#but this is just a straight up (not at all straight) rewrite of 15.19

[mittensmorgul]

One Working Part | Rated E | 40k words

Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Inspired by It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Episode Fix-It: s15e19 Inherit the Earth (Supernatural), Angst and Fluff and Smut, POV Alternating, Not Canon Compliant with Episode: s15e19 Inherit the Earth (Supernatural)

Summary: A rewrite of 15.19 Inherit the Earth, wherein they actually inherit the earth. Again. Because I will never be done retelling the end of their story in more sensible and satisfying ways. This time, via the power of a classic holiday film... with a slightly demonic twist.

Way back just after the holidays, I was talking with @greywrenn about how Cas really needed his own Clarence Intervention, his own Guardian Angel trying to earn their wings. Cas spent so long counseling Jack and assuring him he was loved, and nobody ever turned around and did the same for him. He really needed to see it for himself. And we decided the guardian angel should actually be a demon… and now months later, we have this.

The action picks up right at the end of 15.18 Despair.

Read it all now on ao3, or below the cut for the first bit of Chapter 1:

“No! Absolutely not. Not one single thing more!” the Entity yelled as Cas emerged from the tendrils of inky blackness that had snatched him from the bunker and delivered him as promised for an eternity of oblivion. Only, the expected oblivion had been preempted by an onslaught of wrath. “No, wait, two things more?!” The Entity that ruled over the Empty peered around Cas and stared in fury. “And you?!”

“Me,” Billie replied from behind Cas.

The sound of her voice had him turning on his heel rather than keeping his back to a being he’d now effectively killed twice. It had all seemed like an excellent, if tragic plan five minutes earlier. Cas had assumed he and Billie would be delivered to the Empty in the same state of unconsciousness he’d experienced the previous time he’d arrived there. There wasn’t supposed to be an immediate confrontation. He frowned, shaken from his euphoria over having finally confessed his love and then instantly making the ultimate sacrifice for Dean, and began a quick reassessment of every life choice he’d ever made.

“None of this was supposed to happen,” Cas muttered, taking a few steps back from both of them and looking between the Entity and Billie in confusion. “What is happening?”

The Entity spun around, still wearing Meg’s appearance like a slightly uncomfortable skin and pointed menacingly at Cas. “This one is asking the real questions. But the two of you have all the answers. You did this. You made it loud enough to crack the walls, and all sorts of things are leaking out.” The Entity let a smug little grin spread across its borrowed features and raised an eyebrow at Billie’s gruesome wound. “Though it looks like you sprung a leak as well.”

Cas turned to Billie, and the two of them frowned at one another as the Entity morphed into a different form. One Billie recognized immediately and recoiled from instantly.

“Yes, Death dying is an old trick, even if you’re not quite dead yet,” it said, now using the face of the previous incarnation of Death. “And Dean Winchester seems to have a knack for it. We obviously can’t let that stand. You know that’s a loophole that someone will try to exploit for nefarious purposes.”

“Death?” Billie asked, unsure if it was still the Entity or if her old boss had stepped up to have a chat.

The entity rolled its eyes. “Of course not. You’re still technically Death. I’m still little old me, but even more desperate to get back to sleep than I was the last time either of you darkened my doorstep. The point stands that you lied to me. You promised order would be restored, and it’s only grown more chaotic and fractured.”

Cas watched on, eyebrows knitted, trying to piece together what he was clearly missing from their conversation. He turned to Billie.

“Your plan with Jack, you made some sort of deal with the Empty?”

Billie nodded slowly, not taking her eyes from the entity currently embodying her old boss and looking at her the same way he used to look at Dean, with a strange sort of amused disapproval.

“I promised to help Jack heal the cracks his birth brought about, that Chuck has been exploiting ever since. He’d never had the power to touch the Empty before that, but he hasn’t been able to keep his fingers out of the cookie jar ever since he discovered those vulnerabilities.”

Cas’s frown deepened as he put the pieces together. “So your plan was to simply kill God?”

Billie shook her head, like she was doubting even the foundations of that whole plan now. “He kept pushing. Kept interfering with the natural order. There wasn’t a reset button big enough to bring it all back into balance. He was the source of the entire disruption.”

