Title: Turning Back Time
Rating: R
Pairing: Dean/Jo
Spoilers: Everything up to and including 5x10 ‘Abandon All Hope’
Disclaimer: I own nothing; Kripke is the keeper of all…although if I were him I would have taken better care of Jo and Ellen. *Sigh* as for the Hymns, they aren’t mine either. They come from The Apocalyptic Literature; or more specifically The Book of Enoch.
Category: Angst, Romance, Supernatural
And the earth shall be wholly rent in sunder,
And all that is upon the earth shall perish,
And there shall be a judgment upon all men.
But with the righteous He will make peace
And he will protect the elect,
And mercy shall be upon them
~I-V. Parable of Enoch on the Future Lot of the Wicked and Righteous~
Rating: R
Pairing: Dean/Jo
Spoilers: Everything up to and including 5x10 ‘Abandon All Hope’
Disclaimer: I own nothing; Kripke is the keeper of all…although if I were him I would have taken better care of Jo and Ellen. *Sigh* as for the Hymns, they aren’t mine either. They come from The Apocalyptic Literature; or more specifically The Book of Enoch.
Category: Angst, Romance, Supernatural
And the earth shall be wholly rent in sunder,
And all that is upon the earth shall perish,
And there shall be a judgment upon all men.
But with the righteous He will make peace
And he will protect the elect,
And mercy shall be upon them
~I-V. Parable of Enoch on the Future Lot of the Wicked and Righteous~
Chapter 1
‘Turn Back Time’
Dean’s restless form thrashed around on the small bed. Sweat dripping from his body, eyes clenched shut. His hands grasped at the sheets as his body jerked awake with a small yell. He frowned as he lay facing the ceiling trying to get his bearings back.
He released his death grip on the sheets and sat up slowly. He swallowed heavily, ran a hand over his face, and tried to calm his breathing. Nightmares. He sighed. It had been two days since they left Carthage. Sam and Dean had been staying at Bobby’s to regroup and lick their wounds.
Dean’s jaw clenched and he tried to shake the all too familiar images out of his head. Dean was no stranger to nightmares…but these…a part of him thought they might have been worse than the ones from when he went to hell.
Ever since they left Carthage, the only thing he dreamt about was Jo. He wasn’t sure which nightmares were worse…the one’s where the event’s played out exactly as they had that day, or the one’s where he got to Jo in time to save her, only to wake up and find out it was a dream…
Dean grunted, moved to the edge of the bed, and stood up. He opened the bedroom door and quietly made his way to the bathroom. He splashed his face a couple of times with cold water before filling up a glass and taking a few gulps from it.
When he was finished he looked in the mirror and was struck by what he saw. His eyes were dark…there were deep bags under them, and he looked quite literally like the walking dead. He glanced away from his reflection in disgust.
He needed to move past this. For god’s sake…he’d lost people before. It’s not like this had been the first time and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. He lost both his parents to this war…shit he even lost Sammy once, though he was back now.
He had a job to do…it was time to suck it up and stop being such a bitch. Jo and Ellen made their own choices…this wasn’t his fault. They knew the risks…they wanted in anyway…Dean nodded to himself as he shut the light off and walked back toward the bedroom he was staying in.
Dean figured at some point if he kept chanting that mantra and pretending it didn’t hurt, that eventually the guilt…the anger…the unbearable pain…would all just go away. It had to right? He shut his door quietly behind him and as he pulled the covers to the side a familiar chill ran up his spine.
He froze briefly before turning around.
“Cas I’m not in the…”
His voice trailed off. The person standing in front of him leaning against the windowpane, arms crossed over his chest, smirk on his face was not Castiel. Dean glared at the Archangel, pulled the colt out from under his pillow and pointed it at Gabriel.
Gabriel chuckled and with a flick of his hand the Colt was lying on the floor near the bed. Dean lunged at him, but Gabriel stepped out of the way and before Dean could turn in his direction he was pinned against the wall.
Dean was seething as Gabriel faced him, hands in pocket, grin on his face.
“Well hello to you too Dean. Jeez you’d think you weren’t happy to see me.”
“Yeah, about as happy as a hole in the head would make me…”
Gabriel ‘tsked’ as he walked forward, picked up the Colt and stood directly in front of Dean. He frowned slightly.
“You do realize this can’t kill me right?”
