#madge carrigan

[winchestergifs]

STACKEDNATURAL ⇉ 144.5/327

3.8 A Very Supernatural Christmas Written by Jeremy Carver Directed by J. Miller Tobin Original Air Date: December 13, 2007

[deancasbigbang]

Title: Physical Graffiti

Author: entropic_saudade

Artist: BasketcaseBetty

Rating: Explicit

Pairings: Endgame Dean Winchester/Castiel, Brief Dean Winchester/Ash, Brief Dean Winchester/Max Banes, John Winchester/Kate Milligan, Past John Winchester/Mary Winchester, Past Dean Winchester/Lee Webb, Past Dean Winchester/Cassie Robinson, Past Dean Winchester/Others, Past Castiel/Others, Implied Bobby Singer/Rufus Turner, Past Bobby Singer/Karen Singer, Harper Sayles/Vance, Edward Carrigan/Madge Carrigan, Jenny Sorenson/OMC, Larry Pike/Joanie Pike, Background Max/Stacy.

Length: 75000

Warnings: Archive Warnings: Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings. Additional Content Warnings: Self Harm, Alcohol Use Disorder, Recreational Drug Use, Child Abuse, Past Non-Con, Past Underage, Past Drug Addiction, Minor Character Death, Mental Health Issues

Tags: Case Fic, Murder Mystery, Horror Elements, Slow Burn, Journalist Dean Winchester, Detective Cas, Eventual Hopeful Ending, Families of Choice

Posting Date: November 4, 2024

Summary: The only ghosts and demons are the ones inside his head.  Fresh from a prematurely-ended stint at an inpatient psychiatric facility, ‘former’ self-harmer and functional alcoholic Dean Winchester returns to Sioux Falls, where he works as a crime journalist. His editor, Bobby Singer, sends him back home to Lawrence to gather the story on the murder of a teen boy and the recent disappearance of another. Painful memories from growing up resurface as the missing boy turns up horrifically dead and another goes missing.  The investigation is further complicated by the town’s gossipy tight-knit nature, Dad’s judgment, and botched attempts at making inroads with his estranged half-family, Kate and Adam Milligan.  Dean crosses paths with Castiel Novak, a renegade detective from Kansas City with a troubled past of his own. As they work together, they slip past each other’s defenses, unearthing each other’s secrets and digging for the truth.  As it turns out, monsters just might be real—and they just might live at home.  A Sharp Objects-inspired AU.

Excerpt: A dumpy parking lot, leaning against Baby’s hood, looking to the stars—it reminds Dean of doing the same with the football jocks. The way he’d smuggle stolen beer cans in Dad’s jacket pocket, turning him from ‘homo’ to ‘hero’ in their eyes. Stupidly, it reminds him of Lee.  Dean sneaks a glance over at Cas’ profile, tracing the angle of his jaw as he tilts his head up. The same stupid butterflies flap in his stomach. He suffocates them with a few swigs. “So, our arrangement. I’ll answer a question for each one you answer,” Cas offers, his adam’s apple bobbing.  “Deal.”  “What was it like growing up in Lawrence?” Dean whistles. “Starting with hardballs, huh? You don’t pull any punches.”  “Would you rather I ask for your favorite color?” Cas teases.  He groans. “No, none of that grade school shit. Gimme the real scoop.” Cas raises a pointed brow. You first. “Alright, Lawrence.” He sighs, bracing himself. “Mom had… my brother when I was four.” His voice wavers slightly when he brings up Sammy.  “Adam is much younger, though, isn’t he?”  “Different brother, Kate’s my stepmom. Me and Sam, we’re our Mom’s. She died when Sam was six months old. House fire.” Cas’ eyes sadden, but he doesn’t say anything. “But, as far as growing up—normal, I guess. Went to the school district nearby, was in wrestling for a little bit. I wasn’t some prodigy but I did okay, grades-wise.” “I bet you were Mr. Popular.” Dean barks a laugh. “Uh, no. Sorta depends on who you ask.” Depends on what year. “After graduation, I left for college.” Dean skips over the rest of the highlight reel.  “And Sam?” “Hey, you gotta answer at least one question first,” Dean pokes him. “Why is a detective from Kansas City down in Lawrence?”  “My supervisor likes to send me out on solo cases for assists. I don’t exactly work well with others.”  “Well, you and I make a pretty good team—a little chaotic, maybe, but at least we ruled two suspects off your list.”  “That we did. It’s a shame you’re not a detective.” “Reporters are detectives of sorts. We both look for narrative, just in different ways.” Cas gives a thoughtful hum. “My turn again. What happened to Sam?” Dean’s throat convulses. “He died. We were in our teens.” “What happened?” “He was sick all the time. One day, he just… kept getting worse. His body couldn’t take it.” Sammy’s ghost observed them, sadly, flickering in an in-between state.  “I’m sorry, Dean.”  They sit in silence for a few moments. Panic builds in Dean’s chest, and he worries that he’s ruined whatever rapport they’d been building.  “I’ll tell you something if you swear to not tell another soul?”  Dean nods, relief settling over him. He eats secrets for breakfast.  “The real reason I work Homicide is because it’s better than what I used to do.”  “What’s so bad that working Homicide is better?” Cas looked down and didn’t answer.

DCBB 2024 Posting Schedule

[aspenmissing]

𝙰 𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚂𝚞𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 (𝙿𝚝 𝟹)

The Carrigans open the front door to see a woman wearing a green reindeer sweater, holding fruitcake.

"Merry Christmas!" She says, giving Madge the fruitcake.

"I told you I smelled fruitcake," Madge looks grateful.

"You shouldn't have," she says.

"Oh, bite your tongue, it's my pleasure."

"It looks scrumptious!" Mr. Carrigan says.

"Say, Neal and I are going carolling. You care to join?"

"You know we would-"

"It's my back. Damn thing's giving me fits," Mr. Carrigan finishes.

"Oh, well, that's a shame. Oh well, Merry Christmas."

"And to you too, dear."

"Hey, are we still on for bridge tomorrow?"

"With bells on!"

"Yes! Okay, bye!"

"Bye-bye." They smile broad fake smiles as they shut the door and their smiles drop. Mr. Carrigan drops the fruitcake and steps on it on their way back to the kitchen, hurrying into the kitchen.

"Now, where were we?" Madge says. They look at the chairs to see that the three are no longer in their chairs. The Carrigans see one of the doors close, and turn around to see the other door close too. Sam, Dean, and Y/N are each standing behind one of the doors, Y/N with Sam, as the Carrigans try to pry them. Dean pulls out a drawer to hold his door closed and goes to help Y/N and Sam. Y/N leans one hand against the door.

"What do we do now? The evergreen stakes are in the basement!" She speaks.

"Well, we need more evergreen, Guys!" Sam looks at the Christmas tree. "I think I just found us some more." Sam looks at the large cabinet next to the door. "Help me get this." The three move the cabinet in front of the door and push the Christmas tree over. They break branches from the tree to use as stakes. All is silent when they approach the kitchen door. Suddenly, Mr. Carrigan tackles Y/N to the ground, making her drop the stake. Madge walks up to Sam and Dean.

"You little things." Her face momentarily distorts. "I loved that tree." Sam and Dean raise their stakes. Madge hits Sam hard, and he crashes into the couch and onto the floor. She smacks Dean into a wall, and he falls to the floor. Mr. Carrigan punches Y/N a number of times in the face. Madge walks closer to the boys, and Dean hits her with the branches. Madge is about to attack Dean when Sam stabs her with the Christmas tree stake. Mr. Carrigan looks at his wife and screams.

"Madge!!!" Sam pushes the stake deeper, and Madge groans, while Y/N takes the opportunity and grabs her branch before hitting Mr. Carrigan in the face. Sam pushes the stake in further, and Madge falls to the floor, dead. Y/N stabs Mr. Carrigan, who screams in pain, and Y/N pulls it out and stabs him again. Mr. Carrigan lies dead, next to his wife. Sam and Dean breathe heavily, while Y/N sighs in relief. They look at the dead bodies.

"Merry Christmas," Sam says, looking at Dean and Y/N, who smile briefly and sigh.

==Flashback, 1991==

Sam is laying on his bed, asleep until he’s suddenly shaken by Dean, Y/N standing beside her twin with a smile down at Sam.

"Sam, wake up!" Dean says. Sam wakes.

"Wake up, buddy. Dad was here. Look what he brought," Y/N says. Dean and Y/N look around at a little Christmas tree, decorated with a few lights.

"Dad was here?" Sam asks.

"Yeah. Look at this. We made a killing," Sam yawns.

"Why didn't he try to wake me up?"

"He tried to, like a thousand times."

"He did?" The twins nod.

"Yeah. Did we tell you he would give us Christmas, or what?" Sam looks around.

"Go on, dive in," Y/N says. Sam jumps out of his bed and hurries to the Christmas tree. He finds two presents wrapped with Christmas-themed gift wrap, one of them has a green shiny bow. Sam sits on the couch and unwraps his first gift. Dean sits on the other end of the couch and watches, excitedly. Y/N sits on the armrest behind Dean, resting her arm on his head.

"What is it?" She asks, smiling.

"Sapphire Barbie," Dean chuckles.

"Dad probably thinks you're a girl."

"Shut up!" Sam throws the Barbie onto the ground.

"Open that one," Y/N says. Sam opens the other present and finds a cheerleading stick. His face turns into realization as he looks up at his older siblings, frowning slightly.

"Dad never showed, did he?"

"Yeah, he did, we swear."

"Guys... Where'd you get all this stuff?" Dean looks to Y/N; realizes they can't lie anymore and looks down and the two sigh.

"Nice house up the block," she says as Sam looks away.

"I swear we didn't know they were chick presents," Sam nods. "Look, I'm sure Dad would have been here if he could."

"If he's alive."

"Don't say that. Of course, he's alive. He's Dad," Sam nods and the twins look sad. Sam takes the presents he wrapped from the pocket of a jacket that is lying over the arm of the couch, holding them out to Dean and Y/N.

"Here, take these."

"No. No, they're for Dad."

"Dad lied to me. I want you two to have them," Sam continues to hold out the two gifts. Dean and Y/N look at them and at Sam.

"You sure?" Dean asks. Sam nods.

"I'm sure," The twins look at the gifts again and take them. They unwrap the gifts. Dean has a golden amulet on a black string and Y/N has a handmade bracelet with a small purple amulet.

"Y-you made this?" Y/N asks, looking up at Sam. He nods, smiling.

"I love it," she says, wrapping an arm around Sam.

"Thank you, Sam," Dean says, smiling.

"We-we love it," they say in unison. Dean puts on the necklace and Y/N puts on the bracelet.

==Flashback End==

Sam looks touched with his own memory. Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ plays as Dean and Y/N walk into the room. Y/N looks surprised because Sam has decorated the room with a Christmas tree and a ‘Merry Christmas’ sign.

"Hey! You two get the beer?" Sam says, holding a cup of eggnog.

"Right here," Dean says, walking over to Sam and grabs a cup of eggnog. Y/N looks amazed and smiles, eyes glazing over.

"What's all this?" She asks, looking at the decorations in the room. She looks to Dean. "Is this why you took a long time in the shop, so Sam can do this?" Dean nods.

"What do you think it is? It's - it's Christmas," Y/N looks at Sam, who lets out a deep breath.

"What made you change your mind?" Sam doesn't answer.

"Here, uh...try the eggnog," Sam gives her a cup. "Let me know if it needs some more kick," Sam holds out a bottle of whiskey. Y/N sips it, coughs, and looks surprised at the taste.

"No, we're good."

"Yeah?" Sam asks happily.

"Yeah," she says smiling. When Sam looks away, Y/N changes her expression, like it tastes toxic.

"Good. Well, uh, have a seat. Let's do...Christmas stuff, or whatever," Y/N looks at the Christmas tree, which is decorated with lights and car air fresheners, causing her to smile and chuckle a little.

"All right, first things first," Sam and Dean sit on the couch, and Y/N pulls up a chair. She takes two packages wrapped in brown paper from a plastic bag and gives one out to Sam and another to Dean. "Merry Christmas, you two." Sam and Dean smile, taking their gifts.

"Where'd you get these?"

"Someplace special," Y/N says. Sam and Dean look at her. "The gas mart down the street," the brothers laugh. "Open them up."

"Well, great minds think alike, Y/N," Sam reaches under the couch and pulls out two packages wrapped in newspaper, which he gives one to Dean and another to Y/N.

"I agree," Dean pulls out two packages himself, also wrapped up in newspaper and gives one to each of his siblings.

"Come on, let’s get these open. Sammy, you go first," Y/N says. Sam opens the gift Dean gave him, which is two porn magazines and he laughs.

"Skin mags!" Dean nods, satisfied with Sam's reaction. "and..." he opens the other gift that Y/N gave him "Shaving cream."