“He’s also the source of the natural order to begin with,” Cas reminded her. “Without him, there’s nothing to reset.”

Billie turned on him so fast that Cas recoiled from her. She still held her scythe, and Cas wasn’t sure whether the two of them were even technically dead yet since they were still standing there having a chat like any normal Thursday. His reaction gave him a split-second pause to find the part of him that— above all else— wanted to live. Since he’d just effectively forfeited his own life, it wouldn’t do any good to dwell on it in that moment, but he wasn’t about to shove that impulse down and bury it just yet, either. There was still the matter of what the hell was even happening— and why he'd somehow been included in the proceedings— to sort out.

“God’s power can’t be killed, but the conscious entity controlling that power sure can be. It just needs a vessel capable of containing it.”

Cas’s heart skipped a beat as he finally grasped what Billie had been trying to accomplish. That little pang of longing to live got another dose of reinforcement at so human a reaction, but again he forced himself to ignore all of that again. No point in suddenly growing a will to live with the full fury of Death and the embodiment of the eternal afterlife bearing down him.

“You were molding Jack into that vessel,” he said in horrified wonder. “You wanted to hollow him out and shove all the power of creation into him instead.” He grasped for understanding, and a way to put something so unaccountable into words. “To turn him into an Occultum. That’s what all the tasks you had him complete were about. Making him into your ultimate weapon against God. And it had all been a lie…”

“What do you mean?” Billie asked. “I did everything his book said, it should’ve worked!”

Cas shook his head, shoving down his alarm at what he was slowly beginning to realize had happened. “Writers lie, and Chuck is the author of all of this. He’s the reason we’re both here right now, instead of back on Earth fighting back against his story.” Cas ran both hands through his hair and down his face in frustration. “He finally managed to rip both of us from his pages, and we both walked willingly into it.”

“He has no power over his own destiny,” Billie replied. “He can’t read his own fate, only Death can.”

“He didn’t need to read it,” the entity replied. “He just had to write his own ending and his fate would comply with his intent. That’s how your books work, right?”

Billie stared in horror, finally realizing how she’d been manipulated into serving Chuck’s will against the greater order of the universe. The full futility and despair of her situation washed over her as she slowly raised her hand and examined the damage inflicted by her own scythe. It hadn’t spread further since they’d landed in the Empty, but it also hadn’t miraculously healed itself, either.

Cas frowned at it, and resisted the impulse to offer to heal her. In all likelihood, the offer would be unwelcome, and worse, even if Billie was willing to let him try, Cas had no reason to believe he actually could. Before he could decide what to do, she shook her hand out and stood tall before the Entity.

“Did you know that all along? And let me carry out all those plans anyway?”

The Entity shrugged. “I might’ve suspected, yes, but either way it would’ve achieved the objective of sealing my domain off from his interference, one way or another. And you and Jack seemed so determined…” The Entity waved one hand in a little circle.

Cas couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. “How do you think it would’ve achieved that objective if you were willing to let Chuck win? Do you think he intends to make things less chaotic for you once he annihilates the rest of creation? Or do you think he’ll need a new toy to break when he’s bored and the Empty is the only thing he has left?”

The Empty sighed and rolled its eyes, which sent a shiver down Cas’s spine because he’d seen that exact reaction on Death’s face once before, when he’d been under the delusion that he was the new god so many years ago. Something was different about it coming from the Entity.

“He will have run his course, finished his story, closed down all of creation. He’s nearly done, if my calculations are accurate. And then the whole cycle can begin again.”

“Cycle?” Cas asked, feeling a chill for an entirely new reason. “He’s done this before?”

“More times than I can count. Big bang, big crunch, heat deaths of multiverses, a slow freeze thrown in here and there, you name it, he’s experimented with it. Mostly he leaves me alone, but the balance of power shifts back and forth like a cosmic tide. He’ll raid the Empty, cause a big explosion and a lot of havoc,” the Entity added with a glare at Billie for having done just that with Jack, “scoop up what he needs and remake himself in a new image to start over again. And then I’ll be able to sleep in peace until he starts growing bored again. This time he seems to have cheated a bit, though. The whole middleman scenario is a new one… Like he's trying to bypass the whole letting go of his power part of this dance.”

