Author's Note:
Exposition time! Lol I know I know, these chapters can be boring but I hope to keep you entertained. Some of this is a bit of recap to make sure we're all on the same page, some of it is figuring out more for plot reasons. I've spent quite a bit of time on character development and relationship growth that I thought it was time for a bit more plot.
Fragments of Memories: Primary World
Sam dropped onto the couch and rolled over, facing toward the TV but not really watching it. The news was on though he didn't care what they had to say. He'd just finished the final exam in high school and he was exhausted, studying could really take its toll. Sam knew that graduation would be about a week away and that he'd have to remind Dean of that day because his brother seemed to forget important dates. Maybe it was a joke that Dean held up consistently or maybe it was true, regardless it was annoying.
As Sam dreaded having to remind Dean about his graduation and that they'd be busy running around all day following the schedule, he heard the door open. Familiar voices, Dean and Jet bickering about something as they entered the house. Sam frowned when he heard the chatter slow down for a second as Jet leaned over the couch just to mess up his hair.
"Hey kiddo," Jet grinned down at him, "Napping on the couch?"
"No, just resting. Had a tough exam today." Sam sat up and fixed the mess Jet had made, staring blankly at the TV as if it were some excuse not to look up again.
"For you? Doubt it." Dean dropped into the armchair and leaned back, his arms crossing behind his head. "Studying wears you out, not the test."
"Graduating on Tuesday, you excited?" Jet took his place next to Sam, getting just as comfortable as Dean.
"That's next Tuesday?" Dean looked just as 'deer-in-the-headlights' as Sam had predicted. However he wasn't really noting that as important, what really got him was that Jet of all people remembered when it was.
Sam looked at him, a little surprised, and nodded. "Yeah, Tuesday. Meeting at the school for the ceremony just after noon, it'll take a few hours after which we have an hour to get over to the community center for the dinner."
"Full day. I remember that," Jet looked over at Dean with a laugh, "Damn did we hate it. Running around in our monkey suits all frickin' day."
"God," Dean shook his head and laughed alongside his friend, "I almost ruined mine too, just about got into a fight with Michael."
"Douchebag."
"Damn right he was."
Sam smiled and relaxed, somehow the day just seemed a bit lighter.
Pleasure My Angel World: Part 4
Sam sat down in his bedroom, the bed being the nicest most comfortable thing he'd ever seen, especially after the whole wasteland incident. He stared across the room though it didn't really feel like there was anything to look at. He'd had the journal far too long to not look at it again, he'd read the last entry the other him had made and that was it. Had they visited a world like this before? He couldn't really be sure until he read it. He lifted it from the back of his pants, having strapped it down with his belt, and turned it over in his hands a few times.
Whatever he'd read in there would undoubtedly change what would happen next, that was the entire point of giving him the journal to begin with, it had to be. If the celestials hadn't wanted them to know they'd never have given him the journal of the previous Sam.
On top of that, the other timeline, the corrupted one, it was supposed to be the main timeline, the one meant for all of the things they were facing. Did that make them second rate? Or just as good? Perhaps better… Sam had no idea, he had no answers and the more he tried to find them the more questions he realized there were. He opened the binding and started to read, past the first demoni, the raptoribus, aers, domus, and anima. He read through the portion of Dean's training, where the other him had sat with the other Castiel and Jet with the celestial beings. He found that while a lot of it was just exposition and descriptions of monsters there were some journal-esque entries, describing particular things that seemed odd to the other Sam. Entries where he'd speak to whoever would read the journal, describe a situation rather than a creature. Most of it lined up with what he'd experienced up until Dean's magical training.
The celestial beings described in that section of the journal were entirely different than the ones they had seen. There were no magical altering spaces to make them appear bigger, to change their voices, or even anything to hide their faces. The celestials were described to be as white as paper with absolutely no colourization to them. Their faces were as neutral as a human face could look, when their eyes were open those were as white as the rest of them, and they could stand as still as stone. The alternate Sam had originally mistaken them for three identical creepy statues. At least until they started to speak, voices that echoed throughout the room and even seemed multi-toned.
Sam stared at the description, reading it over and over again. Why were they different? Why were the celestials they met so different to the ones described in the original timeline? The ones that he knew wore the same white garments however they'd wrapped them around their faces and used hooded cowls to cover the rest. Their skin had pigment like any human and the three were different sizes, not at all the same. The voice thing was similar, but again it sounded more like the original voice had been scrambled and masked, like the different celestials were trying to mimic the original.
'Even if the timeline resets and changes, the celestials should be the same. The people shouldn't change, so why did they? I wonder if this has something to do with the other timeline's Dean disappearing…' He remembered the last journal entry when Jet read it to them; it was strange and filled with holes. He read through it again.