"You like? We wanna keep that baby face," Y/N says, laughing and Sam nods, laughing himself.

"Yeah. Yeah," Sam nods, smiling. “You next.” Dean opens up his first present, which is from Sam.

"Look at this," he lifts up a candy bar and a bottle of oil, smiling at his presents, smiling. "Fuel for me and fuel for my baby.” He opens the second present, which is from Y/N. “And a freshener?"

"My car is starting to reek of sex because of you," Y/N says and the brothers laugh.

"Your turn," Sam says, and Y/N begins opening her present. She opens the present that Sam got her, gasping.

"Marshmallows!" Y/N looks at Sam, who smiles at her. She opens the other present, which is from Dean, and laughs as she pulls out a picture.

“Look at that, Sammy in all his glory.” She turns the picture to Sam, seeing it’s the picture that Dean took on his phone of Sam asleep in the impala with a spoon in his mouth and Y/N posing with her thumbs up beside him (Hell House).

"You, uh, you like it?" Dean asks, Y/N looks at him, nodding.

“I love it! Thank you two.” Y/N says, reaching forwards to hug the two tightly. “

"Good," Sam says, a bit of sadness on his face. Y/N lifts her glass of eggnog.

"Merry Christmas, boys," she says.

"Yeah. Yeah," Dean says. The brothers lift their eggnog and make a toast with Y/N's glass "Here, Merry Christmas." The three are silent, knowing that this could be their last Christmas as the three of them. They each take a drink of their eggnog and Y/N whistles softly at the taste.

"Hey, guys, y-" Sam looks sad about to say something, but he hesitates before looking at them again.

"Do you feel like watching the game?" He asks. Y/N smiles in relief.

"Absolutely."

"All right," Sam nods. He stands up and turns on the TV. They watch the winter football, Sam and Dean glance at Y/N and she returns the glance while smiling before taking a drink of her eggnog.

[ao3feed-destiel-02]

Physical Graffiti

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/VZRixMd by entropic_saudade The only ghosts and demons are the ones inside his head.   Fresh from a prematurely-ended stint at an inpatient psychiatric facility, ‘former’ self-harmer and functional alcoholic Dean Winchester returns to Sioux Falls, where he works as a crime journalist. His editor, Bobby Singer, sends him back home to Lawrence to gather the story on the murder of a teen boy and the recent disappearance of another. Painful memories from growing up resurface, and the investigation is further complicated by the town’s gossipy tight-knit nature, Dad’s judgment, and botched attempts at making inroads with his estranged half-family, Kate and Adam Milligan. Dean crosses paths with Castiel Novak, a renegade detective from Kansas City with a troubled past of his own. They work together, slipping past each other’s facades, digging down toward the truth.   As it turns out, monsters just might be real—and they just might live at home.   A Sharp Objects-inspired AU. Words: 62696, Chapters: 10/10, Language: English Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural), Sam Winchester, John Winchester, Bobby Singer (Supernatural), Adam Milligan, Kate Milligan, Kelly Kline (Supernatural), Jack Kline, Max Banes, Max (Supernatural: Lebanon), Stacy (Supernatural: Lebanon), Eliot (Supernatural: Lebanon), Rufus Turner, Matt Pike (Supernatural), Larry Pike, Asher (Supernatural), Michael (Supernatural: Something Wicked), Joanna (Supernatural: Something Wicked), Kevin Tran (Supernatural), Joe Barton (Supernatural), Donnie (Supernatural: Inside Man), Randy Bull (Supernatural), Bucky Sims, Ed Zeddmore (Supernatural), Madge Carrigan, Edward Carrigan, Missouri Moseley, Mia Vallens, Other(s) Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Kate Milligan/John Winchester, Brief Ash/Dean Winchester, past Lee Webb/Dean Winchester - Relationship Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Aftermath of Violence, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Past Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Child Death, Murder, Attempted Murder, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hallucinations, Past Drug Addiction, Case Fic, Dysfunctional Family, Family Secrets, Families of Choice, Recreational Drug Use, Journalist Dean Winchester, Detective Castiel (Supernatural), Therapy, Recovery, Inspired by Sharp Objects read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/VZRixMd

[hitchell-mope]

WHOOHOO!

[ilovefanfic86]

Supernatural: Plotholes, Thoughts and Other Unanswered Questions.

I know that I am extremely late with this, but life got in the way. I know that a lot has happened since the finale. (The online reunion happened tonight and I missed it.) I would really like to get some of your guys opinons. I have my thoughts on the show finale and I would love the feedback and hopefully some answers. I tagged the following mutuals that I know are part of the fandom. If you don’t want to participate, I completely understand and no hard feelings. 

After letting the finale sink in, I still have a few things I need to know. Some of these may have been answered and I am just a dumbass and didn’t know it. If you know the answer or have an opinion on anything, please feel free to share it with me. I am not leaving the fandom just because the show is over. Some of this may be ranting. Some you may not care about. So, let’s talk...

I have been trying to think of a way to put all my questions and thoughts in a easier way to understand. Cause I have more than a few.

1. Dean’s Death.

(a.)The first question may be dumb, but how the hell was Dean still standing after he died? That has always confused me about the show. Whenever one of the characters is tied up standing, they never fall. Even passed out or apparently dead.

 (b.)I think that Dean was ready to die. Because even though Sam and Dean are free from Chuck’s story, Dean may not be truly happy because Cas is gone. I think that’s why he is attached to the dog. It was a subsitute for Cas’s abscence.We have seen in previous seasons when Cas dies, that Dean always spirals. He drinks himself unconcious and throws himself into hunts. He is visibly shaken whenever he witnesses Cas’s death. He held on to Cas’s coat in season 6&7 after he died. Dean does whatever he can to ensure Castiel’s safety.

2. Sam’s Life After Dean.

(a.) It was nice to see Sam live a “normal” life. However, with him living his normal life, there are a lot of questions. Did Sam marry and have a child with Eileen? I get that with the pandemic everyone wasn’t able to be there for filming. So, I truly undersdtand why we didn’t see Shoshannah in the final episode. We onlyget to see a woman on the porch in the background. She is so far away we can’t see her. Even during Sam’s life montage, we see diffrent pictures, but none of Eileen. Hell, the only woman’s picture I saw was Mary. Nothing around his death bed either.

(b.) Did Sam give up hunting? We know that he gave it up when Dean and Cas went to purgatory. Now that they are both TRULY gone, did he just completely give it up? I can’t imagine that just because he is free and alone, that he would let innocent people die. I know that he wouldn’t go after big hunts, but maybe a ghost or spirit. 

(c.)Does Little Dean ‘D’  become a hunter/Men of Letters? I am sure that Sam told ‘D’ about all the monsters and dangers of the world. But does he become a hunter? Did ‘D’ get Baby after Sam’s death? What happened to the Bunker and all the relics? It seems kind of wrong to just leave the Bunker unattended. There are so many hunters that could use it. 

3. Missing people.

(a.)Kevin Tran. Did Kevin get to go to the new heaven or did Jack bring him back to life to be with his mom? Cause the last time we saw Kevin, he was a ghost in Hell. (Cause Chuck is a dick.) Heaven was closed and he had to go and roam around. Kevin deserved better.

(b.)Adam Milligan. What happened to Adam? Did he go to heaven or did Jack bring him back? Because technically, Chuck killed him in the snap. If he died,  he really deserves to go to heaven. He was in the cage with Michael and Lucifer. He was forgotten by his brothers and the other angels.

(c.)Alisha and Max Banes. A few of you may not remember them, but I always wonder what happened to them. In season 12, the twins call Mary’s phone for some help to find their mother. There they go through the “MOTW” scenarios. When Alisha dies from her wounds, Max takes the witches ring and create a Twig!Alisha and burns his siters body. We never got to see what happened to them. I know that they weren’t huge side characters, but they were interesting to me.

(d.)Harper Sayles. Harper’s storyline has always felt unfinished to me. She had her apperance in season”s 14 “Optimism”, where Dean and Jack work a case in Nebraska. Jack gets close to Harper and she believes that they are in love. It is revealed that she comes from a long necromancers and she brought back her dead boyfriend Vance. After Vance is caught, Harper escapes, but is seen later in a diner writing a love letter to Jack. She says that when she finds Jack she’ll have to kill him for what he did to Vance. But, that she can bring Jack back just like Vance, because their love is so vivid. She addresses it to Jack Smith, Lebanon, Kansas P.O. Box... So what happened to her? Harper could have been a very interesting character for at least 2 episodes. Watching Jack having to deal with his own version of Becky. I just thought that it was weird that she knew where he lived (kinda) and we just never heard from her again.

(e.)The Horsemen. During season 5, we got to meet the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse; War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. This one kinda confuses me. In this season I was to believe that the Horsemen couln’t be killed. (Death’s death was a shocker.) But they couldn’t kill War. They just took his ring.

(f.)Jesse Turner/Antichrist. This is by far the biggest plotholes I know from the show. Where the hell is Jesse. He had one episode in season 5, “I Believe the Children Are Our Future.” It is discovered on a case that Jesse is a Cambion, half-human, half-demon. Castiel reveals that he is the Antichrist. He was destines to align with Lucifer and “With a word.” destroy the forces of heaven. Afterword, Jesse disappears and is never seen or heard from again. I definetely thought that we would see him the last 2 seasons. Given that these were the biggest villians. A battale between him and Jack would have been so awesome. This is the biggest plothole for me. Heaven wanted Jesse dead and then they just forgot about him.

(g.)Jesus Christ. Where was Jesus? He was mentioned a plethora of times on the show, yet he doesn’t get any reconigtion. Throughout the shows running time, different dieties mention him. Eve said in Season 6 “...And Then There Was None”, to character Rick, “You know that he was just a man.” In season 3, “A Very Supernatural Christmas”, Madge and Edward Carrigan are Pagan gods. Edward tells the Winchesters, “All of a sudden, this Jesus character is the new hot thing in town. All of a sudden our alters are being burned down and we are being hunted down like monters.” Even if He was just a man, he was still important to Chuck at one point. Wouldn’t that make him a viable ally during this? 

That is basically the main “issues” I have with the show. If anyone wants to discuss this, please feel free to share your thoughts. Love you guys and Carry on.

@snffbeebee @waywardbaby @teamfreewill4ever @pisces-cutie @our-jensen-ackles-love @jenabean75 @stormchasingchick32 @thoughtslikeaminefield @missjenniferb @spnwaywardwitch @supernaturalfanfiction-com @crashlyrose @jasminemarieheartsimagines @deanwanddamons @taurean860 @companionjones @dewdieboo @all-4-wincest @relmi-llorrac @weewoo-soldier @fullonswayzed @deansenwackles @chunksbutfunks @daisysinger-winchester @jenny885 @sweetness47 @carmenlord @jamezverusaum @plussizeappreciationfics @plus-size-reader @treat-winchesterswith-kindness

[massivelycreepypineapple]

Wickedly Vicious and Vile

Part 1 to Wonderfully Gentle and Loving

Request: hello. i have a request dean x reader. in the Christmas pagan God episode, I want dean and Sam to hunt reader down because she is kidnapped for the God's sacrifice. When they are being tortured, reader is dragged from her chair in front of dean and sam and is being tortured in front of dean by the gods son (sexually too), who ofc is swearing and crying. then they start to torture dean and the reader is crying too. is that alright? i love your writing ♡

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

Warning: Allusions to sexual assault.Torture. Angst. Dark fic. Please don’t read if it’ll trigger you in any way.

A/N 1: I just want to say that I am in no way romanticising sexual assault and torture. My heart goes out to anyone who has been hurt. I hope with all my heart you guys find the peace you deserve.

A/N 2: Thanks for the request, Anon! It’s my first dark fic, hope this is alright.

Word Count: 2280

��� ❅ ❅

Sam, Dean and Y/N had come into town on a hunt a couple of days ago. They had learned that evil Santa was creating havoc by killing humans. It so turned out that the Christmas pagan gods have turned up this year, using human beings as sacrifices. The trio spent their time interviewing people and collecting evidence and researching. They had just gotten back from interviewing the Carrigans. They knew there was something shady about those guys. They had made a game plan to break into their house that night and investigate, when Y/N decided to go on a supply run to get some things before the hunt.

But it had been almost three hours and Y/N wasn’t back yet. It was driving Dean crazy. How long does a supply run even take? She only had to get medical supplies. They had planned to kill the pagan gods that night but she just had to disappear. Sam didn’t seem all that fazed but as the third hour nearly struck he too was becoming restless. Having had enough of waiting, Dean decided they should go look for her. There was this unsettling feeling in his stomach and the sooner they found his girl, there was less of a chance that he’d shit a brick. 

But nothing went according to plan for the Winchesters. They managed to track Y/N to the Carrigan’s basement but everything went south after that.