The entity crossed its arms, tapping one finger to its chin and walking in slow circles, pondering all of that as if there were still pieces missing from the puzzle. It gave Cas and Billie a few seconds to exchange panicked glances. They’d both been duped, and if they’d known any of this before they certainly wouldn’t have made the deals they had, and neither of them would be trapped in the Empty now— dead or dying, and unable to warn Sam and Dean.

Continue reading on ao3

[blorbosondeck]

fic rec masterlist

canon divergent/finale fix its

Anamnesis

THIS! FIC! this fic lives in my head rent FREE it is so good and it makes so much sense in the narrative that the shitty finale concocted, as to why they wouldn't mention cas or anyone else and its just. so good and they write chuck in the most villainous way that i love!!!

"Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be. Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19."

Sunset Sound: Stairway to Heaven by @adhdeancas

GOD FUCKING CHRIST this is so good and sweet and im such a sucker for team ups and reunions!!! its 3:30 am rn and i just finished it and i love it SO much it made me laugh a lot and the last few chapters i had the stupidest grin just plastered to my face

The Closer the Star, the Greater the Parallax by @rocksalts​

repressed bastard dean submits to the mortifying ordeal of being known and receives the rewards of being loved but only after some miscommunication i LOVE this i read it last night and it’s a fast favorite. my interests have overlapped and i am INTO it

“When Dean sits down to watch some bullcrap Discovery Channel episode with Cas, he doesn’t expect to actually learn anything. Except, with Cas explaining, he makes an effort to connect the dots.”

Don't We All Deserve To Be Happy?

VERY sweet and a VERY good pick me up. all around feel good fic!!! 

"Post-canon fix-it, divergent from 15x19 where Jack stays and Dean doesn't die and Cas comes back and everyone is happy. Take a shot every time I'm salty about the finale."

Keep Your Love Alive

okay. okay okay okay this may be my favorite finale fix it just because of how well reasoned it is. like this feels what should have happened i love it SO much

"Dean gets to spend eternity sharing beers with Bobby on the Roadhouse porch and riding around in his Baby with Sam. He’s at peace… or he feels like he should be. But a few things nag at him: Where is Cas, and everybody else Dean had been hoping to see in Heaven? Why does he feel like he’s stuck in a loop, reliving the same memories over and over again? And who are the strangers wearing Sam’s and Bobby’s faces?"

The GoldenRod Revisions by @aethylas​

this is one of the most well written things ive ever read. the script format DID make it feel more real and honestly? this is better writing than this show deserves. the finale that could have been ♥️

“A rewrite of Supernatural’s final two episodes, expanded into a five episode arc - in which Chuck needs to be defeated, Castiel deserves to be saved, and the characters in this story get a very different ending.“

Ascend by @wanderingcas​ 

THEE finale fix it fic!!! written by the AMAZINGLY skilled and talented @wanderingcas !!! it’s 50k of angst and hurt/comfort and pure bliss

“Something in the world is wrong.

Demon activity is rising where mysterious black substance oozes and unusual ecological events are shaking the world. Dean, grief hanging on his shoulders, restlessly searches for answers that might lead him to the Empty… and to Cas.

But what Chuck wrote can’t be undone. The narrative thread pulls Dean along, forcing him to comply. Because once a story already has an ending, it can’t be rewritten.

Or can it?”

Things Happen (They Do, And They Do, And They Do) by THEE @sobsicles

i KNOW everyone has already recommended this and likely you’ve all already read it. but it has to go here bc REPRESSIOOOOOOOOON i LOVE this so much it is one of the most perfect things i’ve read. are you bisexual? did you have a kind of weird relationship with your best friend and not realize that how you felt about them wasn’t necessarily how other people felt about them and you were maybe a little bit in love with them but were too repressed to realize it? you’ll feel seen. maybe a little too seen

Closer (isn't close enough)

are you a sweet and sappy yet horny bastard? do you like cas exploding light bulbs? you will like this.

“the one where they finally talk about what cas said before the empty took him”

You and Your Husband

it is exTRMELY sweet!!! repression dean strikes again <3

"Five times Dean corrects someone about his relationship with Cas, and one time he realizes he doesn't need to."

