#spn strangers in a strange land

[shallowseeker]

On the whole, as a character, Dean has great gut instincts.

He's stellar at remembering a person's MO/objective, and his hackles raise when things don't add up.

(ex: with Metatron; he didn't trust Naomi for shits and giggles; he "trusted" her because Metatron's actions didn't make sense)

But the point of his character is that he's human. Even though Dean gets it right a lot of the time, he's not a perfect seer. He's gonna be wrong sometimes, especially when he's been pushed to duress.

(ex. Dean trusted Gadreel "Ezekiel", and the he got used as a pawn in Crowley's war to takeHell from Abaddon etc etc.)

And because his instinct are usually so good, getting it "wrong" is is so, so painful for Dean.

////

On this note...

We got God himself tellin' us...

Like, do you ever just sit back and think about how Dean went wholesale into Chuck's bucket of shit there at the end?

And what that probably did to Dean's psyche?

Like, I mean: owch. It's like an infected splinter he can't pull out.

This was a moment there in 14x20 that Dean turned his back on everything he stood for. Dean is usually the one telling us that destiny and authority figures are bullshit.

And yet, you get this line of Dean's, falling in line:

"We got God himself telling us..."

14x20

///

Aside// I feel like... it just took so much for Chuck to get Dean here, you know? This is what leads to Dean's full-blown existential crisis.

"I used to think what we did mattered." etc etc:

14x20

///

Pick up the gun, Dean...

And then when Dean can't pull the damn trigger, we get Chuck showing his true colors.

Dean is faced with an intense sense of betrayal AND an unspeakable sense of failure.

14x20

///

At first, Dean's not totally paralyzed with his anger and grief, right? At first, Dean goes on the attack against Chuck:

14x20

//

14x20

//

BUT THEN. Oh, THEN.

"Stop— STOP!"

14x20

///

Jack dies.

And even in that moments after Jack's death, Dean's not dealing with it.

He doesn't quite believe his eyes.

Jack's dead in front of him, and something in Dean is clinging to: "Maybe it's NOT true, because Chuck said the gun was the ONLY way."

Dean's clinging to this as a grief-delaying tactic.

14x20

Dean's brain: Maybe Jack's not actually dead...

//////

I was wrong. And it hurts.

It's a multi-whammy, too. Dean is faced with many uncomfortable truths that are too painful to directly look at:

(a) Even with all that happened (Mary, innocent civilians getting killed by Jack's team-up with Heaven), Dean didn't want Jack dead. For a moment, he thought he did. He thought he wanted this "shell" of Jack neutralized. But now that he's faced with it, it couldn't be clearer to him just how much he didn't want that. (b) Dean is also faced with the fact that Cas was right not to fall in line with Chuck's plan. Chuck was a snake in the grass. Despite Dean telling Cas to get on board, Cas didn't. Now, Dean feels guilty and maybe even foolish for swallowing Chuck's lie. He even verbally announced that it was "the only way." Here's what Dean said earlier in the episode:

Dean facing that? That hurts!

It speaks to how low Dean's mental health and resilience was that he even got on board with a destiny-oriented plan in the first place.

///

Protective mechanisms

So... Dean puts protective mechanisms in place. Otherwise, he'd fall apart. (Will eventually fall apart, actually. In just a few eps’ time.)

And despite everything, Dean's looking to Cas for spouse-coded support in this grief:

Reeling, Dean tries to keep his eyes on Cas and Jack.

////

Yet!

It's too painful to admit that he was wrong about Chuck. I think this is what Dean means when he later says he "couldn't admit he was wrong."

14x20

Here in 14x20, Dean starts having diarrhea of the mouth, babbling about how he always knew Chuck was a danger.

We see that in addition to being devastated by his losses... he feels like a fool.

It's not his fault Chuck betrayed him. Or that Chuck backed him into a murder-suicide sacrificial corner re: The Equalizer.

But Dean feels like he got duped. (Cas got duped, too, calling his father in the first place. Dean will eventually be sympathetic to that deep down, I think, taking that context into account. Cas didn't exactly lone wolf this time. Cas went to his own father, and that father betrayed all of them.)

Dean is usually THE GUY to see through destiny-style bullshit.