When Dean didn’t answer him, Gabriel shrugged and tossed the gun aside. He could see the fury on Dean’s face as he stood there taking in the hunter’s appearance.
“You look like hell.”
Dean’s jaw twitched.
“Yeah well, it’s been a rough few days. So what is this…some kind of revenge shtick cause I gotta tell you I’m really not in the mood right now…”
Gabriel chuckled.
“No, not revenge…more like I’m interceding on your behalf.”
A look of confusion crossed Dean’s face and Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
“If I refrain from using my super cool angel powers you gonna play nice and hear me out? Or do I have to keep you stuck to the wall for the remainder of our conversation?”
Dean grunted.
“That depends…are you gonna cut the crap and tell me why you’re here and how you found me?”
With a flick of Gabriel’s hand Dean was no longer pinned against the wall. He rolled his shoulders a few times never taking his eyes off Gabriel, ready to pounce into a fighter’s stance if necessary. Amusement flicked across the Archangel’s face and that only served to further infuriate Dean.
“After our last meeting, tons of fun by the way, I took some time to think about what you said…and it’s possible you were right.”
Dean’s eyes widened slightly and he opened his mouth to speak, but Gabriel shook his head.
“Regardless, the world is going to end.”
Dean glared at him.
“Wow, is this your way of cheering me up? Cause I gotta tell ya, it’s workin’ wonders.”
Gabriel frowned.
“I’m not here to cheer you up. I’ll tell you like I told you before Dean, this isn’t about a war…it’s about two brothers that loved each other, and betrayed each other. In order to end this…one of you is gonna have to bite the bullet. I’m sorry it had to be this way…honest I am…and that’s why I’m here.”
“To tell me I have to kill Sammy? No thanks I think I’ll pass.”
Dean started to walk past Gabriel heading for the door when the Archangel spoke.
“No Dean, to make peace…to offer you the last bit of mercy that can be given before the end of days…”
Dean stopped and turned to face him. He had no clue what Gabriel was talking about and to be quite honest he didn’t give a shit. All he wanted was to get a decent night’s sleep. He wanted the nightmares gone…he wanted the apocalypse to have never happened…
But none of that was possible and Dean was tired of the angels and their games. He was tired of being a pawn in someone’s larger than life chessboard. It ends now. Dean walked toward Gabriel until he was right in his face. The air in the room was thick with tension and Dean’s voice was laced with disdain.
“I’m sick and tired of you sons of bitches coming here…trying to make deals with me…trying to get me to be your damn meat puppet! It ain’t gonna happen. I don’t care what you’re offering…you can tell Michael and all your other brothers to go shove it…they can’t have me and they can’t have Sam…”
During Dean’s outburst Gabriel had backed up and was now leaning against the windowpane again. He pursed his lips together and nodded. He looked at his nails and when he glanced back up at Dean he had a bored expression on his face.
“You done with the outburst? It’s not like I have all day to be here.”
Dean’s hand twitched and he glanced toward the bed at the Colt. He was getting seriously close to shooting this yahoo in the freaking head. Angel or not. Gabriel noticed Dean’s eyes stray to the Colt and he rolled his eyes.
“I’m not here to make any deals with you…or to convince you to be my brother’s meat puppet as you so eloquently put it. I’m here cause you got a raw deal man. I realized you never asked for any of this…I mean jeez who would.”
Dean glared at him again and Gabriel put his palms up in a ‘relax’ gesture.
“Get on with it…before I lose my patience…”
“Spoiled sport…I’m here to give you…let’s call it an incentive…something to show you that everything you’ve done up until this point hasn’t been in vain. A show of good faith if you will.”
The confusion was back on Dean’s face.
“I don’t get it.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
“Of course you don’t. I’ve been watching you these past few days Dean…and wow it’s been a depressing couple of days…”
Dean stood there with a deadpan look on his face and Gabriel shrugged.
“I noticed that you’ve lost a lot of people over the years…made a lot of sacrifices. Well today’s your lucky day Deano. It’s time to cash in your chips and collect. Personally I think you’re really gonna get a kick out of what I got in store for you…”
The grin on his face made Dean uneasy. He really wished he had some kinda weapon in his hand. He felt naked without one. His body tensed and Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him.
“Don’t you want to know what it is?”
“To be quite honest I’m not entirely sure…”
Gabriel smirked.
