calling his brother.
Once the call was finished, Cas flew them back to their rooms to grab their duffles. Reese and Dean made their way outside to get into their cars. Almost in a identical motion, they walked to the trunks, popped them and threw their duffles in. Reese leaned down in the trunk to move things around to make more room. When she stood up straight, hands moved around her waist and pulled flush against another body. She gasped as a set of lips were on hers. She smelled a familiar scent of mint gum and leather. Her body instantly relaxed as she felt her arms wrap themselves around his neck. They stood there for a moment, waiting for the other to pull away. She felt Dean's arms relax and begin to release her. Her arms slid down his shoulders and chest before they were at her sides again. Dean looked down at her and smiled. Reese was still in a bit of shock. Dean released her and began walking to his car.
"Come on, we gotta go get Sam." His cheeks red, as he fiddled with his keys. Reese stood at the back of her, her lips swollen. She scoffed in amusement at his attitude and then closed her trunk and made her way to the driver seat. She started her car and took a glance over at Dean, who looked at her too. A wicked smile played on her lips as she threw her car into reverse. She quickly shifted gears and stomped on the accelerator. The tires of the mustang cried as she pulled out onto the road, leaving Dean to catch up. He chuckled as he did the same, trying to get back the time he lost behind her.
Their cars sat side by side as were their bodies as they watched another car pull into view. Dean scooted to his feet and walked forward, waiting for the man to come out of the car. Sam came into view as he stepped out of the small car. Reese crossed her arms as she watched the brothers. Given there was tension, but it was good to see them talking again. It was good to see Sam again.
"Dean, I know I have a lot to make up for…" Sam started, but Dean cut him off.
"Oh yes. You have a lot of groveling to do." He said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out the Demon blade. "But if you're gonna be helping out, you might need this." he said handing the blade to his younger brother. "And be careful with that. You're rusty and I don't need anymore cuts right now." he said with a smirk. Sam chuckled and looked over at Reese. She was smiling, and her bright blue eyes were beaming. She uncrossed her arms and walked over to the brothers.
"It's good to see you, Sammy." she simply said as she wrapped her arms around his body and hugged him tightly. Dean smiled at the gesture. Sam hugged her back. She gave another slight squeeze before stepping back next to Dean. Sam sighed and look at the duo. He nodded and walked to stand next to them. Reese looked over her shoulder to see a lake behind them. She nudged Sam to look. He smiled and the two walked to it. Dean watched them walk to the water, and he walked to his car and popped the trunk. He grabbed three beers out of the cooler that sat there. He walked back to them and handed them the cans. Reese had climbed on top of the fence and sat down on it while Sam simply leaned against it. Dean stepped between them and sipped on the can. Reese took a sip and winced.
"Ugh," she spat. "God, how old is this?" she said, looking down at Dean, who shrugged.
"I dunno…" he said as he took another swig. Sam kept his eyes forward. The three stayed quiet when Sam broke the silence.
"Do you think we'll win?" he said quietly. Dean finished the last of the beer before crunching the can between his boot and the ground.
"I dunno that either, Sammy. Either way, we'll be together to fight. And that's all we need right now." Reese laid her hand on Dean's shoulder and stared into the distance. She'd been with the boys too long now to walk away. This was her fight now too. And she'd stay, win and die if she had to. She jumped off the fence to stand beside the brothers. Her arms at her sides after the dropped the beer can at her feet. Sam stood straight up and did the same with the can. Dean's fingers brushed Reese's as he laced his fingers with hers. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Until the big prize fight comes, we do what we do best…" Sam looked at his brother, as did Reese. "We hunt. We save as many people as we can." He shoulders tensed at his words as the sun began to set against the water. The wind blew gently around the three, gently blowing Reese's hair around her face, along with Sam's. Dean looked at his brother and chuckled. "By the way, you need a hair cut. That mop is getting to long…" he said as he turned on his heel and stalked back to the car. Sam smiled and watched his brother walk away.
"Some things never change…" He said, following his brother. Reese stayed behind to take one more look at the water. Putting the memory in the back of her mind, just in case she never saw the beauty of a sunset again. She smiled against the wind as it blew the smells of the cool fall air. She turned her back against the water and walked back to her, ready for anything that the hunter's life could throw her way.