Catching Up
Chapter 1 – Pilot

A/N: Hey guys, time for the fun to begin but of course, we need to get through the emotionally traumatizing episode that was the pilot. I'll be taking the episode descriptions from the Canadian version on Netflix, I don't know how different they'll be but just a heads up in case.

With burgers and beers all around, Cas, Dean, Mary, and Sam piled into the study where Sam had set up the TV and DVD player. They had a pretty decent length couch for all the Winchesters and a couple of armchairs where Cas chose to sit. Sam went to the menu and selected the very first episode simply labelled 'Pilot.'

Mary read the description, "Two brothers witness their mother's paranormal death and are trained to fight by their father, who aims to hunt down the thing that killed his wife. John…"

The brothers had nothing they could say to her so Dean gestured for Sam to hit play and it began with a shot of their house in Lawrence. The caption said it was 22 years ago. "Oh no," Dean breathed.

"This is when I…" Mary immediately understood.

"We don't have to watch this," Sam offered but Mary shook her head, already transfixed at the scene of their happy family. With heavy hearts, they watched Mary put little Sammy to bed, a younger, happier John and an innocent Dean giggling about playing football with his baby brother. They had had everything they wanted but they knew it wouldn't last long and it didn't. The scene shifted to when Mary woke up to check on Sammy and real Mary grabbed both her sons' hands. The two brothers held tight as they waited for Mary to realize there was stranger in the room and for Mary to go back. Thankfully they didn't show the actual attack only John hearing a scream but the image of their mother on the ceiling, bleeding right before bursting into flames was too much for Dean. He got up and turned his back on the television screen. Listening to the sounds of the flames and his father telling him to take Sammy. He remembered everything with perfect clarity, the smell, the noise, the heat of house compared to the cold of the night. Mary forced herself to watch the aftermath, blaming her own carelessness until she saw the deadened look in John's eyes and grabbed the remote to press pause. It froze on her husband's face, her family's lives forever darkened. She hunched over, a few stray tears rolling down her face.

"Mom it's okay," Dean returned to hold her.

"It's not," Mary whispered. "I was so stupid. I was – am – a trained hunter. There is so much you boys don't know, so many mistakes of mine."

"We probably know more than you think and we don't blame you for anything," Sam assured her. "Maybe we should stop or skip this episode?"

"No," Mary wiped her face. "I'm fine. Besides, it's over now." They started again and the title card for Supernatural flashed by. The words 'Stanford University, Present' appeared and a girl in a nurse's costume was onscreen calling for Sam. "Who is that?"

"Jessica," Sam smiled albeit sadly. "My old girlfriend." 'Ex' didn't really seem like the right term neither did 'former'.

"She's lovely Sam," Mary patted his leg. "And you went to Stanford, well done." Just then Jared (hereafter referred to as TV!Sam) appeared onscreen.

"Okay that's trippy," Dean observed. "I didn't know you'd kept that photo."

"174?" Mary's jaw dropped. "Oh sweetheart, you would've gotten into any law school in the world with grades that high. What happened?"

"You'll see," Sam said simply watching TV!Sam discuss the family and Jessica's support. He didn't exactly crash and burn without her but it came pretty close. The scene moved to them in bed and Sam sighed, "Welp here comes big brother."

"I do not understand," Cas said. "It appears you have an intruder."

"We did," Sam deadpanned.

"Aw come on Sammy, don't be like that. How else was I supposed to see you?" Dean smirked. "Besides that was some pretty good on-the-spot sparring there tiger."

"Two things and they're called a phone and a door, learn to use them," Sam shot back. "Say hello to soap opera wonder Jensen Ackles playing the role of Dean Winchester." (also hereafter referred to as TV!Dean)

"Look I'm giving him a pass since he's obviously handsome and awesome, the dude had a helicopter in his trailer, but never mention that daytime crap again," Dean warned.

"I never did punch you for hitting on Jessica," Sam recalled.

"Think we became a bit more concerned with dad," Dean nodded to the screen as TV!Dean explained that their father hadn't been home in a few days.

"Sam how could you be so callous? Miller time shift?" Mary repeated incredulously. "John became a drunk?"

"He wasn't the same guy anymore mom," Dean shook his head but things only got worse.

"He gave our nine year-old a .45?!" Mary damn-near shrieked. She listened in shock and dismay as TV!Sam and TV!Dean recapped their childhood in a few sentences. In between Sam's nonchalant, couldn't-care-less left-it-all-behind attitude and Dean's overcompensating doggedness, her boys sounded like hunters who'd been at the job for years. Judging by the inside of the impala, she wasn't wrong. Dean was even working solo.

"Mom are you mad at us?" Dean suddenly looked thirty years younger and a whole lot more vulnerable.

"I'm upset but I could never be really mad at you boys, not even John, though I do wish I could slug him right now," Mary sipped her beer, letting the tart, bitter taste cool her temper. The other three chuckled lowly as they listened to the rundown of the case. Men going missing on the same highway and then John disappeared leaving behind a strange voice message with EVP. TV!Sam agreed to go and said goodbye to Jessica.

"Was that…" Dean looked over at his brother. "The last time…"

"Yeah, it was." Mary's gaze flicked between them but they said no more. They watched some guy see a girl on the side of a road and pick her up before being attacked.

"Dude how stupid could you be?" Dean scoffed. "You don't see a car, she leads you to a rundown house, disappears without ever opening the door and you stick around?"

"Not everyone is blessed with your stellar mental prowess Dean," Cas stated. "As evidenced by your choice of names for this credit card scheme."