“I’m gonna do you a solid and take back the last two days of your life.”
Dean frowned.
“What?”
“I’m going to take back…”
Dean cut him off.
“I heard you, it just don’t make no sense. What do you mean take back the last two days?”
“You say the word and I snap my little fingers here and you wake up the night before you left to go to Carthage…”
Dean’s heart picked up speed as he swallowed hard. No, that’s not possible. Even as he thought it, Dean couldn’t help, but wonder if Gabriel was telling the truth.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why would you do that?”
Gabriel sighed.
“Because, you’re ridiculously miserable and that makes you careless…and because believe or not Dean…I like your style…you and me…we got a few things in common. I can’t stop what’s happening, but maybe I can make things a little easier…”
“What’s the catch?”
Gabriel’s eyebrows arched into his hairline.
“Catch? Ahhh you mean what do you have to do?”
Dean nodded.
“Nothing…well there are rules to this sort of thing, but aside from following the rules, I don’t want anything from you…”
Dean couldn’t believe he was actually considering this. He didn’t trust Gabriel…but if he could go back to the night before they went to Carthage…he could change things…he could save Ellen…Jo…He met Gabriel’s eyes and took a deep breath.
“What are the rules?”
“You can’t change the course of the days…you can only alter certain events.”
A pensive look crossed Dean’s face.
“I can already see some half cocked plan forming in your head, but you can’t deviate from the original day…it’ll mess with the timeline in an unforeseeable way. Which means yes you still need to go to Carthage…Lucifer still needs to bring forth death and so on and so on…”
Dean was about to open his mouth and say ‘what’s the point then’ when Gabriel spoke in a pointed voice.
“But you will be allowed to save that feisty little blonde thing of yours…come on…say it…you know you want to…”
Dean wasn’t sure what to say…he wasn’t even sure what he believed anymore. Could it be that easy? A snap of Gabriel’s fingers and Dean’s back in time?
“Why? Why are you doing this?”
Gabriel shrugged.
“I told you…I’m showing you a little mercy Dean…hey you don’t want your little rewind, it’s no skin off my back, but the offer’s gonna be off the table in about…”
He made a show of looking down at his watch.
“Five minutes. Choose quickly or forever hold your piece…”
Dean was frantically searching his mind trying to figure out all the different ways this could blow up in his face. An Archangel of all the people offering him a second chance…it didn’t make sense. It could be a trick…
He’d always been taught to follow his instincts, but he wasn’t sure they were working too well these days. He could hear Gabriel humming the jeopardy theme song in the background as he struggled for an answer. The Archangel was counting down from sixty and right when he got to four Dean’s head shot up, his decision made.
“Okay. Send me back…”
Gabriel smirked as he held his hand up.
“Don’t say I never did anything for you…”
He snapped his fingers and there was a flash of light. Dean felt like he’d been sucker punched as everything around him started to fade into black…
‘Turn Back Time’
Dean’s restless form thrashed around on the small bed. Sweat dripping from his body, eyes clenched shut. His hands grasped at the sheets as his body jerked awake with a small yell. He frowned as he lay facing the ceiling trying to get his bearings back.
He released his death grip on the sheets and sat up slowly. He swallowed heavily, ran a hand over his face, and tried to calm his breathing. Nightmares. He sighed. It had been two days since they left Carthage. Sam and Dean had been staying at Bobby’s to regroup and lick their wounds.
Dean’s jaw clenched and he tried to shake the all too familiar images out of his head. Dean was no stranger to nightmares…but these…a part of him thought they might have been worse than the ones from when he went to hell.
Ever since they left Carthage, the only thing he dreamt about was Jo. He wasn’t sure which nightmares were worse…the one’s where the event’s played out exactly as they had that day, or the one’s where he got to Jo in time to save her, only to wake up and find out it was a dream…
Dean grunted, moved to the edge of the bed, and stood up. He opened the bedroom door and quietly made his way to the bathroom. He splashed his face a couple of times with cold water before filling up a glass and taking a few gulps from it.
When he was finished he looked in the mirror and was struck by what he saw. His eyes were dark…there were deep bags under them, and he looked quite literally like the walking dead. He glanced away from his reflection in disgust.
He needed to move past this. For god’s sake…he’d lost people before. It’s not like this had been the first time and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. He lost both his parents to this war…shit he even lost Sammy once, though he was back now.