Tall Grass

miscommunication and a slowburn! despite being written in 2017 and finished in 2018, it feels like a fix it. ft. plant obsessed cas <3 

Invictus

a LOVELY and short (relatively) finale fix it

“They saved the world. They're free. It's done.

Except it's not, and carrying on is the last thing any of them are thinking about.

They still have someone they need to save.”

Unchained Link

post finale- it’s a great case fic and i am compelled i want more!!!

"It's after the end of things. Life continues on while Dean is "livin it up" in heaven. But it's never that simple, is it? A freak occurrence sends Dean into another time stranded back on Earth. And he thought his hunting days were over. But, no worries. His knight in shining armor comes to the rescue. Hijinks, therefore, ensue."

fun and time unspecified

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is Love Potion No. 5

very funny and sweet! miscommunication at its finest ♥️

"Cas gets drenched with a mystery potion from the ‘love spell’ shelf and... Dean has a sneaking suspicion, angel or no— the spell may have taken effect. And Cas might be in love with Sam."

The Way We Were

Y'all. It is so good its a great mix of funny and serious- extremely fun to see dean as like a base bisexual

"Dean and Castiel pose as a couple to gain access to a gated community known as 'The Glen', a pleasant if secretive location that the boys believe might be linked to several dead bodies showing up over the years bearing signs of ritualistic sacrifice. All seems well until Dean's memory is affected from an incident during a solo exploration, leaving Dean convinced that their cover story is true. Castiel is left trying to resolve their case without taking advantage of an increasingly enthusiastic Dean"

While You Were Sleeping

this is basically just the movie but replacing sandra bullock with cas. this is my comfort movie and imo, one of the most perfect rom coms. the fic isn’t finished but i still have the tab open on my phone and i will straight up go back and re read it when i need a pick me up. 

aus/rewrites

The Harvelle Gospels: Offscript

i know everyone ever ( @jewishcharliebradbury ) has recommended this fic. and for good reason go fucking read it

“The Apocalypse is averted, the angels are in Heaven, and Jo is free from the threat of possession. Somehow it couldn't be farther from a happy ending.“

absolute riots

An Ineffably Profound Bond

i honestly would have put this in the finale fix it section! look. i know. i know you've been burned by crossover fics before. but this is Thee good omens/spn fic you want. its funny as hell and immensely satisfying. im weak for everyone working together tropes and that is this

"After Chuck sets 'The End' in motion, the remaining members of TFW make a miraculous escape. Not willing to waste any time, Castiel comes up with a plan to travel to one of the other worlds to try and get help from the angels there, but after a fight with Dean, it's the hunter who gets sent into an alternate universe,with seemingly no hope of return.

When a mysterious human with a heavenly weapon shows up in Aziraphale's shop, he and Crowley learn that their world is not the only one. Now it is up to them to decide whether or not they want to join forces with the human and help him save his world or simply find a way to send him home."

Somebody Up There Likes Me by @lafilleredige

cas is hit with a spell that turns his vessel into a woman, hijinks and sexuality crises ensue etc etc sam is a supportive and bitchy little brother and its all SO fucking funny and also. horny as hell i love it i love it i LOVE it

“’Dean doesn’t want to talk about your breasts, it’s making him uncomfortable because he hasn’t acknowledged the complex fluidity of human sexuality.’“

Stray Cat Strut

a long crack fic that IS one of the funniest things i’ve ever read and i can’t explain why. it’s so ooc but its so funny that i don’t care. if you need a laugh you gotta read this

"Sam and Cas are immediately in love with the adorable kitty they find outside the bunker door, and occupy their time planning how to convince Dean--who they believe is off sulking after a botched hunt--to let them keep their cat. Along the way, Dean learns to use a litter box and hears some confessions he maybe wasn’t supposed to hear, all while realizing just how much he loves Castiel.

Now all Dean has to do is convince Cas and Sam their new pet cat is actually him before they do something crazy--like neuter him!"

canon compliant or slight canon divergence

Give

by @doublestuffedimpala post season 7 episode 7, kind of ambiguous ending but truly a cas is happy to bleed for the winchesters fic

Punch Like Bones 

short, post 5x04 homoerotic moment that i wish we’d gotten