______

Sam and Dean were each tied to a chair in the dining room. There were tools laid on the table that could only mean one thing. Pain. Intense, scary pain. They heard a struggle from the adjoining room, when the door opened to reveal Y/N dragged in by the Carrigan's son, James. She was beaten up badly, with blood trickling down the side of her mouth. A large angry bruise was forming on her forehead. She sported a black eye on the right and the worst of all, her clothes were torn and battered, meticulously ripped apart to reveal just the right amount of skin. 

Dean felt himself tear up at the sight of her. It was like he could feel her pain. He felt the rage build up inside him. “YOU SON OF A BITCH! LET HER GO!” he yelled and struggled in his restraints. 

The young man only laughed at that. He didn’t dignify it with a response. He treated Y/N like a rag doll, forcing her to sit on the chair and proceeded to tie her up like the brothers, barely giving them a second glance as they yelled profanities at him. Madge and Edward stood there smirking at the whole scene. They knew what was going to happen, they decided to let James have a little fun before their feast.

He walked in front of Y/N crouched down facing her. She was barely conscious, her breathing was shallow. He caressed her so tenderly and smirked as he watched her try to recoil from him. She whimpered when his hand graced over the bruise on her forehead and without any warning he pressed his fingers into it really hard making her yell out in pain, jerking her out of her semi conscious state. He watched on with fascination as she whimpered some more. He then got up and walked to the table.

Y/N was in agony and looking at Dean and Sam tied up, made it all worse. She wasn’t sure how they’d get out of this one. This could be the last case and she didn’t even get to kiss or hold Dean one last time or hug Sam and tell him what an amazing friend he was to her. All she could think about was how the last thing the three of them would see would be the other getting tortured. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when James came back with a knife and a bowl, slowly began cutting away what was left of her top from the neck. The tip of the knife graced her skin and he applied light pressure, watching in awe as the blood trickled out the wound and into the bowl. Y/N screamed in pain she didn’t have the energy to beg him to stop. But she could hear Dean crying out for her.

“NO! STOP THAT! YOU BASTARD! STOP!” He’s never before wanted to hurt someone the way he wanted to hurt these people. But hurling insults at them wasn’t working and he resorted to begging. 

“Please, I’ll do anything, just stop hurting her.” Dean Winchester rarely begged, but he would get down on both knees and beg his heart out just to make him stop hurting his Y/N.

“Now, now, don’t interrupt my boy.” Chided Edward. “He needs to focus. It’s his first time taking control after all.”

“Just wait till I get my hands on you, you filthy bastard! I’ll be sure to kick your godly balls really hard!” He spat at him and struggled some more and then suddenly felt a tight slap on his cheek given to him by Madge.

“We don’t curse in this family, my dear.” She said as if to petulant a child. 

“Bite me!” Spat Dean who got hit once more. 

Sam was trying his best to keep it together through it all. He knew it was up to him at this point to figure out an escape. He was busy trying to get out of his restraints, doing his best to not let Y/N’s and Dean’s cries get to him. He couldn’t give in to his pain now. It was up to him to save the two people who mattered the most in his life.

Y/N felt the man push her torn top apart, “No, please. Don’t do this.” she whispered half sobbing. 

“Shh, love. It’ll be over before you know it” He said, his voice smooth as honey.

She knew what was coming. She knew if this happened there was no going back and she’d lose herself. She saw him walk behind her and place his hands on her shoulder. She felt disgust at his touch. She looked up at Dean to see he was no better. She looked into his eyes, wishing he wasn’t here to see this. 

“Well, Dean. Why don’t I give you a little show, huh?” Said James and grinned wolfishly. “Teach you how to pleasure your girl.”

Dean was openly crying at this point. Tears and snot streaming down his face. He couldn’t do this. He had never before felt so helpless in his life. He shook his head frantically, choking back a sob. “Stop, please stop!” His voice trailed off as he cried harder. 

Things just went from bad to worse from then. Soon James’ pants came down and he made Y/N do things that she would forever be sealed in her memory. Dean could do nothing but hear her strugglin, crying and begging for him to stop. He promised hell upon them. His heart shattered into a thousand pieces and he didn’t know how anyone of them could recover from this. 

Then suddenly it stopped. “You know, Y/N” James began, “I don’t think it’s fair that your boyfriend and his brother only watch the show. What do you say we make them feel noticed?”

“Y-you stay a-away from them, you fucking bastard!” She said her voice hoarse. Her throat burned as a result of the things he made her do.

“Nah, I think I’ll go with my plan” He smirked. “And you’re gonna watch!” 

He held her hair tightly forcing her to look at Dean. Madge walked towards him with a knife and another bowl. She was giddy with barely controlled glee. She ripped her shirt apart, button flying away. Dean flinched at that, struggling to get away. But it was no use. He yelled in pain as he cut deeply into his chest collecting blood in the bowl. She kept repeating the ordeal, making him scream out in pain. Y/N was crying harder hearing his pained cries. Watching the love of her life get tortured felt worse than what she went through. 

Sam was begging them to stop. “Please, please just let us go! Don’t hurt them anymore!” 

But it only fell on deaf ears. 

“This is not your run of the mill sacrifice!! This is fucking rape and abuse! It’s not how you work!” He screamed.

“Well, we like to mix things up a bit” Edward grinned at Sam.

The gods were clearly more amused with Dean and Y/N. Making sure to fuck with their relationship. They had no inhibitions and would do anything to get their entertainment. It was their godly right apparently.

When Madge seemed to be done, Y/N noticed his entire front was bloody and his breathing got shallow. “I’m so sorry, Dean!” She wailed. 

His eyes barely opened as he struggled to get out, “I-i’m f-fine, Sweetheart. I-it’s g-going to be ok- okay. I-I P-promise.”

Edward had grabbed some pliers ready to pluck his tooth out. He walked over to Dean and grabbed his jaw, forcing his mouth open. He went to pull his tooth out, but just then the doorbell rang. The Carrigans paused and looked at each other wide eyed and unsure of what to do.

“Somebody gonna get that? I think you should.” Said Sam, hoping they’d go. He finally had a chance to escape and help his family. 

The Carrigans sighed in frustration and left the room to see who interrupted their ritual. 

Meanwhile Sam managed to get out of his restraints and rushed over to Dean to help him up. Once he was free, Dean pushed away from Sam and rushed to Y/N as fast as his wounds would allow him. When she realised what was happening, she reached out to Dean desperately in need of the one person who could comfort her right now. She was beyond tired, the trauma of what happened was catching up with her and she was losing consciousness and before Dean could get to her she slumped down in her chair.

“Y/N!” He whispered yelled at her, patting her cheeks lightly to get her to wake up, but to no avail. “Fuck.” He muttered. Sam crouched down next to him to check on her himself.

“Dean, she just lost consciousness. But we need to get to a hospital immediately before you bleed out and something worse happens to her.” 

He didn’t reply, he simply shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around her, hiding her exposed body. He laid her gently on the floor slightly hidden from view. He remained crouched down next to her for a few seconds. He jerked away when Sam placed a hand on his shoulder.

 “Dean, we got to move. They’ll be here any second.” Sam whispered. 

“Let them come” Said Dean as he stood up slowly and turned around. He made his way into the adjoining room and spotted the Christmas tree, Sam following him. “I’m going to kill these sons of bitches if it’s the last thing I do, Sammy.”

He didn’t leave any room for argument, “We need evergreen stakes right? Here’s a whole bunch.” He said, breaking the tree. Sam rushed to help his brother, knowing that he was in one of his zones. Nothing can stop him from getting his revenge for Y/N. And honestly? He wasn’t complaining. He wanted these assholes dead just as badly. 

With the crash of the tree, the Carrigans rushed into the room and within seconds a fight broke out. Sam was able to hold his own, while Dean was struggling with the overwhelming pain in his body. After what felt like ages, Sam managed to kill Madge and Edward and rushed to help Dean with their son.

“She sucks really good, Dean. You’re a lucky man” The asshole grinned with blood dripping from his face.”You were there. You saw!” 

Dean didn’t react to that. He had gotten into this calculated zone where every step he took was planned way in advance. He was like a machine whose only mission was to destroy the vile thing in front of him.

Sam had never seen Dean this angry before. He had beaten him up pretty badly despite being hurt and as the bastard laid there in pain, Dean lifted his leg and placed his foot on his dick slowly added more and more pressure making him yell out in pain.He then took the sharp end of a branch and slowly drove it into his stomach knowing just how to miss all the vital organs so he’ll suffer longer. Dean looked up at Sam and threw him the car keys.

“Take Y/N to the car, I’ll be there in a min.” His gruff emotionless voice came through. 

Sam watched in horror, he didn’t know if he should stop Dean or let him have his revenge. The latter won out knowing just how vile and disgusting the man bleeding out was. He let Dean have this. He quickly grabbed the keys and made his way to Y/N and picked her up gently. He carried her to the impala and placed her on the back seat watching over her and checking how bad her wounds were. 

Dean made his way out and got in the back seat letting Sam drive them to the nearest hospital. He held Y/N in his lap tightly, afraid she’ll disappear again. He needed to be there with her. He made a silent promise to her and himself that he would do everything in his power to make this better for them. It won’t be easy and it sure as hell will be a long one, but he’d be there for her. Every damn step of the way.

❅ ❅ ❅

TAGS BELOW @hobby27 @akshi8278

[idreamofhazeleyes]

Ties in Blood -- Chapter 25

I know this is about a week late, but I had picked up a couple days at work which set this back a week. I still plan on getting a drabble based on the 300th and maybe another done and maybe the beginnings of Aaliyah’s hunting journal at least written up. I hope y’all like this since I feel like here and on AO3 people are losing interest due to low kudos/comments. Anyway ... There is a drabble tie-in at the end of the chapter. If I’ve tagged you here and not others, it’s just me being forgetful.

@mrswhozeewhatsis @winchestergirl-13 @percussiongirl2017 @impala-dreamer @optimisticpeacecollector5 @arazialotis @malinq-ashida

Chapter 25

Aaliyah stood a few feet behind the person at the pharmacy counter; an index finger tapping away at her thigh. She told Dean that she’d meet him and Sam at their motel room while she grabbed a few things. The person at the counter seemed to be taking a little too long for Aaliyah’s taste before they finally stepped away. She took a deep breath and stepped up to the open spot.

“Hi,” Aaliyah said. “I need Plan B, please.”

“Do you have a prescription for it?”

“I … uh … I didn’t know I needed one.” Her stomach started to twist from the seed of panic that took root. “Is there a way I can get it without a prescription?”

“Planned Parenthood. But … Let me talk with my manager for a minute.”

Aaliyah watched the pharmacy tech disappear around a corner. She glossed over the several shelves behind the counter in her turn to look out into the large store. Christmas music played over the PA system. The holiday was yet another reminder of what she missed growing up.

“Miss,” the pharmacy tech said, startling Aaliyah a little.

Aaliyah turned to see the tech sliding a box across the counter top.

“It’s fifty dollars,” the tech told her.

Aaliyah sighed with relief as she fished out the money to pay for it. She slid the box into a coat pocket in her path to the door. Her mind started running through excuses in the off chance one of the boys would find it. The second she stepped out the door, she shivered against the cold and zipped up her coat for the few minutes it took to reach her car.

She climbed into the car and managed to not completely rip open the box and freed one of the pills to dry swallow. Guilt started to eat away at her as Aaliyah pulled out of the parking spot. It was gonna be a hard few days.

***

Aliyah walked into the room with the bag of food and smiled at Sam. He responded with a quick wave while listening to whoever was on the other end of the call. She glared at Dean in his efforts to take the bag from her but didn’t really fight him on it. She draped her coat over the back of a chair as Sam hung up.

“Well, we’re not dealing with the anti-Clause,” he said.

“The what, now?” Aaliyah asked. “Isn’t that Krampus?”

“Who?” Dean shot her a confused look.

“It’s a what,” she countered. “In pagan tradition, it’s a horned half goat, half demonic creature that went around and punished children that misbehaved around this time. The legend has ties in Middle Europe and Northern Italy.”

“How’d you know that?” Dean asked.

“It was in one of those odd lore books I read while laid up after the car accident.”

“Uh huh.” Dean blinked, bringing himself back around. “What’d Bobby say?”

“That we’re morons,” Sam answered.

Aaliyah gave an amused huff, gaining a stare from Sam. “What? He’s probably right? What else did he say?”

“And that there’s meadowsweet in the wreaths.”

“What the hell is meadowsweet?” Aaliyah asked before rifling through the food bag.

“A rare and powerful pagan plant.”

“How’d you not know that from that lore book?” Dean asked, a bite of food cheeked.

“It was pagan creatures, not herbs and its uses,” Aaliyah chided. “What’s meadowsweet to these gods you’re after?”

