Disclaimer: If I owned Supernatural, my sister would kill me for the rights. The fact that I'm not dead speaks for itself.

Summary: That encounter with a Djinn all those years ago, with the 'normal life'? Looks like it happened again. To Dean. Again.

Dean awoke in a strange room. He instantly glanced around for an attacker, for anything, but nothing happened. Not a single shadow so much as twitched. He grabbed the phone sitting on the stand by the bed and quickly dialed Sam.

"What do you want, Dean?" a tired voice answered.

"Sam? You okay?"

"Uh . . . yeah. Why?"

"I just woke up in a house I've never even seen before. Where are you?"

"Dean, are you drunk?"

"What? No. Dude, it's barely morning."

"It's 9:20 AM, Dean."

"See? Barely morning. Where are you, anyway?"

"Where do you think I am? I'm with Jess."

"Oh, shit." Either a Djinn had gotten him or Sam was farther 'round the bend than he'd thought. He really hoped it was the first one.

"You're drunk, Dean. Look, just . . . don't call me unless it's an emergency, okay?" And he hung up.

Djinn, then. Obviously, they weren't very close in this world. Again.

Dean got up and looked around. A piece of paper caught his eye, and he picked it up.

Apparently, Sam and Jess were having a get-together. Dean sighed. Sammy never changed. Even though he and Other-Dean were clearly at odds, he'd still sent an invitation.

Dean's lips thinned as his expression became determined.

He wasn't leaving without making up with Sam, no way. There was only one thing to do.

Take up the invitation and visit his brother.

Suddenly, the phone rang, and he cautiously picked it up. "Yeah?"

"Mr. Winchester? You're late for work," a familiar, gravelly voice said.

Dean nearly spit. "Cas?"

"Mr. Winchester?" He sounded confused. Probably because Other-Dean didn't call him Cas.

"Yeah, uh . . . I'm gonna have to take some time off."

"Time off?" Cas said, surprised. "For what? Sir," he tacked on after a brief moment.

"For visiting my brother."

"Sam? Did something happen? Is he alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, of course. He's fine. He just sent me this invitation for the get-together, and . . . hey, Cas, why don't you come with me?"

"Pardon?"

"Really, I won't mind. I'm sure Sam will be glad to see you, too."

"Well, I-I suppose . . ."

"Great," Dean said, relieved. "So I'll see you soon? 'Cause the get-together is today."

"You want me to go with you? In your car?"

"Yeah. Unless you don't want to," he added. "That's fine, I know I'm not the greatest guy around, if you'll pardon the understatement."

"No, I'll be right over. Thank you . . . ?" Cas sounded uncertain whether he meant it.

"Don't worry about it. See you then."

"See you . . ." they hung up.

Dean sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, just looking at the phone.

Other-Dean was such a dick.

Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. Dean walked over and opened it to see Cas standing there. He smiled. "Hey, you ready to go?"

Cas nodded. "You look . . . different."

Dean sent him a puzzled look. "How so?"

"You're hair's shorter," he ventured. "And you seem . . . fitter."

Oh, great. Other Dean was too lazy to even go for a walk now and then.

"I spent some time at the gym," Dean lied. "Let's get goin', yeah?"

Cas nodded again, and after an uncertain moment, Dean went to get his bag, then they were off.

He mentally cursed Other-Dean to the deepest, darkest depths of Hell.

His. Baby. Was. Not. There.

And now the silence was getting awkward.

Very awkward.

He turned on the radio.

"If you told me you were gay-"

Oh, my God.

Next up: Dean and Sam are just vessels. . . . Aren't they?

Weird Randomness!

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Sam opened the door, and nearly recoiled in shock. "Dean?"

Dean smiled wryly. "S'me, little brother."

Sam's mouth opened and closed several times. Finally, he managed to get out, "But . . . what are you doing here?"

Dean froze. He'd been so busy with thoughts of Sam, he hadn't even begun to think of an excuse as to why he was suddenly appearing on the doorstep of what was most likely to be his estranged younger brother.

His mind raced for a reasonable explanation, any reasonable explanation. His hand shot out to pull Cas to his side. "I'm here to announce my engagement," he proclaimed.

Sam's eyes widened astronomically. "To Cas?"

"Er . . ."

Sam and Castiel stared at him.

Dean gave up. "Yes."

"What?!" Sam sputtered.

"What?" Cas echoed.

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Somewhere in another alternate dimension where everyone was flamingly gay, Dean sobbed and raged at the unfairness of it all.

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Back in his own universe, Dean Winchester suddenly felt a million times better about his own miserable situation.

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