And here, he didn't. It hurts!

//

And... Losing Jack like that. It's just so horrible. Dean doesn't know what to say. So, he rambles.

It's painful to watch him try to cover, but it's also interesting to me that, at least until Belphagor arrives, Dean and Cas ARE talking to one another.

They're instinctually looking to one another for (grudging) support.

14x20

///

14x20

Like how Dean was in denial over Jack being dead ("I thought only the gun could..."), in our 15x01 script, we see more evidence of this sense of delayed grief: "maybe we get him back."

///

What does it take to get Dean hooked on revenge?

I guess my point with this post is about the wound of Chuck's betrayal. This was a huge blind spot for Dean, It was an uncharacteristic, grief-induced bowing to authority...

It did something remarkable to him. In a bad way.

It got Dean hooked on the thought of revenge.

I think it's this sense of overwhelming failure re: Chuck and of feeling like a fool that pushes him into it. Dean has usually been the one telling the audience that revenge is bullshit.

(Whether that's John's revenge, or Sam's revenge, or even Gabe's revenge in Unfinished Business):

13x20

///

And like, that's something, isn't it? For Dean to take up revenge, something had to go bad wrong.

Later in season 15, Dean accepts soulless Jack back into the house without a thought. Then, he expresses some wariness about the heart-eating and Bilie's plan:

SAM: Jack, you… you ate their hearts? JACK: I… I had to. DEAN: And you let him? [CAS nods.] DEAN: Hmm. 15x11

...

CAS: Billie kept him hidden in the Empty until Chuck went off world. JACK: She let me out when it was safe. DEAN: Safe to what? Eat a bunch of angel hearts? JACK: Safe to do what I have to. The hearts, they were just the beginning. They made me strong, but I-I’m not strong enough. I… If I do exactly what she says, if I follow her plan, then I’ll get stronger and… I’ll be able to kill God. 15x11

But ultimately? Dean goes along with it. :( Dean, Cas, and Jack all do. They're been beaten down in ways we've rarely seen on the show. (It's usually not all of them at once!)

///

Dean & Cas backslide, turning their backs on the very things they have stood for:

Dean and Cas are both backsliding after Jack returns, and that is so... interesting to me. Because why?

The STRESS of Jack's death and his re-emergence have them focusing on things that go against their idealized value systems.

They get hyperfocused on revenge and destiny:

//

It's like the grief has got them both so turned around that they can't see straight!

//

15x12

//

Anyway, Jack's death was a deep wound...

They want Jack back; they want the threat of Jack's murderer neutralized.

And like Revenge!John, like DemonBlood!Sam, like Godstiel, like MOC!Dean, like NaturalBornKiller!Mary...

Dean loses sight of the things he'd been trying to protect in the first place.

In his own words:

Sam gives him grace. After all, Sam's been there.

Sam not only pulled a gun on Dean but even accidentally ax-murdered him in a fit of Taurus-temper during one of Gabe's endless Tuesdays in Mystery Spot.

///

So... What does it take to truly "ruin" Dean?

We think about all that Dean's been through and how rarely he gets in line for revenge.

It makes this particular pain very special.

So, what does it take to get Dean on a revenge kick?

Well.

Jack Kline, for starters.........

Everything related to Jack. Jack taking on "Dean's" Michael-burden in Ouroboros, Jack killing Mary, and the murder OF Jack.

Jack is the difference-maker when it comes to "ruining" Dean.

Jack is the trump card.

The Equalizer intended to make Jack's death "the thing Dean wouldn't survive."

//

And see, like.

Chuck wants Dean to lose it:

He WANTED Dean's life to fall apart.

You remember Dean sassily saying, "Guess your life isn't so perfect, after all, Eight-Pack Mommy"????

That's Chuck.

Chuck looks at Dean's life, his happiness, his loved ones... and although he greedily scrolls through Dean's life, even living vicariously through it at times, there's something dangerously bitter hidden underneath that interest:

SAM: Wait, wait... Dean... Dean, no. Listen! [Back in the room where Chuck and Amara are] CHUCK: You hear that? AMARA: What? CHUCK: Dean. Brought to the edge of doubt. His sense of duty, his rage winning out in the end.