“Human sacrifice,” Sam said, reading off his laptop. “Kinda like … chum for their gods. They’re drawn to it and stop by and chow down on the nearest human.”

“Sounds lovely,” Aaliyah said.

“Why would anyone use it for Christmas wreaths?” Dean asked.

“It’s not as crazy as it sounds,” Sam said. “Pretty much every Christmas tradition is pagan.”

“It’s Jesus’s birthday,” Dean argued.

“Not really,” Aaliyah chimed in, sitting down in the other chair. “His birthday was probably in the fall. It was the winter solstice that was taken by the Catholic church and renamed Christmas. The trees, the Yule log, even Santa’s suit, all remnants of pagan tradition.” She caught the mild surprise on Dean’s face and gave him a shrug. “I took a few classes on religions around the world.”

“Next you’re gonna tell me that the Easter Bunny’s Jewish,” Dean said.

Aaliyah shrugged and took another bite while Sam took over the conversation. She half listened while he talked about this Hold Nickar and that he would give mild weather in return for human sacrifices. “Any idea how to kill him?”

“No, but Bobby’s working on it,” Sam answered. “We can use your help on who’s selling those wreaths.”

***

Aaliyah walked into the shop that was decked out in Christmas floral arrangements as the bell above the door chimed. She repressed a shutter from the overload of seasonal joy and the memories of waking up Christmas day to nothing.

“Can I help you?” the shop keeper asked, coming into view.

“Uh, yeah. I was over at the Walshes’ the other night, playing a mean game of … um …Uno,” Aaliyah started, stammering for a second. “They had this wreath that I just gotta get for my own place, yah know? Made with mistletoe and … what was it? Meadowsweet. That’s it.”

“I know the one,” the show keeper said. “But I’m all out.”

Aaliyah made a confused look. “From what I heard, the stuff’s rare and expensive. Why put it in wreaths?”

The shop keeper gave a shrug. “Beats me. I didn’t make ‘em.”

Aaliyah tilted her head. “Who did?”

“A local woman. Madge Carrigan’s her name. Said the wreaths were so special, she’d gave ‘em to me free.”

“And you sold ‘em?” Aaliyah came to the conclusion.

“That’s right. People pay a crap ton for this stuff.”

“Thank you, sir,” Aaliyah said before seeing herself out.

She stuffed her hands into the pockets of the zip up hoodie for the few feet to the Impala and climbed it. “Got ‘em from some woman named Madge Carrigan,” she told the brothers. “And she’s a local who just gave the wreaths away for free to the guy.”

“Nut job,” Dean commented as he started the engine and backed out of the parking spot.

“Yeah, you’re telling me.”

Aaliyah looked out the window as they drove down the streets back to the motel while the brothers talked the case over between themselves. She climbed out of the backseat once they pulled into a spot at the motel and followed the boys into the room. Their talk shifted from the case to a wreath that John had gotten years ago. She half listened to them as she rifled through her bag and worked out the pill box.

“Aaliyah, tell me you had a decent Christmas growing up,” Sam said.

She dry swallowed the pill in her turn to face the younger Winchester. “What’s a decent Christmas? Xander and I grew up half starved thanks to our father dividing his time between work and hunting. Those two weeks off from school were tough until high school.”

“I’m sorry,” Sam said.

“I got used to not getting anything.” Aaliyah turned back to her back and hid the box. “You two want me come with you to the Carrigans tomorrow? Or I can dig around for another case.”

“Nah, you stay here,” Dean told her. “Relax for a day or two.”

Aaliyah swore she heard worry in his voice. Like there was something there he wanted to make sure of.

“Besides,” he continued. “We’re just going to scope out the place. You’ll be the first we call for help.”

A sigh escaped Aaliyah’s lips. “There’s gotta be something I can do to help. What’d Bobby say that’ll kill the suckers?”

“Evergreen stakes.”

“Where am I gonna get evergreen branches at this time of day?”

***

Aaliyah shivered as she glanced over the sparse selection of trees. The attendant for the pop up farm had the air of wanting to retreat back into their camper and spend Christmas alone. She chose a small one that appeared to be able to yield a few stakes and the attendant went about wrapping it and helping her put it on the car roof. The drive back to the motel was a bit nerve wracking, but she made it. Aaliyah declined the help to get the tree off the car and into the room by another person there and managed to do the work alone.

With the television on for a source of noise, Aaliyah managed to get the tree free of it’s wrapping and a decent sized branch for a stake. She worked at it with a knife and had just started getting a point when her cell buzzed with an incoming text.

911 Carrigan House

Aaliyah jumped from the chair and armed herself with the same knife and the partially made stake. With the two weapons in one hand and the cell and keys in the other, she darted out the room and was on the room racing down the street.

She killed the headlights on her approach to the house before putting the car into park. Her heart raced with adrenaline coursing through her body as she stalked toward the house, darting from shadow to shadow. A peak through a window showed Aaliyah Sam tied up in a chair. She watched as his hand was cut and was about to barge in with what she had when she heard voices approaching the house from the path. Aaliyah moved around to the back of the house and used the distraction of the neighbors to get inside the house.

Leave it to disgruntled pagan gods to be the ones to be the picturesque of the middle class living. The back room was disgustingly clean. Aaliyah cracked the door open and peered out. It gave her a view of the kitchen and dining area where Dean and Sam were tied up. Aaliyah could hear voices at the front door while Dean gestured her into the area. She kept herself low on her hunches, nearly sitting on the floor, and moved for Dean first. With one hand she unsheathed her knife and started sawing at the rope that tied him down.

“Next time we have a wild night…” Dean started.

“Save it for when we’re not…” The knife went through the last of the rope. Aaliyah looked up to match Dean’s gaze. “Facing down pagan gods.”

Aaliyah worked her way under the table and worked at freeing Sam the same way while Dean freed himself. She went from under the table to the threshold between the dining room and living room to keep watch on the Carrigans while the brothers freed themselves. Two quiet knocks on the trimming alerted the brothers that the distraction was gone. Aaliyah pulled herself from the threshold and followed after them into the kitchen then back out when the Carrigans enter.

“Didn’t expect you to get here so quick,” Sam said, holding his door closed.

“Always the trust worthy backup, that’s what I am.” She pulled at the cabinet and barely moved it. She sensed Sam move beside her and help with it.

“What now?” Dean asked as he came around. “The stakes are in the basement.”

Aaliyah rolled her own stake in her hand even as she scanned the house. She nudged the boys and gestured with her head toward the displayed tree. There was a second or two, the brothers sharing a look and holding an entire conversation with that look, before they moved for the tree. She stepped into the living room just as the door blocked by a drawer opened. In a spin, she brought up her spike just to have it knocked out of her hand.

“Oh dear,” Madge spoke. “Don’t wanna be ruining our clothes, do we?”

“Who said anything about ruining clothes?” Aaliyah’s body tensed when a hand behind her grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

The one who pulled her back took her place and plunged their stake into Madge.

Aaliyah panicked in her search for her stake and dove for it. The small hairs on her body stood on end, the sensation of someone right behind her. She rolled and brought the stake out in front of her just as Mr. Carrigan came down toward her. There was a look of surprise on his face, like he hadn’t expected her to actually kill him. She guided him onto the floor where he landed with a thud. Her chest heaved slightly before her breathing returned to normal.

“Aaliyah?” Sam called out. “Aaliyah?”

She lifted a hand and waved it. “Over here.” Her hand grabbed hold of the hand that grabbed her before pulling herself up. “Thanks, Sammy.”

He gave an amused noise. “Merry Christmas, you two.”

“Some Christmas. See you two back at the motel? I’ll make a food and beer run?”

***

Aaliyah used her foot to close the motel door behind her as she was greeted with Eliza Fitzgerald’s version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and a small, but intact, tree being decorated by Sam.

“Car fresheners?” she questioned, putting the couple bags and couple cases of beer on the table.

“Best choice from the station,” Sam answered. He turned from putting the last air freshener on the tree. “Are you okay staying with us tonight? I know what happened with Amanda…”

Aaliyah waved off what would had been a touching speech. “I’m working through it. Am I better than a week ago? Not really. Part of me still wants to go all self-destructive over it. But I don’t wanna go and spend this time alone and …”

She was interrupted by the door opening behind her and Dean walking in with the pizza.

“What’s all this?” he asked.

“Uh …” Sam trailed off. “It’s Christmas.”

Aaliyah grabbed a beer and moved out of the way between the brothers.

“What made you change your mind?” Dean asked.

Aaliyah listened as Sam offered up the eggnog and pulled out her cell. She thumbed through the contacts and started at Nissa’s number, her mind warring on to call or not. Hitting the call button, Aaliyah put the cell to her ear and listened to the ringing.

“You got bad timing,” Nissa greeted. “I’m about to kick Leo’s ass in Scrabble.”

“So not true,” Leo shouted.

Aaliyah chuckled to herself at the bickering between her half siblings.

“Where are you?” Nissa asked, her attention back to Aaliyah. “Last I heard you were off in Texas chasing down a Chupacabra.”

“Ypsilanti.” Aaliyah casted a glance over her shoulder to the boys, who had sat down and were exchanging gifts. “The guys needed some help with some pagan gods and I was in the area.”

“We told mom about you,” Nissa said. “Surprised the both of us saying she wanted to meet you one day. You should come by tomorrow. Maybe have a family dinner.”

Aaliyah shifted her weight. “I need to check on Xander. It’s been too long since I’ve done that. Not sure he’s … stable after that vampire hunt of his went sideways a few months ago.”

“Tell Liyra that if she’s not coming to us tomorrow,” Leo said, his voice still distant from wherever he sat at the table. “We’re coming to her.”

“It does sound better than you running around on your own,” Nissa agreed. “We’ll see you tomorrow around noon.” She hung up before Aaliyah could argue.

“Hey, Aaliyah,” Dean called to her. “You got stuff, too.”

She turned to see them looking at her. “Alright, hang on.” She walked over and grabbed the couple bags off the table and handed one bag to each brother before sitting on the couch.

“You didn’t have too,” Dean half protested as he dug into the bag.

Aaliyah half shrugged and held up the bags that he and Sam had handed her. “Same here. Now, lets see here …” She dug into one bag and pulled out a pack of gum, a few bottles of Faygo in a few different flavors, and a candy bar. “Thanks, Dean.”

“How’d you know?”

She held up the skin mag. “Who else woulda slipped this in there? Not that I mind. I like looking at hot chicks.” Her eye caught Dean’s jaw drop a little and laughed. “Nothing wrong with looking. And from Sam we got … some first aid supplies, a box of ammo, and a fantasy book. Thanks guys. I mean it.”

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, bringing her attention over to Sam.

“You’re family,” he told her. “We’ll do anything for you.”

“Sammy’s right,” Dean added. “Anything at all, you call us.”

Aaliyah gave a small smile. “Thanks. Now, how about that game?”

She turned her attention to the tv as the game was turned on. She toed off her shoes and settled back into the couch, crossing her legs in front of her. It was another Christmas motel, something that happened during college. But there was something about this year that was different. Aaliyah wasn’t spending it alone or at a friend’s place for two weeks. This one had the bond shared with two brothers that had grown up in a broken family, not quite that different from her own, and grew up as hunters. Part of her wasn’t sure how to process the whole mix of the day.

Her body shifted throughout the game until she was stretched out and taking up her seat and the space between her and Sam; her head resting on the arm rest. At one point the motel door opened and closed a few times before she startled at the weight of a blanket being placed on her and a pillow under her head. Aaliyah caught some of a conversation between Sam and Dean before she passed out for the night.

“Liyra, sweetheart.”

The voice was calm and quiet, as if the speaker honestly didn’t want to wake her up. She moaned in protest of being woken.

“I know. But I wanna talk with you about something.”

Aaliyah’s eyes opened in a snap to see Dean sitting on the floor next to her. His face had softened to a point where it seemed like it took him hours trying to figure out how to start the conversation and bring it up to her. She saw her Plan B box come up into view and her heart sank.

“If I had known…” Dean started before Aaliyah shook her head.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Her voice was a little raspy from the night’s sleep. “Not entirely. Some of the blame’s on me for not asking you to … cover up. And I think you might agree our life isn’t one to bring a kid into.”

“I do agree. Promise me this, though. Once I go downstairs and roast on a spike, you get yourself outta this life. Get back into nursing and have a normal life. Have a few boyfriends. Hell, a girlfriend even.” Dean reached out and put the box on the couch. “Just … get out of scaring yourself with things you can’t fix.”

Aaliyah nodded before Dean leaned over and gave her forehead a gentle kiss.

“Now, don’t you have a family thing to do today?”

“I’ll give Nissa a call in a few.” Aaliyah tossed the blanket off her and onto the back of the couch. “But first, nature calls.” She grabbed the box in her motion of sitting up. “And I gotta get one of these little things in my system.”