He had a job to do…it was time to suck it up and stop being such a bitch. Jo and Ellen made their own choices…this wasn’t his fault. They knew the risks…they wanted in anyway…Dean nodded to himself as he shut the light off and walked back toward the bedroom he was staying in.
Dean figured at some point if he kept chanting that mantra and pretending it didn’t hurt, that eventually the guilt…the anger…the unbearable pain…would all just go away. It had to right? He shut his door quietly behind him and as he pulled the covers to the side a familiar chill ran up his spine.
He froze briefly before turning around.
“Cas I’m not in the…”
His voice trailed off. The person standing in front of him leaning against the windowpane, arms crossed over his chest, smirk on his face was not Castiel. Dean glared at the Archangel, pulled the colt out from under his pillow and pointed it at Gabriel.
Gabriel chuckled and with a flick of his hand the Colt was lying on the floor near the bed. Dean lunged at him, but Gabriel stepped out of the way and before Dean could turn in his direction he was pinned against the wall.
Dean was seething as Gabriel faced him, hands in pocket, grin on his face.
“Well hello to you too Dean. Jeez you’d think you weren’t happy to see me.”
“Yeah, about as happy as a hole in the head would make me…”
Gabriel ‘tsked’ as he walked forward, picked up the Colt and stood directly in front of Dean. He frowned slightly.
“You do realize this can’t kill me right?”
When Dean didn’t answer him, Gabriel shrugged and tossed the gun aside. He could see the fury on Dean’s face as he stood there taking in the hunter’s appearance.
“You look like hell.”
Dean’s jaw twitched.
“Yeah well, it’s been a rough few days. So what is this…some kind of revenge shtick cause I gotta tell you I’m really not in the mood right now…”
Gabriel chuckled.
“No, not revenge…more like I’m interceding on your behalf.”
A look of confusion crossed Dean’s face and Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
“If I refrain from using my super cool angel powers you gonna play nice and hear me out? Or do I have to keep you stuck to the wall for the remainder of our conversation?”
Dean grunted.
“That depends…are you gonna cut the crap and tell me why you’re here and how you found me?”
With a flick of Gabriel’s hand Dean was no longer pinned against the wall. He rolled his shoulders a few times never taking his eyes off Gabriel, ready to pounce into a fighter’s stance if necessary. Amusement flicked across the Archangel’s face and that only served to further infuriate Dean.
“After our last meeting, tons of fun by the way, I took some time to think about what you said…and it’s possible you were right.”
Dean’s eyes widened slightly and he opened his mouth to speak, but Gabriel shook his head.
“Regardless, the world is going to end.”
Dean glared at him.
“Wow, is this your way of cheering me up? Cause I gotta tell ya, it’s workin’ wonders.”
Gabriel frowned.
“I’m not here to cheer you up. I’ll tell you like I told you before Dean, this isn’t about a war…it’s about two brothers that loved each other, and betrayed each other. In order to end this…one of you is gonna have to bite the bullet. I’m sorry it had to be this way…honest I am…and that’s why I’m here.”
“To tell me I have to kill Sammy? No thanks I think I’ll pass.”
Dean started to walk past Gabriel heading for the door when the Archangel spoke.
“No Dean, to make peace…to offer you the last bit of mercy that can be given before the end of days…”
Dean stopped and turned to face him. He had no clue what Gabriel was talking about and to be quite honest he didn’t give a shit. All he wanted was to get a decent night’s sleep. He wanted the nightmares gone…he wanted the apocalypse to have never happened…
But none of that was possible and Dean was tired of the angels and their games. He was tired of being a pawn in someone’s larger than life chessboard. It ends now. Dean walked toward Gabriel until he was right in his face. The air in the room was thick with tension and Dean’s voice was laced with disdain.
“I’m sick and tired of you sons of bitches coming here…trying to make deals with me…trying to get me to be your damn meat puppet! It ain’t gonna happen. I don’t care what you’re offering…you can tell Michael and all your other brothers to go shove it…they can’t have me and they can’t have Sam…”
During Dean’s outburst Gabriel had backed up and was now leaning against the windowpane again. He pursed his lips together and nodded. He looked at his nails and when he glanced back up at Dean he had a bored expression on his face.
“You done with the outburst? It’s not like I have all day to be here.”