Chuck wants to crack him, to break him.

///

DEAN: I don't want to do this, but this is everything! SAM: No, it's not!

Dean doesn't want this. He doesn't!

////

Acting on our free will is a group effort

...and here, we see that in full view.

Rarely is Sam the one lending this kind of support. But it's because of the support Sam's been given in the past that he's in a position to support in return.

And Chuck is pissed. He doesn't get it. He doesn't get how them banding together to support each other during their worst moments is what makes them able to escape his clutches.

[Dean uncocks the gun and puts it away. Meanwhile, the door to the storeroom explodes and Chuck/Amara comes storming out] CHUCK: Are you kidding me?! After everything, all that, you... you did it again! 15x17

When Dean can't resist giving into despair, his family picks up the slack.

DEAN: [Fuck] you, Chuck. CHUCK: No, [fuck] you. You know what you do with broken toys? You throw them out. ... CHUCK: I mean... have fun watching him die. [Chuck points at Jack, who doubles over in pain] CAS: Jack. JACK: Help me! DEAN AND SAM: Jack, Jack, Jack. DEAN: Hey. [Jack's eyes glow gold, and golden light breaks through cracks in his skin] DEAN: Jack!

15x17

///

Cas supports Sam earlier in this very episode, which in turn enables Sam to support Dean.

As a family, they borrow support from one another.

The group support ends with Dean rising from the ashes of his existential crisis. He has renewed energy, ready to fight for Jack.

(Aside// In the next episode, 15x19, it's Sam who will lose hope, and Dean and Jack will try and lend their strength to him.)

@spnscripthunt-inactive

[shirtlesssammy]

Castiel every day so often -- 112/139

Supernatural 14x01//Stranger in a Strange Land

[monstermoviedean]

Nick: "I don't understand how Lucifer could die and I could live."

you and me both dude!!!

[ananke-xiii]

choosing my truths (1): in spn's "stanger in a strange land" the "i thought you two were joined at the..." line is not just a "ihih dick joke" but It's another way of saying that everybody knows that dean and cas... grok.

[idjits-areus]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe this is the first time we've actually seen grace like this. I mean, we see his wings and grace through Sister Jo's eyes. The only other times we've seen wings is just shadows on the walls or burnt into the surface behind dead angels. When I first saw this I was amazed and loved how they did it. Still do. Just look at it.

[soullessjack]

anyways I’m thinking a lot about these outlines from 14x01 and 2 and all the things they do for Jack’s characterization

“If he’s going to try and be the version of human being his mother was, then he wanted to know more about her. After all, he never met her since she died practically at the moment of his birth. And with both his biological parents gone, he felt a longing to connect with his roots.”

“No, Cas. I’m really not as dumb as everyone seems to think.”

“The truth is, there just isn’t much information about Nephilim. He didn’t realize he was such a rarity.”

“Jack agrees, and says he has to prove to Sam and Dean that he’s capable of being on the team.”

“I’m just trying to figure out who I am. I don’t know who I am.”

“Heroics aren’t the only measure of strength.”

“…he knows what Cas is thinking: that this is Lucifer’s gene pool talking. It’s not. ‘I’m not my father. I’m not my mother. I’m me.’”

[arcanespillo]

"Stranger In A Strange Land"

SPN S14E01

[winchestress]

Castiel, certified damsel in distress

[uh-ohspaghettio]

Am I gonna read a book purely cause my dad was telling me how much the main character reminds him of Jack Kline? Yes.

[prince-of-elsinore]

watching season 14 episode 1 where they're going off to save Cas from the demon ambush, and Sam's driving and Mary's sitting shotgun and they're having this conversation:

MARY: Sam, it's gonna be fine. SAM: (scoffs) Stop saying that, please. MARY: What? SAM: “It's gonna be fine,” that everything's gonna be fine, we're gonna find Dean, and -- MARY: We are. SAM: You don't know that. (pause) Dean's gone, and we have no idea where he is or -- or if he's even still alive. You know, Michael could have… burned him out or… worse, and… (sighs)

and it's like this merry-go-round of roles from the situation at the start of season 13, where Mary was missing, Dean was hopeless about it, and Sam was keeping the faith (and later season 13 where it flipped to Sam in despair and Dean keeping the fighting spirit), and all I can think is what must Sam be feeling right now, having this conversation play out with his mother rather than his brother? He and Dean come down on opposite sides of issues like this all the time. It's kinda baked in to their dynamic. Whenever one staggers or gives up, the other pulls/pushes him forward, and they both take their turns in each role. It's not only the bread and butter of the show, it's the bread and butter of Sam and Dean, so much that they themselves acknowledge it, as Dean did in 13x04 ("I need you to keep the faith for both of us").