***

“Hey, sis,” Leo called to Aaliyah as she emerged from the motel room, her bags in hand. “Ready to roll?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Aaliyah replied. “Just follow me. The assisted living home’s not that far from here.” She tossed her bags into the backseat of her car and climbed into the driver’s seat.

With the radio on one of the few stations not playing Christmas music, she pulled out of the motel lot and started off down the road. Her mind raced with scenarios on how Xander would react to his siblings showing up after all this time. And with each one that popped up she shot back down with the reminder that she didn’t know how he would react and to stop torturing herself.

Aaliyah found a parking spot at the assisted living building and climbed out as her half siblings found another parking spot. She half expected there to be more vehicles than the dozen or so that probably belonged to the employees.

“Apparently other people are too bothered to visit family here,” Leo spoke what Aaliyah was thinking.

“We have reasons that keep us away,” Nissa added. “What do they have? Gotta get to the gym for the weekly run on the treadmill?”

“Racquetball?” Leo tossed in as they started for the door.

Aaliyah ignored them as the two tossed gym activities back and forth. There was something odd about what little she was able to see in the lobby before they stepped through the doors. Sure, there were residents up and moving about. Nurses making their rounds. Everything seemed to be on pace for a normal day. But there was still something that screamed supernatural to her.

“Guys, shut it,” she snapped under her breath. “Something’s wrong here.”

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Leo commented. “You must be feeling off. Excuse me, nurse?” He started for the nearest nurse.

“I’m getting the feeling, too,” Nissa said, coming up beside Aaliyah. “Whatcha think it is?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t like that. Maybe Leo’s right and I’m just off. The holiday season’s a bad time anyway and there’s …”

“Come on, you two,” Leo called to them. “Xander’s this way.”

“I’ll tell you later.” Aaliyah followed after her brother, who was half way to a hallway. There was some yelling and shouting coming from one of the rooms down that way.

“Hey, Xander,” Leo’s voice drifted from a room he had ducked into. Right before there was the sound of glass shattering and Leo jumping out from the room. “Nice to see you, too,” he muttered. “Careful, Liyra. He’s gone wild.”

Aaliyah pushed past Leo and eased her head into Xander’s room to see him fighting three nurses and a doctor.

“I don’t want any meds,” Xander shouted in his struggles against the medical staff there.

Aaliyah moved further into the room and over to the bed. “Xander.” It was quiet enough she wasn’t sure he would actually hear her. “Xander.”

“Sedative,” the doctor said.

One of the nurses pulled herself from Xander and came face to face with Aaliyah. “You can’t be here.”

“I’m his sister,” Aaliyah argued.

“Don’t let ‘em drug me,” Xander called out.

Aaliyah wasn’t sure if he called out to her or to anyone who would help. She pulled the nurse into the hallway and saw her expression change when Nissa and Leo came in close. “Is he refusing medication?”

“Has been,” the nurse shifted nervously. “Kept saying that there was something here and had to deal with it. I’m not supposed to tell you this …” She glanced back to the room. “But we’ve had several people slip into comas and die in the past three months. And two more entered comas a few days ago.”

“I’m Aaliyah,” she told the nurse. “I believe I’m on the paperwork …”

“You are,” the nurse confirmed. “But what do you know…”

“I went to nursing school, I know the rights of the patient,” Aaliyah interrupted. “And if my brother’s of sound mind, he’s able to make any medical choice he wants. No drugs, period. Now, do we need to go in there and pull off your co-workers?” Aaliyah stared down the nurse before moving for the room.

“Alright, all of you, out,” Aaliyah raised her voice. “Now.” She stood her ground as the remaining two nurses and doctor moved from the bed and out of the room. “Nissa, Leo. I think we all need a talk.”

[notsofly]

Ties in Blood Chapter 25

@mrswhozeewhatsis @impala-dreamer @idreamofplaid @percussiongirl2017 @squirrelnotsam @winchestergirl-13

Chapter 25

Aaliyah stood a few feet behind the person at the pharmacy counter; an index finger tapping away at her thigh. She told Dean that she’d meet him and Sam at their motel room while she grabbed a few things. The person at the counter seemed to be taking a little too long for Aaliyah’s taste before they finally stepped away. She took a deep breath and stepped up to the open spot.

“Hi,” Aaliyah said. “I need Plan B, please.”

“Do you have a prescription for it?”

“I … uh … I didn’t know I needed one.” Her stomach started to twist from the seed of panic that took root. “Is there a way I can get it without a prescription?”

“Planned Parenthood. But … Let me talk with my manager for a minute.”

Aaliyah watched the pharmacy tech disappear around a corner. She glossed over the several shelves behind the counter in her turn to look out into the large store. Christmas music played over the PA system. The holiday was yet another reminder of what she missed growing up.

“Miss,” the pharmacy tech said, startling Aaliyah a little.

Aaliyah turned to see the tech sliding a box across the counter top.

“It’s fifty dollars,” the tech told her.

Aaliyah sighed with relief as she fished out the money to pay for it. She slid the box into a coat pocket in her path to the door. Her mind started running through excuses in the off chance one of the boys would find it. The second she stepped out the door, she shivered against the cold and zipped up her coat for the few minutes it took to reach her car.

She climbed into the car and managed to not completely rip open the box and freed one of the pills to dry swallow. Guilt started to eat away at her as Aaliyah pulled out of the parking spot. It was gonna be a hard few days.

***

Aliyah walked into the room with the bag of food and smiled at Sam. He responded with a quick wave while listening to whoever was on the other end of the call. She glared at Dean in his efforts to take the bag from her but didn’t really fight him on it. She draped her coat over the back of a chair as Sam hung up.

“Well, we’re not dealing with the anti-Clause,” he said.

“The what, now?” Aaliyah asked. “Isn’t that Krampus?”

“Who?” Dean shot her a confused look.

“It’s a what,” she countered. “In pagan tradition, it’s a horned half goat, half demonic creature that went around and punished children that misbehaved around this time. The legend has ties in Middle Europe and Northern Italy.”

“How’d you know that?” Dean asked.

“It was in one of those odd lore books I read while laid up after the car accident.”

“Uh huh.” Dean blinked, bringing himself back around. “What’d Bobby say?”

“That we’re morons,” Sam answered.

Aaliyah gave an amused huff, gaining a stare from Sam. “What? He’s probably right? What else did he say?”

“And that there’s meadowsweet in the wreaths.”

“What the hell is meadowsweet?” Aaliyah asked before rifling through the food bag.

“A rare and powerful pagan plant.”

“How’d you not know that from that lore book?” Dean asked, a bite of food cheeked.

“It was pagan creatures, not herbs and its uses,” Aaliyah chided. “What’s meadowsweet to these gods you’re after?”

“Human sacrifice,” Sam said, reading off his laptop. “Kinda like … chum for their gods. They’re drawn to it and stop by and chow down on the nearest human.”

“Sounds lovely,” Aaliyah said.

“Why would anyone use it for Christmas wreaths?” Dean asked.

“It’s not as crazy as it sounds,” Sam said. “Pretty much every Christmas tradition is pagan.”

“It’s Jesus’s birthday,” Dean argued.

“Not really,” Aaliyah chimed in, sitting down in the other chair. “His birthday was probably in the fall. It was the winter solstice that was taken by the Catholic church and renamed Christmas. The trees, the Yule log, even Santa’s suit, all remnants of pagan tradition.” She caught the mild surprise on Dean’s face and gave him a shrug. “I took a few classes on religions around the world.”

“Next you’re gonna tell me that the Easter Bunny’s Jewish,” Dean said.

Aaliyah shrugged and took another bite while Sam took over the conversation. She half listened while he talked about this Hold Nickar and that he would give mild weather in return for human sacrifices. “Any idea how to kill him?”

“No, but Bobby’s working on it,” Sam answered. “We can use your help on who’s selling those wreaths.”

***

Aaliyah walked into the shop that was decked out in Christmas floral arrangements as the bell above the door chimed. She repressed a shutter from the overload of seasonal joy and the memories of waking up Christmas day to nothing.

“Can I help you?” the shop keeper asked, coming into view.

“Uh, yeah. I was over at the Walshes’ the other night, playing a mean game of … um …Uno,” Aaliyah started, stammering for a second. “They had this wreath that I just gotta get for my own place, yah know? Made with mistletoe and … what was it? Meadowsweet. That’s it.”

“I know the one,” the show keeper said. “But I’m all out.”

Aaliyah made a confused look. “From what I heard, the stuff’s rare and expensive. Why put it in wreaths?”

The shop keeper gave a shrug. “Beats me. I didn’t make ‘em.”

Aaliyah tilted her head. “Who did?”

“A local woman. Madge Carrigan’s her name. Said the wreaths were so special, she’d gave ‘em to me free.”

“And you sold ‘em?” Aaliyah came to the conclusion.

“That’s right. People pay a crap ton for this stuff.”

“Thank you, sir,” Aaliyah said before seeing herself out.

She stuffed her hands into the pockets of the zip up hoodie for the few feet to the Impala and climbed it. “Got ‘em from some woman named Madge Carrigan,” she told the brothers. “And she’s a local who just gave the wreaths away for free to the guy.”

“Nut job,” Dean commented as he started the engine and backed out of the parking spot.

“Yeah, you’re telling me.”

Aaliyah looked out the window as they drove down the streets back to the motel while the brothers talked the case over between themselves. She climbed out of the backseat once they pulled into a spot at the motel and followed the boys into the room. Their talk shifted from the case to a wreath that John had gotten years ago. She half listened to them as she rifled through her bag and worked out the pill box.

“Aaliyah, tell me you had a decent Christmas growing up,” Sam said.

She dry swallowed the pill in her turn to face the younger Winchester. “What’s a decent Christmas? Xander and I grew up half starved thanks to our father dividing his time between work and hunting. Those two weeks off from school were tough until high school.”

“I’m sorry,” Sam said.

“I got used to not getting anything.” Aaliyah turned back to her back and hid the box. “You two want me come with you to the Carrigans tomorrow? Or I can dig around for another case.”

“Nah, you stay here,” Dean told her. “Relax for a day or two.”

Aaliyah swore she heard worry in his voice. Like there was something there he wanted to make sure of.

“Besides,” he continued. “We’re just going to scope out the place. You’ll be the first we call for help.”

A sigh escaped Aaliyah’s lips. “There’s gotta be something I can do to help. What’d Bobby say that’ll kill the suckers?”

“Evergreen stakes.”

“Where am I gonna get evergreen branches at this time of day?”

***

Aaliyah shivered as she glanced over the sparse selection of trees. The attendant for the pop up farm had the air of wanting to retreat back into their camper and spend Christmas alone. She chose a small one that appeared to be able to yield a few stakes and the attendant went about wrapping it and helping her put it on the car roof. The drive back to the motel was a bit nerve wracking, but she made it. Aaliyah declined the help to get the tree off the car and into the room by another person there and managed to do the work alone.

With the television on for a source of noise, Aaliyah managed to get the tree free of it’s wrapping and a decent sized branch for a stake. She worked at it with a knife and had just started getting a point when her cell buzzed with an incoming text.

911 Carrigan House

Aaliyah jumped from the chair and armed herself with the same knife and the partially made stake. With the two weapons in one hand and the cell and keys in the other, she darted out the room and was on the room racing down the street.

She killed the headlights on her approach to the house before putting the car into park. Her heart raced with adrenaline coursing through her body as she stalked toward the house, darting from shadow to shadow. A peak through a window showed Aaliyah Sam tied up in a chair. She watched as his hand was cut and was about to barge in with what she had when she heard voices approaching the house from the path. Aaliyah moved around to the back of the house and used the distraction of the neighbors to get inside the house.

Leave it to disgruntled pagan gods to be the ones to be the picturesque of the middle class living. The back room was disgustingly clean. Aaliyah cracked the door open and peered out. It gave her a view of the kitchen and dining area where Dean and Sam were tied up. Aaliyah could hear voices at the front door while Dean gestured her into the area. She kept herself low on her hunches, nearly sitting on the floor, and moved for Dean first. With one hand she unsheathed her knife and started sawing at the rope that tied him down.

“Next time we have a wild night…” Dean started.

“Save it for when we’re not…” The knife went through the last of the rope. Aaliyah looked up to match Dean’s gaze. “Facing down pagan gods.”

Aaliyah worked her way under the table and worked at freeing Sam the same way while Dean freed himself. She went from under the table to the threshold between the dining room and living room to keep watch on the Carrigans while the brothers freed themselves. Two quiet knocks on the trimming alerted the brothers that the distraction was gone. Aaliyah pulled herself from the threshold and followed after them into the kitchen then back out when the Carrigans enter.

“Didn’t expect you to get here so quick,” Sam said, holding his door closed.

“Always the trust worthy backup, that’s what I am.” She pulled at the cabinet and barely moved it. She sensed Sam move beside her and help with it.