Dean’s hand twitched and he glanced toward the bed at the Colt. He was getting seriously close to shooting this yahoo in the freaking head. Angel or not. Gabriel noticed Dean’s eyes stray to the Colt and he rolled his eyes.
“I’m not here to make any deals with you…or to convince you to be my brother’s meat puppet as you so eloquently put it. I’m here cause you got a raw deal man. I realized you never asked for any of this…I mean jeez who would.”
Dean glared at him again and Gabriel put his palms up in a ‘relax’ gesture.
“Get on with it…before I lose my patience…”
“Spoiled sport…I’m here to give you…let’s call it an incentive…something to show you that everything you’ve done up until this point hasn’t been in vain. A show of good faith if you will.”
The confusion was back on Dean’s face.
“I don’t get it.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
“Of course you don’t. I’ve been watching you these past few days Dean…and wow it’s been a depressing couple of days…”
Dean stood there with a deadpan look on his face and Gabriel shrugged.
“I noticed that you’ve lost a lot of people over the years…made a lot of sacrifices. Well today’s your lucky day Deano. It’s time to cash in your chips and collect. Personally I think you’re really gonna get a kick out of what I got in store for you…”
The grin on his face made Dean uneasy. He really wished he had some kinda weapon in his hand. He felt naked without one. His body tensed and Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him.
“Don’t you want to know what it is?”
“To be quite honest I’m not entirely sure…”
Gabriel smirked.
“I’m gonna do you a solid and take back the last two days of your life.”
Dean frowned.
“What?”
“I’m going to take back…”
Dean cut him off.
“I heard you, it just don’t make no sense. What do you mean take back the last two days?”
“You say the word and I snap my little fingers here and you wake up the night before you left to go to Carthage…”
Dean’s heart picked up speed as he swallowed hard. No, that’s not possible. Even as he thought it, Dean couldn’t help, but wonder if Gabriel was telling the truth.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why would you do that?”
Gabriel sighed.
“Because, you’re ridiculously miserable and that makes you careless…and because believe or not Dean…I like your style…you and me…we got a few things in common. I can’t stop what’s happening, but maybe I can make things a little easier…”
“What’s the catch?”
Gabriel’s eyebrows arched into his hairline.
“Catch? Ahhh you mean what do you have to do?”
Dean nodded.
“Nothing…well there are rules to this sort of thing, but aside from following the rules, I don’t want anything from you…”
Dean couldn’t believe he was actually considering this. He didn’t trust Gabriel…but if he could go back to the night before they went to Carthage…he could change things…he could save Ellen…Jo…He met Gabriel’s eyes and took a deep breath.
“What are the rules?”
“You can’t change the course of the days…you can only alter certain events.”
A pensive look crossed Dean’s face.
“I can already see some half cocked plan forming in your head, but you can’t deviate from the original day…it’ll mess with the timeline in an unforeseeable way. Which means yes you still need to go to Carthage…Lucifer still needs to bring forth death and so on and so on…”
Dean was about to open his mouth and say ‘what’s the point then’ when Gabriel spoke in a pointed voice.
“But you will be allowed to save that feisty little blonde thing of yours…come on…say it…you know you want to…”
Dean wasn’t sure what to say…he wasn’t even sure what he believed anymore. Could it be that easy? A snap of Gabriel’s fingers and Dean’s back in time?
“Why? Why are you doing this?”
Gabriel shrugged.
“I told you…I’m showing you a little mercy Dean…hey you don’t want your little rewind, it’s no skin off my back, but the offer’s gonna be off the table in about…”
He made a show of looking down at his watch.
“Five minutes. Choose quickly or forever hold your piece…”
Dean was frantically searching his mind trying to figure out all the different ways this could blow up in his face. An Archangel of all the people offering him a second chance…it didn’t make sense. It could be a trick…
He’d always been taught to follow his instincts, but he wasn’t sure they were working too well these days. He could hear Gabriel humming the jeopardy theme song in the background as he struggled for an answer. The Archangel was counting down from sixty and right when he got to four Dean’s head shot up, his decision made.
“Okay. Send me back…”
Gabriel smirked as he held his hand up.
“Don’t say I never did anything for you…”
He snapped his fingers and there was a flash of light. Dean felt like he’d been sucker punched as everything around him started to fade into black…
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