In the above exchange, Mary goes on to give the kind of mini-pep speech I could imagine coming out of Dean's mouth, and it seems like the show wants us to think 'aw, Mama bear reassuring Sam and having a bonding moment.' But it's never been the words Dean uses, his platitudes about family and not giving up, that matter to Sam in these situations; it's who they're coming from. It's the fact of having Dean there by his side in spite of everything. So even though Sam finds himself, again, in a dark place with a loved one missing and another trying to pull him out, and even though Mary sticks to the Winchester script, the balance is all off. She's not Dean, and without Dean the fraternal seesaw of hope and despair breaks down, and there's nothing to pull Sam up again. The scene doesn't go there or really invite this reflection, but I wonder how much Sam is consciously aware of this as he listens to Mary. There's an interesting, blink-and-you-miss-it moment, after Sam says "You don't know that" where he cuts himself off and glances over as if just remembering who's in the seat next to him, and he adjusts his tone, in a way he probably wouldn't for Dean, before going on. So maybe he can't help but compare, in his head. Maybe Sam is thinking how he's heard his brother say similar things a thousand times but it's just not the same, and how much more hopeless that must make him, even as he shoves it down, for Mary's sake, for the sake of the mission in front of them, and for the sake of the people he's leading. Sam's never been so surrounded by people, all on the same team, his team ostensibly, in his life. But when it comes down to it, he's just as alone as he's been any other time he's lost Dean. He's grateful for Cas, and he loves his mom, but at the end of the day Sam can only rely on one person get his brother back: himself. Everyone else is just another person to convince he's fine.

[shallowseeker]

Sigh.

I... I think Sam must have fan-boyed to Jack about Gandhi.

14x01

///

5x05

///

Jack's brain: Ah, yes. Maybe Gandhi was a boxer.

...

And then Jack winds up with a stuffed bear based on a BOXER instead.

[indistarlight]

something something the parallel between "So, you're well-adjusted?" "No, I'm just well-fed." from My Bloody Valentine to "You don't pretend to want to help people or save the world. Your want is pure and simple and clean. And that's why you are worth saving...Because you -- you just want to eat." from Stranger in a Strange Land

just the idea that dean's humanity comes from trying to find an empty peace in saving people and self-sacrifice versus the pure ease of allowing yourself hunger. s14 really brings back some of the interesting subtext of eve and purgatory that went forgotten too. this is probably stupid when you think a bit harder about it but it just stuck out to me

[monstermoviedean]

14x02 takes place in late october (presumably 2018), 14x01 took place 3 weeks after 13x23 which was approximately may/june 2018. so dean has been possessed for 4-5 months now.

[impala-dreamer]

Scene 784 -

In Which Castiel Falls Into An Unexpected Rift and Ends Up On Another Channel

An Spn/True Blood Crossover

Castiel, Jason Stackhouse

2,072 Words

Warnings: Nothing but general silliness

A/N: This was a silly thing @because-imma-lady-assface said while drunk one night. "Wouldn't it be funny if Cas met Jason??" and I sat down and wrote it. It's funny and I love it. Hope you enjoy! | Originally Posted to Patreon Jan 2024

Impala-Dreamer’s Masterlist  ~  Patreon  ~ Published Works

Trench coat flapping in the whirl of magic that tugged and pulled him through time and space, Castiel landed in the dark. The air was thick and hot. Humidity clung to his skin and he had to take a moment to quell the sweat that was quickly appearing on his brow.

Behind him, the orange rip in the universe disappeared with the distinct sound of a zipper being closed and a faint pop made him jump. Wherever he was, Castiel knew, he was now stuck for a while.