“What now?” Dean asked as he came around. “The stakes are in the basement.”

Aaliyah rolled her own stake in her hand even as she scanned the house. She nudged the boys and gestured with her head toward the displayed tree. There was a second or two, the brothers sharing a look and holding an entire conversation with that look, before they moved for the tree. She stepped into the living room just as the door blocked by a drawer opened. In a spin, she brought up her spike just to have it knocked out of her hand.

“Oh dear,” Madge spoke. “Don’t wanna be ruining our clothes, do we?”

“Who said anything about ruining clothes?” Aaliyah’s body tensed when a hand behind her grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

The one who pulled her back took her place and plunged their stake into Madge.

Aaliyah panicked in her search for her stake and dove for it. The small hairs on her body stood on end, the sensation of someone right behind her. She rolled and brought the stake out in front of her just as Mr. Carrigan came down toward her. There was a look of surprise on his face, like he hadn’t expected her to actually kill him. She guided him onto the floor where he landed with a thud. Her chest heaved slightly before her breathing returned to normal.

“Aaliyah?” Sam called out. “Aaliyah?”

She lifted a hand and waved it. “Over here.” Her hand grabbed hold of the hand that grabbed her before pulling herself up. “Thanks, Sammy.”

He gave an amused noise. “Merry Christmas, you two.”

“Some Christmas. See you two back at the motel? I’ll make a food and beer run?”

***

Aaliyah used her foot to close the motel door behind her as she was greeted with Eliza Fitzgerald’s version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and a small, but intact, tree being decorated by Sam.

“Car fresheners?” she questioned, putting the couple bags and couple cases of beer on the table.

“Best choice from the station,” Sam answered. He turned from putting the last air freshener on the tree. “Are you okay staying with us tonight? I know what happened with Amanda…”

Aaliyah waved off what would had been a touching speech. “I’m working through it. Am I better than a week ago? Not really. Part of me still wants to go all self-destructive over it. But I don’t wanna go and spend this time alone and …”

She was interrupted by the door opening behind her and Dean walking in with the pizza.

“What’s all this?” he asked.

“Uh …” Sam trailed off. “It’s Christmas.”

Aaliyah grabbed a beer and moved out of the way between the brothers.

“What made you change your mind?” Dean asked.

Aaliyah listened as Sam offered up the eggnog and pulled out her cell. She thumbed through the contacts and started at Nissa’s number, her mind warring on to call or not. Hitting the call button, Aaliyah put the cell to her ear and listened to the ringing.

“You got bad timing,” Nissa greeted. “I’m about to kick Leo’s ass in Scrabble.”

“So not true,” Leo shouted.

Aaliyah chuckled to herself at the bickering between her half siblings.

“Where are you?” Nissa asked, her attention back to Aaliyah. “Last I heard you were off in Texas chasing down a Chupacabra.”

“Ypsilanti.” Aaliyah casted a glance over her shoulder to the boys, who had sat down and were exchanging gifts. “The guys needed some help with some pagan gods and I was in the area.”

“We told mom about you,” Nissa said. “Surprised the both of us saying she wanted to meet you one day. You should come by tomorrow. Maybe have a family dinner.”

Aaliyah shifted her weight. “I need to check on Xander. It’s been too long since I’ve done that. Not sure he’s … stable after that vampire hunt of his went sideways a few months ago.”

“Tell Liyra that if she’s not coming to us tomorrow,” Leo said, his voice still distant from wherever he sat at the table. “We’re coming to her.”

“It does sound better than you running around on your own,” Nissa agreed. “We’ll see you tomorrow around noon.” She hung up before Aaliyah could argue.

“Hey, Aaliyah,” Dean called to her. “You got stuff, too.”

She turned to see them looking at her. “Alright, hang on.” She walked over and grabbed the couple bags off the table and handed one bag to each brother before sitting on the couch.

“You didn’t have too,” Dean half protested as he dug into the bag.

Aaliyah half shrugged and held up the bags that he and Sam had handed her. “Same here. Now, lets see here …” She dug into one bag and pulled out a pack of gum, a few bottles of Faygo in a few different flavors, and a candy bar. “Thanks, Dean.”

“How’d you know?”

She held up the skin mag. “Who else woulda slipped this in there? Not that I mind. I like looking at hot chicks.” Her eye caught Dean’s jaw drop a little and laughed. “Nothing wrong with looking. And from Sam we got … some first aid supplies, a box of ammo, and a fantasy book. Thanks guys. I mean it.”

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, bringing her attention over to Sam.

“You’re family,” he told her. “We’ll do anything for you.”

“Sammy’s right,” Dean added. “Anything at all, you call us.”

Aaliyah gave a small smile. “Thanks. Now, how about that game?”

She turned her attention to the tv as the game was turned on. She toed off her shoes and settled back into the couch, crossing her legs in front of her. It was another Christmas motel, something that happened during college. But there was something about this year that was different. Aaliyah wasn’t spending it alone or at a friend’s place for two weeks. This one had the bond shared with two brothers that had grown up in a broken family, not quite that different from her own, and grew up as hunters. Part of her wasn’t sure how to process the whole mix of the day.

Her body shifted throughout the game until she was stretched out and taking up her seat and the space between her and Sam; her head resting on the arm rest. At one point the motel door opened and closed a few times before she startled at the weight of a blanket being placed on her and a pillow under her head. Aaliyah caught some of a conversation between Sam and Dean before she passed out for the night.

“Liyra, sweetheart.”

The voice was calm and quiet, as if the speaker honestly didn’t want to wake her up. She moaned in protest of being woken.

“I know. But I wanna talk with you about something.”

Aaliyah’s eyes opened in a snap to see Dean sitting on the floor next to her. His face had softened to a point where it seemed like it took him hours trying to figure out how to start the conversation and bring it up to her. She saw her Plan B box come up into view and her heart sank.

“If I had known…” Dean started before Aaliyah shook her head.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Her voice was a little raspy from the night’s sleep. “Not entirely. Some of the blame’s on me for not asking you to … cover up. And I think you might agree our life isn’t one to bring a kid into.”

“I do agree. Promise me this, though. Once I go downstairs and roast on a spike, you get yourself outta this life. Get back into nursing and have a normal life. Have a few boyfriends. Hell, a girlfriend even.” Dean reached out and put the box on the couch. “Just … get out of scaring yourself with things you can’t fix.”

Aaliyah nodded before Dean leaned over and gave her forehead a gentle kiss.

“Now, don’t you have a family thing to do today?”

“I’ll give Nissa a call in a few.” Aaliyah tossed the blanket off her and onto the back of the couch. “But first, nature calls.” She grabbed the box in her motion of sitting up. “And I gotta get one of these little things in my system.”

***

“Hey, sis,” Leo called to Aaliyah as she emerged from the motel room, her bags in hand. “Ready to roll?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Aaliyah replied. “Just follow me. The assisted living home’s not that far from here.” She tossed her bags into the backseat of her car and climbed into the driver’s seat.

With the radio on one of the few stations not playing Christmas music, she pulled out of the motel lot and started off down the road. Her mind raced with scenarios on how Xander would react to his siblings showing up after all this time. And with each one that popped up she shot back down with the reminder that she didn’t know how he would react and to stop torturing herself.

Aaliyah found a parking spot at the assisted living building and climbed out as her half siblings found another parking spot. She half expected there to be more vehicles than the dozen or so that probably belonged to the employees.

“Apparently other people are too bothered to visit family here,” Leo spoke what Aaliyah was thinking.

“We have reasons that keep us away,” Nissa added. “What do they have? Gotta get to the gym for the weekly run on the treadmill?”

“Racquetball?” Leo tossed in as they started for the door.

Aaliyah ignored them as the two tossed gym activities back and forth. There was something odd about what little she was able to see in the lobby before they stepped through the doors. Sure, there were residents up and moving about. Nurses making their rounds. Everything seemed to be on pace for a normal day. But there was still something that screamed supernatural to her.

“Guys, shut it,” she snapped under her breath. “Something’s wrong here.”

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Leo commented. “You must be feeling off. Excuse me, nurse?” He started for the nearest nurse.

“I’m getting the feeling, too,” Nissa said, coming up beside Aaliyah. “Whatcha think it is?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t like that. Maybe Leo’s right and I’m just off. The holiday season’s a bad time anyway and there’s …”

“Come on, you two,” Leo called to them. “Xander’s this way.”

“I’ll tell you later.” Aaliyah followed after her brother, who was half way to a hallway. There was some yelling and shouting coming from one of the rooms down that way.

“Hey, Xander,” Leo’s voice drifted from a room he had ducked into. Right before there was the sound of glass shattering and Leo jumping out from the room. “Nice to see you, too,” he muttered. “Careful, Liyra. He’s gone wild.”

Aaliyah pushed past Leo and eased her head into Xander’s room to see him fighting three nurses and a doctor.

“I don’t want any meds,” Xander shouted in his struggles against the medical staff there.

Aaliyah moved further into the room and over to the bed. “Xander.” It was quiet enough she wasn’t sure he would actually hear her. “Xander.”

“Sedative,” the doctor said.

One of the nurses pulled herself from Xander and came face to face with Aaliyah. “You can’t be here.”

“I’m his sister,” Aaliyah argued.

“Don’t let ‘em drug me,” Xander called out.

Aaliyah wasn’t sure if he called out to her or to anyone who would help. She pulled the nurse into the hallway and saw her expression change when Nissa and Leo came in close. “Is he refusing medication?”

“Has been,” the nurse shifted nervously. “Kept saying that there was something here and had to deal with it. I’m not supposed to tell you this …” She glanced back to the room. “But we’ve had several people slip into comas and die in the past three months. And two more entered comas a few days ago.”

“I’m Aaliyah,” she told the nurse. “I believe I’m on the paperwork …”

“You are,” the nurse confirmed. “But what do you know…”

“I went to nursing school, I know the rights of the patient,” Aaliyah interrupted. “And if my brother’s of sound mind, he’s able to make any medical choice he wants. No drugs, period. Now, do we need to go in there and pull off your co-workers?” Aaliyah stared down the nurse before moving for the room.

“Alright, all of you, out,” Aaliyah raised her voice. “Now.” She stood her ground as the remaining two nurses and doctor moved from the bed and out of the room. “Nissa, Leo. I think we all need a talk.”

[kayteonline]

Speaking of July...

Before I move on, let’s pat Mr.'Ed Carrigan’ on the back shall we! He and Madge are doing just fine post Winchesters ;)

I don’t want it here quickly or anything.... but can it be here quickly?? I’ve been practically DYING for this one.

My lady boner is strong for Quentin and I have a feeling this will be just as perfect as his others (I’m also not biased because this might have been filmed in the town I live in and ya know, Leo, Brad, and Quentin were like.. here. No not at all) A touch of Manson done Tarantino style? YES PLEASE

I CAN’T WAIT

[supernatural-bechdel]

“A Very Supernatural Christmas” Season 3, Episode 8

1, Mrs. Walsh (victim’s wife)

2.Madge Carrigan (pagan god)

-Do they interact with each other?

Definitely not. Mrs. Walsh appears for maybe thirty seconds at the beginning of the episode during her interview with the boys. A friend of the Carrigan’s arrives just as they’re about to kill Sam and Dean, and she and Madge have a conversation about fruitcake and caroling. However, this friend is not given a name.

All ya girl wanted for Christmas was some proper female representation.

Bechdel test: Failed

[ambular-d]

Merry Christmas!  My kid’s brilliant idea I wanted to share.

Supernatural: the Yule Log video.

A big roaring fireplace with characters from the whole series periodically wandering in and out, with a sparsely-decorated tree with a few presents underneath on one side, a decorated snack table on the other, and classic rock instrumentals jazzed up holiday-style playing in the background.

Details under the cut - feel free to comment with your ideas!

Sam tosses a couple of hex bags in and then coughs and waves away the nasty smoke, then grabs some eggnog before he leaves.

Dean does a double-take when he spots the big meadowsweet wreath hanging over the mantle, grabs it and marches off with it, scowling.

Young Mary comes by, sets a pie on the table, and hangs two stockings labeled ‘Sam’ and ‘Dean’.

Crowley strolls through and pauses to refill his tumbler from a decanter on the mantle.

Becky comes in carrying an elaborately wrapped gift marked ‘Sam,’ and gives it a kiss before setting it carefully under the tree.

Present-day Mary hurries in and adds a third stocking marked ‘Cas’.

Lucifer comes in wearing his Santa suit and leaves several packages under the tree.

Jo and Ellen carry a bunch of bottles and a big bowl of Chex mix in to set on the table.

John comes in, tucks a small box of ammo into Sam’s and Dean’s stockings, and stands frowning perplexedly at Cas’s for a moment.  Then he has an ‘Aha!’ moment and slides a whetstone into that one.