Sam cracked up, "Cas I love you man."

"I am very fond of you as well Sam," Cas smiled.

"Mom they're picking up me!" Dean whined.

"Samuel, Castiel, don't tease Dean," Mary held her eldest son. "It's not his fault he inherited his father's ability for choosing names. Trust me, you don't want to know what he wanted to name you."

"He also inherited dad's way out-of-date music collection," Sam told her. "That can't be helped either."

"Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole," the two Deans said simultaneously. TV!Sam and TV!Dean found the crime scene and TV!Dean displayed his collection of counterfeit badges and IDs.

"You know when most mothers find their sons with fake IDs it might be fore sneaking into clubs or buying alcohol but my boys? No, they sneak onto crime scenes," Mary sighed. TV!Dean took a shot at the cop and Mary had to refrain from rolling her eyes. "You and your grandfather have no difference Dean. He never did have patience or manners for the police."

"I was not aware Dean had patience or manners for anyone," Cas chimed in and Sam and Mary both laughed this time.

"Seriously? Did I offend you somehow Castiel?" Dean asked.

"No. I am merely engaging in some banter. We are family after all," Cas added and Dean deflated a little.

"Yeah we are but don't push it," Dean sat back as their television counterparts interrogated those two girls and found out about the highway's legend.

"Oh look, the good ole days when Dean actually did research," Sam glowered.

"Hey, screw you man I do tons of research," Dean defended himself.

"Busty Asian Beauties doesn't count," Sam muttered and Dean pretended to be scandalized.

"Samuel Winchester how dare you bring up such filth in front of your mother?" Dean covered Mary's ears while she just laughed it off however the jovial mood slipped away as the characters onscreen began to fight on the bridge.

"Guess I was wrong about mom never coming back," Sam said softly.

"Yeah but at the time, you were more right than I wanted to admit," Dean replied. "Let's just skip the chick flick moment alright?" Mary stayed silent throughout the exchange, what really could she say?

"Whatever man, you may want to close your eyes for this part," Sam grinned.

"Why?"

"Don't you remember what happened to Baby on the bridge?" Sam reminded him.

"Damn ghosts," Dean grouched. "At least you didn't end up in the water."

"Well you caught up with your father," despite her ire Mary was eager to see John. Until she saw the empty motel room, "Or not."

"Sorry mom, he doesn't make an appearance for a while," Dean told her.

"Jesus," Mary breathed as they took in the full sight of what John had been doing. "I've been around a lot of hunters but this is…"

"He got really involved with his cases," Sam recalled. "He called it being meticulous, I preferred obsessed but he was good at what he did."

"One of the best," Dean chimed in.

"Show me a hunter and I'll show you a soul-scarred man, that's what my father used to say," Mary mused. "John does seem thorough. I wonder who he got to train him."

"Bobby Singer, you'll see him later. He was like another dad to us," Sam said as TV!Sam figured out what was going on.

"A woman in white, classic," Dean commented. "We never get cases like that anymore."

"I can see where one might tire from apocalypses," Cas looked over at Dean. "My suggestion would be to try not starting another one."

"Technically only the last one could be considered my fault," Dean argued. "But not really since a lot of it was out of my hands."

"That's pretty much the story for every world-ending scenario we've started," Sam laughed.

"And we've all had a turn," Cas pointed out.

"Mary Winchester this is your life," Mary nearly face-palmed. The guys chuckled and returned their attention to the screen.

"You never call me jerk anymore Sam," Dean pouted.

"Call me a bitch and I'll deck you," Sam snickered. "Still surprised dad hung on to that photo." TV!Dean was arrested and Mary was crossed between humour and disapproval at his sass.

"Too much like your grandfather," she said. The officer onscreen dropped the journal on the table and she added, "That's your father's father's journal. He ran off when John was young but John kept it, never could explain why."

"He didn't actually run away Mom but we'll get to that," Sam informed her. They watched TV!Sam interrogate the husband about his wife's death and Dean's escape.

"Little harsh weren't you Sammy?" Dean asked. "And reckless calling in a fake 911."

"I needed you out of there and I didn't have time for your usual crap you pull with the police," Sam scoffed. "Most career criminals would just break out but not Dean-freaking-Winchester, he's got to toy with them. I bet you could've gotten away at least a dozen times by the time I called."

"Sam you would've hated working with me then," Mary commented. "I used to drag things out just for kicks. One time I even lawyered up for the hell of it."

"MOM?!" Her boys exclaimed together.

On-screen TV!Sam drove the Impala into the house and woman in white was dragged down by the spirits of her children. "That was pretty ingenious Sam," Cas complimented him.

"Thanks man," Sam smiled.

"I don't understand," Mary furrowed her brow. "Dean took Sam back to school, what happened?"

"You'll see," Sam's smiled had completely faded. "Excuse me." He got up and left just as his television counterpart came in through the door. Dean made a 'let him go' gesture to Mary and they continued to watch the show. Outside, Sam could hear the sounds of his screams and the flames igniting and burning. He ran to the kitchen to get away and braced the wall, dragging in breaths like he'd run a marathon. Just then an eerily familiar voice seem to come from out of nowhere.

It wasn't your fault

A/N: Hey guys, this was actually much harder than I anticipated but I really like it. Yeah I decided to let Cas pick on Dean a little just to play with the dynamic between them. Not sure how shippy this is going to get, I'm pretty much settled on including one ship that I won't mention right now (spoilers) but haven't decided on any others. Stay tuned folks. Until next time ENJOY! R&R PLZ!