He squinted into the dark, even though his angelic vision needed no assistance. His nose scrunched up as he sniffed the air. Wetness permeated everything. The smell of mud and fresh vines hovered lingered like a heavy fog. Swamp land.

In the distance, a pair of yellow lights came racing towards him. An old pickup barreled down the dirt road, kicking up dust and rocks in its wake.

Castiel glared at the beastly machine and stepped away just before he was struck by the rusted grill.

The driver, slightly inebriated by the five or so beers he’d just shared with his best friend, slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel too hard. He veered off the road and nearly struck a tree before the truck stopped.

Flush with adrenaline and tipsy, Jason Stackhouse stumbled from the cabin and shook his head. He was dirty from a long day supervising the road crew in the hot Louisiana sun, and his muscle tank top showed off his sweaty but carefully crafted arms and shoulders.

“What the hell?” His accent pierced the quiet and Castiel cocked his head.

“My apologies.”

Jason wiped a hand down his face and carefully navigated his way back onto the road.

“What the hell you doin’ in the middle of the road?”

Castiel looked him over, head to toe, and tried to divine some sense of who he was and where they were. Nothing came to him.

Jason, troubled by the blue eyes perusing his frame, waved a hand in front of the stranger’s face. “Hello? Anybody in there?”

Castiel cleared his throat. “Where are we?”

A laugh hit the air. Jason smirked and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Mister, you might be as drunk as I am.”

The angel frowned. “Where are we?” he asked again.

“Uh…” Confused, Jason’s face squished a bit towards his nose but he figured the man was lost, and he did feel the need to help. “Bon Temps.”

There was no recognition.

“Louisiana… Earth.”

Castiel looked around at the trees and starless night. “Which Earth?”

Jason laughed again, harder than before. “Which Earth? Man, you are drunk. You need a ride or somethin’?”

Castiel pulled in a deep breath, using all of his senses to suss out where he had landed. The atmosphere was strange; gravity was pulling slightly to the left. This wasn’t his Earth. It didn’t even seem like it was on the same universal plane as his Earth. He was somewhere else. Somewhere slightly off and strange.

Arms crossed over his big chest, Jason watched the man watch the sky. His beer buzz was fading as curiosity and concern rose. “Do you need help?”

“I may, yes.” Castiel ran through options in his mind. He tried to tune into Angel Radio, but only a faint white static came back to him. He checked his phone, but there was no service. He closed his eyes and sent out his Grace to feel for his friends, but wherever he was, Dean and Sam Winchester were not.

He sighed. “What year is this?”

Jason scratched at his stubbled cheek. “2008.”

“Back in time as well.” Castiel nodded and took a step towards the left, then changed his mind, spun around, and headed right.

“Hey, man,” Jason quickly followed. “I don’t think you should go walkin’ out here by yourself.” It was clear to him that the stranger needed help. For one thing, he was wearing a suit and trench coat in the middle of the hottest summer Louisiana had seen in a few years, and another, he didn’t know which Earth he was on. Something was up and Jason couldn’t walk away.

“I’ll be fine,” Castiel said gruffly.

“I- I don’t know, it can get awful dangerous out here at night.”

Castiel paused and turned to look at the concerned human. “Why’s that?”

Jason chuckled. “Well… vampires. Where you been you don’t know about the vampires?”

“I am well aware of the existence of vampires.” He leaned in and stared at Jason. “How do you know about vampires?”

Another laugh. “Well shit- they’re everywhere now. Since they all came outta the coffin and all, they’re takin’ over just about everything. Hell, my sister Sookie’s been sniffing around one the last few weeks, and I’ll tell you somethin’…” He leaned in, whispering. “I ain’t no racist or nothin’ but… I do not like that fanger datin’ my sister.”

Castiel stood back up and leaned away. “Yes, well. That’s all very… interesting.” He started off again.

Jason followed.

“You tellin’ me you don’t know about this?”

Growing annoyed, Castiel huffed. “I’m not from here. And, I need to find a way back to my Earth.”

Jason scratched his head like a confused child, which, compared to the ancient angel, he was.

“Uh- what?”

Castiel stopped short and spun around to face the man. “What is your name?”

He stood up tall and smiled. “Jason. Jason Stackhouse. Pleased to meet ya, uh-” His extended hand hung in the air, unclaimed.