Kevin picks up a package with his name on it, sees it’s tablet-shaped, and tosses it over his shoulder and off-screen, shaking his head in disgust.

Donna brings in a box of donuts, starts to leave, then stops and goes back to grab one out of the box.

Harry Spangler and Ed Zeddmore follow their EMP meter up to the tree, stop to debate whether it’s haunted, and move on when the meter goes berserk and leads them off-screen.

Unnoticed, the packages Lucifer left under the tree start to smoke, glow and hiss ominously.

Amodeus drops off a bucket of fried chicken, which Donatello scuttles in and makes off with as soon as he leaves.

Bela comes by and smoothly swipes all three stockings on her way past.

Gabriel notices the booby-trapped presents, shakes his head, and snaps his fingers, making them vanish.  He snaps them again and candy canes appear all over the tree.

Bobby sees the fire starting to die, gets down and adds some more logs, building it back up.

Mick, looking very much the worse for wear, limps in and hangs the stolen stockings back up, then leans on the mantle to catch his breath before heading off (grabbing a candy cane as he goes.)

Rowena stops to check her hair in the large mirror behind the mantle, then tuts disapprovingly at the tree and waves her hand, sending a shower of brightly-colored sparklies to settle on the branches.

Uriel gathers up all the gifts, making as if to throw them into the fire, but Anna sweeps in and escorts him firmly off the premises, returning the gifts to their places a moment later.

Claire tucks a loud but cheerful Christmas-themed necktie into Cas’s stocking.

Ed and Madge Carrigan, resplendent in holiday sweaters, stop to admire the decorations, and leave some peanut brittle on the table.

Sam and Dean come back by the other way a few minutes later, looking battered and dragging Ed in his evil Santa getup.  They leave a blood trail on the floor behind them.

Charlie comes in, bopping to the music and carrying a small stepladder, and hangs up a sprig of mistletoe.  She ‘Ewws’ and skirts around the blood trail on her way out.

Kelly comes along and Swiffers up the blood, shaking her head, then puts a smaller stocking marked ‘Jack’ up next to the others, dropping several small items into it.

Jody stops for a cup of eggnog.  Amara comes in clutching a gift marked ‘Dean’ and looking around, a bit lost; Jody smiles and points her over to the tree, where she leaves the present.

Jack stares in wide-eyed delight at all the decorations, happily samples treats from the table, and stuffs TFW’s stockings full of little packages.

A slight, hooded figure sneaks furtively in and leaves a spear with a bow tied to the shaft leaning next to the tree.

Cas comes in and adds several items to Jack’s stocking.  Sam and Dean each  follow in turn and do the same.  Dean has to leave some items under the tree because the stocking is too full.

Metatron wanders in with his little dog in his arms, picks up a cookie from the table and makes as if to eat it, but stops, smiles and and feeds it to the dog instead, then picks up another one for himself and moves on.

The camera shakes and falls a bit askew as the Ackles, Padalecki and Collins children abruptly swarm over the scene, picking up and shaking gifts, stripping the candy canes from the lower half of the tree, chasing each other around, and decimating the snack table.  Gen, Danneel and Vicki follow after, laughing and herding them safely back out of the scene.

Chuck appears, surveys the whole tableau with an approving smile, and stretches to tap the top of the tree, where a beautiful glowing star appears.  He carefully rights the camera before vanishing again.

Right before the video ends, Sam and Dean come in with Cas in tow to check out the snack table.  Adam walks in, and they turn and say “Hey man, where’ve you been?” and hand him a cup and a plate of goodies.

[aspenmissing]

𝙰 𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚂𝚞𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 (𝙿𝚝 𝟸)

Y/N, Dean, and Sam enter a Christmas shop that has 'Deck the halls with boughs of holly' playing.

"Help you, three?" The shopkeeper asks.

"Uh, hope so. Uh, we were playing Jenga over at the Walshes' the other night, and, uh... well, he hasn't shut up since about this Christmas wreath, and" Dean turns to Y/N "I don't know, you tell him" Y/N gives Dean a look.

"Sure" He turns to the shopkeeper "It was yummy"

"I sell a lot of wreaths, guys"

"Right, right, but - but you see, this one would have been really special. It had, uh, it had, uh, green leaves, um, white buds on it. It might have been made of, uh... meadowsweet?"

"Well, aren't you a fussy one?" Y/N looks taken aback, embarrassed. Sam smiles.

"He is..." Dean laughs and Y/N looks at him, annoyed"

"Anyway, I know the one you're talking about. I'm all out"

"Huh. Seems like this meadowsweet stuff's pretty rare and expensive" Sam says "Why make wreaths out of it?"

"Beats me. I didn't make them"

"Who did?"

"Madge Carrigan, a local lady. She said the wreaths were so special, she gave them to me for free"

"She didn't charge you?"

"Nope"

"Did you sell them for free?" Dean asks.

"Hell no. It's Christmas. People pay a buttload for this crap"

"That's the spirit" Sam says.

==

Y/N opens the door and turns on the light. Dean and Sam follow them in.

"How much do you think meadowsweet wreath would cost?" Dean asks.

"A couple hundred dollars, at least"

"This lady's giving them away for free?" Y/N says "Why do you think about that?"

"Well, sounds pretty suspicious" The three take off their jackets and sit on the edge of their beds. Y/N on Dean's.

"Remember that wreath Dad brought home that one year?" Dean says.

"You mean the one he stole from, like, a liquor store?"

"Yeah, it was a bunch of empty beer cans. That thing was great" Y/N says "I bet if I looked around hard enough, I could probably find one just like it"

"All right. Guys...What's going on with you two?"

"What?" The twins say in unison.

"I mean, since when are you two Bing Crosby all of a sudden? Why do you want Christmas so bad?"

"Why are you so against it? I mean, were your childhood memories that traumatic?" Dean says.

"No, that has nothing to do with it"

"Then what?" Y/N asks.

"I-I mean, I-I just...I don't get it. You haven't talked about Christmas in years'"

"Well, yeah. This is my last year" Y/N says.

"And If she's going, I want her to have the best last Christmas" Dean says. Sam pauses and lets out a small sigh.

"I know. That's why I can't"

"What do you mean?" Y/N asks.

"I mean I can't just sit around, drinking eggnog, pretending everything's okay, when I know next Christmas, you'll be dead" Y/N nods "I just can't" Y/N nods, realizing the sadness in Sam's voice. The three are silent.

==Flashback, 1991==

Sam is on the couch reading a comic book. Y/N is sat at the table. Dean walks inside the room, holding a bag of groceries. Y/N looks over at him.

"Thought you went out," Sam says.

"Yeah, to get you two dinner." Dean tosses Sam packaged food. "Don't forget your vegetables." He tosses Sam another bag of snack food, Funyuns. "Here, Y/N, you go." He throws Y/N a sandwich and an energy drink.

"Thanks." Dean takes off his jacket, sits down on his bed, and opens a drink can. Y/N walks over and sits next to Dean, drinking her energy drink, followed by Sam, who sits on the other bed.

"I know why you two keep a gun under your pillow and under your shirt," Dean lifts his pillow and sees his gun. Y/N lifts up her shirt and sees her handgun.

"No, you don't. Stay out of our stuff," Dean says.

"And I know why we lay salt down everywhere we go."

"No, you don't. Shut up," Sam turns around and grabs something from under his shared bed with Y/N. It's John's diary. Sam tosses it onto the nightstand between the beds. Dean stands.

"Where'd you get that? That's Dad's!" He says. "Why didn't you see that?" He looks to Y/N.

"I—" Y/N is cut off by Sam.

"When she went to the bathroom for a shower, I found it."

"He's gonna kick your ass for reading that."

"Are monsters real?" Sam asks, and Y/N's eyes widen.

"What? You're crazy."

"Tell me." Dean looks away, hesitates before looking at Y/N who sighs and nods.

"I swear, if you tell Dad we told you any of this, I'll end you."

"Promise." Dean sits. Y/N looks at John's diary.

"Well, the first thing you have to know is we have the coolest dad in the world. He's a superhero," she says, smiling.

"He is?"

"Yeah. Monsters are real. Dad fights them. He's fighting them right now."

"But you and Dad said the monsters under my bed weren't real," Sam says, gesturing to Y/N's.

"That's 'cause we had already checked under there," Y/N says. "But yeah, they're real. Almost everything's real."

"Is Santa real?" Dean smiles, shaking his head. Sam pauses, looking sad.

"If monsters are real, then they could get us. They could get me."

"Dad's not gonna let them get you."

"But what if they get him?"

"They aren't gonna get Dad. Dad's, like, the best."

"I read in Dad's book that they got Mom." Y/N tenses and takes a side look at Dean before speaking.

"It's complicated, Sam," she says.

"If they got Mom, they can get Dad, and if they get Dad, they can get us."

"It's not like that." Dean moves and sits next to Sam. "Okay? Dad's fine. We're fine. Trust us." Sam looks sad and worried. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Sam looks away.

"Hey." Y/N holds Sam's hands in hers. "Dad's gonna be here for Christmas. Just like he always is." Sam holds back tears.

"I just want to go to sleep, okay?" Sam pulls his hands out of Y/N's.

"Yeah, okay," she says, and Dean nods. Sam lies down on the bed and cries quietly, Dean stays sitting on the edge of the bed.

"It'll all be better when you wake up." Sam cries harder. "You'll see. Promise." Y/N rests a hand on Sam's head, gently rubbing it.

==Flashback End==

Dean, Y/N, and Sam walk up to a big white house with Christmas decorations on the lawn.

"This is where Mrs. Wreath lives, huh? Can't you just feel the evil pagan vibe?" Dean says. Y/N knocks on the door and a woman greets them.

"Yes?"

"Please tell me you're the Madge Carrigan who makes the meadowsweet wreaths," Y/N says.

"Why, yes I am." Dean turns to Y/N and Sam with a smile.

"Ha! Bingo."

"Yeah? Uh, well, my brother's wife," Sam gestures to Y/N, "Was admiring your wreaths in Mr. Sylar's place the other day."

"You were?" Madge says, looking at Y/N, who nods. "Well, isn't that meadowsweet just the finest-smelling thing you ever smelled?"

"It is, it sure is," Y/N says. "But the problem is, all your wreaths had sold out before we got the chance to buy one."

"Oh, fudge!"

"You wouldn't have another one that we could buy from you, would you?" Dean asks.

"Oh, no, I'm afraid those were the only ones I had for this season."

"Aww..." Sam says.

"Tell me something, why did you decide to make them out of meadowsweet?" Dean asks. A man then comes down the staircase inside the house. He has an old-fashioned pipe and cardigan.

"Why, the smell, of course! I don't think I've ever smelled anything finer."

"Yeah...um, you mentioned that."

"What's going on, honey?"

"Well, just a nice couple and his brother asking about my wreaths, dear."

"Oh, the wreaths are fine. Fine wreaths. Oh, care for some peanut brittle?" He asks, holding out a plate. Dean reaches out to take some, but Sam slaps Dean's arm away.

"We're okay. Thank you," Y/N says.

==

Back at the motel, Dean and Y/N are sharpening two wooden stakes, while Sam uses the laptop. Five other wooden stakes are on the bed and floor near the two. Sam claps his hands.

"I knew it! Something was way off with those two."

"What'd you find?" Y/N asks.

"The Carrigans lived in Seattle, last year, where two abductions took place right around Christmas. They moved here in January. All that Christmas crap in their house - that wasn't boughs of holly. It was vervain and mint."

"Pagan stuff?" Dean asks.

"Serious pagan stuff."

"So, what, Ozzie and Harriet are keeping a pagan god hidden underneath their plastic-covered couch?" Dean says.

"I don't know. All I know is we gotta check them out," Sam says. "So, what about Bobby? He's sure evergreen stakes will kill this thing, right?" Y/N looks at the stake.

"Yeah, he's sure," she says.

==

Sam, Dean, and Y/N walk towards the house. Y/N picks the lock and the three enter. They each hold a wooden stake. Dean then closes the door quietly. Dean looks at the couch that still covered in plastic and whispers, "See? Plastic." Sam and Y/N touch it too as Dean shakes his head disapprovingly. Dean and Y/N go into the living room and look at all the Christmas décor, while Sam goes to the hall, which is also decorated with ornaments and snow globes. Sam goes into the kitchen and sees plates of cookies and cakes. He shines his flashlight on the lock of a door.

"Hey, guys." Later, the three walk downstairs to the basement. Y/N points her flashlight and finds bones covered with blood in a large bowl. Dean sees a cutting machine with blood on it and grimaces. They check the room and realize the whole basement looks like a butchery room rather than a storage room. The three then split up. Sam finds a leather bag covered with blood. He looks disgusted and moves to another spot. Sam pokes a bag that is hanging from the wall, and the bag moves. He reels back before Madge grabs Sam's neck from behind and lifts him off the ground as he yells in surprise. Dean and Y/N hear him and come running.