I'm still not sure how to tell when a day goes by in here or if it does at all, regardless we've been waiting on the mainline road for ages. I still can't believe he did it, what were you thinking Dean? Did you just let go? Was it so hard to just keep going? Take the chance? I guess maybe it was for you. Cas hasn't woken up yet; I don't think he will… Maybe I'm just losing hope in this mess. The magic surge that went through him was strong; I think some of it passed to Jet and I too… Was that you, Dean? I don't know why I'm writing this down, either. Maybe I think you'll read this some day Dean, if you're still out there. I'm done with it. The entire mainline went out, the fires have gone and nothing is moving anymore, not even the void. We're stuck, that's it… Can't even ask any higher powers for help, they didn't come back after that, Dean. You were right, it killed them. I guess immortal wasn't something they told us they were either…
The Castiel in the other timeline had fallen unconscious. Dean went missing after claiming that something would kill the 'higher powers.' 'He has to be talking about the celestial beings. So the Dean in the other timeline sacrificed himself? Why? To kill the celestials?' Sam thought frustratedly, reading it again just to make sure he'd gotten everything. He remembered after they'd first read through it Castiel had suggested that their group had killed the holy beings. Sam had denied it then, saying something must have resulted in their deaths but no, it didn't sound right. It sounded like Dean had killed them, like Dean died to do it. The text the other Sam wrote about the whole thing made it seem like it was obvious. He made Dean sound like a coward, he made it sound like Castiel had died, that some magical surge blasted through them all and it was obvious it had touched Jet and himself. Dean was right. Dean had had an idea that would kill them? Or he knew about the situation that would lead to it? All the things in that entry had to be connected. It sounded like the Dean had given up, but maybe it just looked that way to the other Sam. He knew that if his brother recklessly ran into sacrifice himself for something he'd be pissed, especially if they weren't sure it'd work. Sounded about right, he'd definitely question it despite it doing the job they'd needed it to do.
It made even more sense that Dean would do it, too. If they were in a situation that the death of one of them was necessary to save their lives, Castiel's life, Dean would do it. Sam chewed on the inside of his cheek as he stared at the pages, wondering what could have led them there, what could have brought them to that point. The previous entries for several pages back were all monsters, nothing telling him why. Nonetheless he'd believe he found the answer to it, Dean sacrificed to kill the celestials, to save his family.
"Okay," He sighed out loud and laid back on the bed, holding the open journal above his face hoping maybe something would come to him. "Now why did Dean have to kill the celestials? What were they doing that was so wrong? Why would they try to hurt the rest of us?"
"You think too much sometimes, you know that?" Jet spoke from the doorway where Sam hadn't realized he'd entered.
Sam sat up and dropped the journal down beside him, letting it fall open to whatever page it wanted, "I guess. Am I keeping you up? Didn't know the walls were so thin."
"Nah, I couldn't sleep and went for a walk, heard you talking." Jet ran a hand up through his hair, "Mind if I sit?"
Sam shook his head and hopped over, letting Jet sit beside him on the bed, door closed behind him of course. The older male reached over and plucked the journal up and sifted through it without much of a word. Sam watched him and sighed, dropping backwards again. "I can't quite make sense of what happened…"
"Well no, all you'll have are guesses until we manage to see the celestials again to ask. Nothing in here is made to answer all your questions." Jet muttered as he came across a page that looked more like the last one. "Huh… 'The Prophesy'."
"The what?" Sam sat up and leaned over to look, resting against Jet's arm to prop himself up.
"The prophesy, the other Sam wrote about it here. 'We're in the world In Somniantes, the one that Cas said he was originally from. We came across another pair of priests; they told us that there was a prophecy, that one of the priests in the prophecy was supposedly meant to wake in In Somniantes. This obviously means that Castiel is part of something prophesied, I'll write it down once I get more.'" Jet read it through, pausing to look at Sam who was already making grabby hands for the journal. He handed it over and let Sam read through the rest himself.
"'The Prophecy; when the Void moves the High Priests will awaken. High Priest pairs wake one at a time; the first goes on to find their partner. The last pair of priests will be the strongest of all and bring about the end of the corruption. The first to wake from In Somniantes will wield magic higher than all; the last will wake from Aeterna and possess physical strength beyond all high priests.' So this prophecy even tells them where to find the priests?" Sam looked up at Jet who shrugged in return.
"I guess, looks like the world we came from was called Aeterna in High Priest-speak. The hell does that mean?"
"I think it means eternal," Sam murmured as he skimmed through the next entries, again they were monster descriptions. "So I need to tell Dean and Cas, this'll be really useful."
"Let's wait until after tomorrow, hm?" Jet stood up and stretched, "We're supposed to be relaxing."
"How can we relax when we know the world is danger? It all seems too laid back…" Sam closed the journal and put it down, knowing he'd pick it up to read again once Jet had gone. In fact, Jet had only been in there a few minutes, which was curious in itself. "Why are you in here, anyway?"
"I told you, went for a walk and heard you talking." Jet went back toward the door, only looking back at Sam once he'd opened it again.
"But why'd you only stay for a few minutes?" Sam couldn't think of a subtler way to ask, he was too tired and his brain felt dried out. "There's gotta be more you wanted to say."
Jet smiled in a way that made Sam even more confused. It wasn't a look he was used to and at the same time it was all too familiar. The expression was the same caring one he'd always given Sam, but the way he'd delivered it this time was different. "Get some sleep, we're hitting the beach tomorrow." Jet offered one more smile and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Sam looked at the time and sighed, knowing Jet was probably right, he would need to be rested for the next day. "What is going on? Everything's getting so messed up." He muttered to himself as he dropped onto the pillow, curling up and burying himself under the blanket.