"Sam!" They yell. Madge pushes Sam against a wall and holds him by the throat. Dean runs to him and tries to stake Madge, but Mr. Carrigan grabs his arm and knocks his head against a wall. Dean falls to the ground, unconscious. Y/N then comes up behind Mr. Carrigan and is about to stake him before he turns around and grips Y/N by the throat, lifting her into the air. The stake falls to the ground as she loses consciousness. Mr. Carrigan drops her to the floor, and she falls unconscious.

"Gosh, I wish you kids hadn't come down here." Sam moves his flashlight to the Carrigans' faces, which appear monster-like when in the beam of the flashlight but turn back to normal out of the light. Madge slams Sam's head hard against the wall and lets him drop to the ground. Later, upstairs in the kitchen, a number of bowls are set out on the kitchen tables as well as a knife. Sam, Dean, and Y/N are tied up in chairs, their backs facing each other.

"Dean? Y/N? You okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," Y/N sighs.

"So, I guess we're dealing with Mr. and Mrs. God," Dean and Sam nod, "Nice to know."

"Yeah," The Carrigans come into the kitchen, dressed in colorful Christmas-themed sweaters.

"Ooh, and here we thought you three lazybones were gonna sleep straight through all the fun stuff," Madge giggles.

"Miss all this? Nah, we're partiers," Dean says. Mr. Carrigan smokes his pipe. Madge grabs an apron.

"Isn't he a kick in the pants, honey? You're hunters, is what you are."

"And you're pagan gods. So, why don't we just call it even, and go our separate ways?"

"What, so you can bring more hunters and kill us?" He laughs, "I don't think so."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you went snacking on humans, now, huh?" Sam says.

"Oh, now, don't get all wet."

"Oh, why, we used to take over a hundred tributes a year, and that's a fact," Madge says as she puts a napkin on Dean's lap. He shifts away, "Now what do we take?" She puts a napkin on Y/N's lap, "What, two? Three?" She puts another on Sam's lap.

"Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew here make six," Mr. Carrigan says.

"Now, that's not so bad, is it?"

"Well, you say it like that - I guess you guys are the Cunninghams," Dean says sarcastically.

"You, mister, better show us a little respect," Dean and Sam look at him.

"Or what?" Sam challenges, "You'll eat us?"

"Not so fast," Mr. Carrigan says. He looks at Madge, who looks excited, "There's rituals to be followed first."

"Oh, we're just sticklers for ritual."

"And you know what kicks off the whole shebang?" Madge smiles.

"Let me guess...meadowsweet," Dean says.

"Oh!"

"Oh shucks, you're all out of wreaths," Y/N says, "I guess we'll just have to cancel the sacrifice, huh?"

"Oh, don't be such a gloom Gus," Madge says as she pulls out three wreaths from a cupboard. She puts the wreaths around Dean, Y/N, and Sam's neck, "There. Ohh...Don't they look darling?"

"Good enough to eat," Mr. Carrigan smacks his lips, "All righty-roo." He whips out a knife, "Step number two." He walks to Sam carrying a knife and a bowl. He holds the bowl under Sam's arm and prepares to cut him with the knife.

"Sammy?!"

"Sammy?!" Mr. Carrigan slices Sam's arm and collects his blood in the bowl.

"D-Don't," Sam screams.

"Leave him alone, you son of a bitch!" Y/N says, struggling against the restraints. Dean following.

"Hear how they talk to us? Heh, heh. To Gods?" Madge takes the knife and bowl.

"Listen, pal, back in the day, we were worshipped by millions."

"Times have changed!"

"Tell me about it. All of a sudden, this Jesus character is the hot new thing in town. All of a sudden, our - our altars are being burned down, and we're being hunted down like common monsters."

" But did we say a peep? Oh ho, ho, no, no, no, we did not," Mr Carrigan adds something to Sam's blood in the bowl, "Two millennium." Mr Carrigan picks up pliers, "We kept a low profile; we got jobs, a mortgage. Wh-What was that word, dear?" Madge asks.

"We assimilated."

"Yeah, we assimilated. Why, we play bridge on Tuesday and Fridays," Madge says, holding a large knife, "We're just like everybody else."

"You're not blending in as smooth as you think, lady," Y/N says.

"This might pinch a bit, dear," Madge comes close to Y/N and slices her arm, her blood pours into the bowl beneath. Y/N screams.

"You bitch!"

"Oh, my goodness me! Somebody owes a nickel to the swear jar," Madge says, "Oh, do you know what I say when I feel like swearing?" Y/N looks Madge in the eyes, as she gestures with her sharp knife, ""Fudge,"" Y/N pants.

"I'll try and remember that?" Mr Carrigan picks up a pair of pliers.

"You three have no idea how lucky you are. There was a time when kids came from miles around, just to be sitting where you are." He stands in front of Sam with the tool. Sam looks panicked.

"What do you think you're doing with those?" Mr. Carrigan smiles.

"You fudging touch me again and I'll fudging kill you!" Madge points the knife at Y/N.

"Very good!" Madge slices Y/N's other arm and she groans in pain, while Mr Carrigan grabs Sam's hand.

"No. No. Don't" Mr Carrigan pulls the nail of Sam's index finger and Sam screams. He holds up the nail.

"Oh, we got a winner!" The Carrigan puts all the ingredients in the bowl and stirs them.

"What else, dear?" Madge asks.

"Well, let's see. Uh, fingernail, blood, Oh..." He hits his own head "Sweet Peter on a popsicle stick..." He laughs "I forgot the tooth"

"Oh, dear!" Y/N breaths heavily.

"Merry Christmas, boys" Y/N says and the brother's groan. Mr Carrigan picks up pliers and grabs Dean's chin.

"Open up...and say "Aaah" He puts the pliers in Dean's mouth and Dean groans. The doorbell then rings.

"Somebody gonna get that?" Dean asks with the pliers in his mouth. Madge and Mr Carrigan look at each other. Sam and Y/N look relieved. The doorbell rings again "You should get that" Mr. Carrigan rolls his eyes and sighs.

"Come on" he says. Dean sighs in relief and runs his tongue around his teeth.

"That was close" he says.

[ao3feed-destiel-02]

Physical Graffiti

Physical Graffiti https://ift.tt/eRjqtUZ by entropic_saudade The only ghosts and demons are the ones inside his head.   Fresh from a prematurely-ended stint at an inpatient psychiatric facility, ‘former’ self-harmer and functional alcoholic Dean Winchester returns to Sioux Falls, where he works as a crime journalist. His editor, Bobby Singer, sends him back home to Lawrence to gather the story on the murder of a teen boy and the recent disappearance of another. Painful memories from growing up resurface, and the investigation is further complicated by the town’s gossipy tight-knit nature, Dad’s judgment, and botched attempts at making inroads with his estranged half-family, Kate and Adam Milligan. Dean crosses paths with Castiel Novak, a renegade detective from Kansas City with a troubled past of his own. They work together, slipping past each other’s facades, digging down toward the truth.   As it turns out, monsters just might be real—and they just might live at home.   A Sharp Objects-inspired AU. Words: 62696, Chapters: 10/10, Language: English Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural), Sam Winchester, John Winchester, Bobby Singer (Supernatural), Adam Milligan, Kate Milligan, Kelly Kline (Supernatural), Jack Kline, Max Banes, Max (Supernatural: Lebanon), Stacy (Supernatural: Lebanon), Eliot (Supernatural: Lebanon), Rufus Turner, Matt Pike (Supernatural), Larry Pike, Asher (Supernatural), Michael (Supernatural: Something Wicked), Joanna (Supernatural: Something Wicked), Kevin Tran (Supernatural), Joe Barton (Supernatural), Donnie (Supernatural: Inside Man), Randy Bull (Supernatural), Bucky Sims, Ed Zeddmore (Supernatural), Madge Carrigan, Edward Carrigan, Missouri Moseley, Mia Vallens, Other(s) Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Kate Milligan/John Winchester, Brief Ash/Dean Winchester, past Lee Webb/Dean Winchester - Relationship Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Aftermath of Violence, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Past Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Child Death, Murder, Attempted Murder, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hallucinations, Past Drug Addiction, Case Fic, Dysfunctional Family, Family Secrets, Families of Choice, Recreational Drug Use, Journalist Dean Winchester, Detective Castiel (Supernatural), Therapy, Recovery, Inspired by Sharp Objects via AO3 works tagged 'Castiel/Dean Winchester' https://ift.tt/yKnV5WC November 04, 2024 at 04:14PM

[supertagged]

S3E7: “A Very Supernatural Christmas”

CHARACTERS:Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Edward Carrigan, Madge Carrigan.

RELATIONSHIPS: Sam & Dean Winchester, Edward/Madge Carrigan.

ADDITIONAL TAGS: Token Christmas Episode, Santa Cosplay, Murder, Childhood Trauma, Holiday Angst, Flashbacks, Kid!Sam, Kid!Dean, Christmas Caroling, Meadowsweet Wreaths of Doom, Human Sacrifice, Pagan Gods, Fake/Pretend Relationship, John Winchester’s Journal, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Samulet Backstory, Dean Winchester is a Good Brother, Homemade Stakes, Drinking to Cope, Brother Feels, Jared Padalecki’s Spiked Eggnog.

[mittensmorgul]

3.08: or, Sam, why are you the boy that hates Christmas?

(It’s because he not only associates it with the loss of his childhood since it was the day he found out the truth about the supernatural and his family’s job as hunters, but he also knows it’s the last Christmas he’ll ever get to spend with Dean before he goes to Hell for the rest of eternity... or so we’re supposed to believe... >.>)

In 3.07, Sam called Dean out on his “performance” of all that reckless behavior, identifying the underlying fear of his impending trip to Hell as the source of it. Dean accepts Sam’s evaluation of the situation and drops the performance.

And now one episode later he’s all nostalgic about Christmas and acting in ways that really weird Sam out, almost as much as the reckless behavior did. Yet... Sam doesn’t call him out on this as a performance, just wonders why now? 

Dean admits that it’s because its his last chance to enjoy the holiday. Sam can’t because he also knows it’s his last holiday with Dean. Kinda takes the shine off things knowing Dean’ll be in hell next Christmas.

But Dean in this episode... I was just talking with Lizbob about how this is possibly the first time he DELIBERATELY walks into a place already planning to portray himself and Sam as a queer couple. The shop where the meadowsweet wreaths were sold. Meanwhile Sam’s weirded out by the entire exchange.

(the shopkeeper tells Sam, “Aren’t you the fussy one?” Sam rolls his eyes and sucks it up, while Dean’s just... enjoying himself and rolling with it.)

He does the same thing when they go to interview the Carrigans about the wreaths, too. Not only do the Carrigans seem like “normal folks,” they’ve practically become a caricature of “normal” in order to blend in.

MR CARRIGAN: Hear how they talk to us? Heh heh. To Gods? Listen, pal, back in the day, we were worshiped by millions. DEAN: Time have changed! MR CARRIGAN: Tell me about it. All of a sudden, this Jesus character is the hot new thing in town. All of a sudden, our – our altars are being burned down, and we’re being hunted down like common monsters. MADGE: But did we say a peep? Oh ho ho, no, no, no, we did not. Two millennium. We kept a low profile; we got jobs, a mortgage. Wh-What was that word, dear? MR CARRIGAN: We assimilated. MADGE: Yeah, we assimilated. Why, we play bridge on Tuesday and Fridays. We’re just like everybody else. DEAN: You’re not blending in as smooth as you think, lady.

But we see it’s all an act.

Sam and Dean escape and pull apart the Carrigans’ Christmas tree, turning their “performance” of normality into the weapon that kills them.

By the end, Sam’s decorated their room for Christmas and has bought egg nog and presents, allowing himself this last bittersweet Christmas with Dean. They both seem to acknowledge that it’s a little bit of a performance, but they do it anyway.

This is also where we see that Christmas is not only about the official end Sam’s childhood innocence where he learned about the hunting, but it’s also when he gives Dean the samulet. And we learn it had originally been intended as a present for John...

Not only is that thing probably one of the few gifts Dean has ever received (I mean, aside from motor oil and a candy bar...), but Dean was the one who told Sam the truth about their family after John had kept it from him his entire life. Dean earned the amulet, in Sam’s eyes. Because Dean was the one who was always there for him. This was the moment Sam acknowledged-- whether consciously or not-- that Dean was his parental figure. And isn’t that at least nine kinds of horrifying.

(There’s a very good reason I hate the freaking samulet and everything it stands for)

And yeah, these monsters turned out to be pagan gods wearing a mask of humanity, but it’s just showing how most monsters DO try to “assimilate.” And sometimes you don’t even know they’re there. They’re part of your bridge group, or your book club... (okay, on that note I’m moving on to 3.09).