“Castiel.” He shook the man’s hand as was customary.

“Shit, that’s a weird name. Cas-teal…”

“Cas-tee-el.”

“Cas-T-eal. Got it.”

Sapphire eyes rolled in aggravation.

“So, Cas - I’m gonna call you Cas, if you don’t mind- what the hell were you doin’ standing in the middle of the road?”

“That’s where I appeared. The rift took me before I realized what was happening and I ended up here. I need to find a way back.”

Light blue eyes darkened in utter confusion. “Huh?”

“Nevermind,” Castiel sighed.

Jason held up his hands. “Hey, man, I’m just tryin’ to help you out. You look like you need lots of help.”

“Unfortunately, you seem to be correct. My powers aren’t working properly here.”

“Powers?” Jason took a big step back and reached for his pocket knife. “Shit. What the fuck are you?”

“I am an Angel of The Lord.”

Jason laughed nervously. “A angel? Like from church?”

Castiel sighed once more. “I’m not from church, no. I am from Heaven. Created by God before the universe was conceived.”

The human nodded, pretending to understand. “So, like, what? You sit around on clouds playin’ harps and shit?”

“No. I do not play a harp. I was a warrior.”

“But you’re not no more?”

Castiel blinked absently at Jason and then gave up. He spun around and aimed for the dark road through the trees.

“Hey- wait!” Jason’s boots sank a bit into the soft ground as he caught up. “OK, so you’re a angel, not from this Earth, which means there are other Earths out there and- well, fuck. That’s weird, but after all the other shit lately, it ain’t that bad.”

Castiel eyed him suspiciously. “You’re a very odd person.”

Jason smiled, a little taken back. “Hell, no one’s ever called me odd before, but I kinda like it. Better than dumbass or jock. It’s like sometimes people only see you as one thing and they can’t get past it, you know?”

Castiel paused, considering. “Strangely, yes. I do know.”

“So, what are we lookin’ for, Cas?”

“I was pulled through an unexpected rift in the universe. Something that had to be made by an extremely powerful source. I’m not sure what did it, or why it sucked me in, but here I am. I can deal with that later. Right now, I need to find a power source that I can harness to send me back home.”

Jason, ever the kind soul, did his best not to look at Castiel like he was insane. “OK, then! Let’s go find you a power source.”

Castiel smiled softly. “You’re really OK with all of this, aren’t you?”

“Listen,” Jason shrugged honestly and smiled. “I may not have any idea what the hell you’re talkin’ about. I don’t know what a rift is, or whatever, but I do know, you need help, and since I almost killed you with my truck… Well, I guess I’m obliged to help you out. Also, you’re gonna get yourself killed out here alone.”

“No Earthly being can kill me.”

Jason laughed and clapped a hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “Also, you might be insane. I’d feel bad if somethin’ happened to ya.”

“I do appreciate your concern, Mr. Stackhouse.”

“Ah, you call me Jason. We’re friends now, Cas.”

With a stranger’s arm around his shoulder, Castiel went off in search of a way home.

A dozen minutes later, Jason paused by the edge of the road, looking off into the darkness. “What are we lookin’ for anyway? I guess there won’t be like a transformer or somethin’ just waitin’ for you.”

“No, most likely not.”

“Then what?”

Castiel turned around on the spot, peering through the trees around them. He shut his eyes and tried to feel anything nearby. He was disappointed.

“Are there any places you can think of that feel strange?”

Jason laughed. “Buddy, this is Bon Temps. Whole place is haunted or weird or got somethin’ happenin’.”

“Hmm.” The angel pondered his options. “Is there any place that feels particularly off to you? Any place that gives you chills or you’d rather not be around for long?”

“Hmm.” Jason pondered the question. He tapped a tanned finger on his lips. “Well… I always get kinda jumpy in the cemetery. Just figured it was all the, ya know, dead people.”

Castiel figured it was as good a place as any to start. “Can you take me there?”

Jason smiled proudly. “Sure can!”

Despite being soaked in the darkness before dawn, the cemetery was beautiful. An old iron archway welcomed the living into the land of the dead, and beautiful flowering trees surrounded rows of gravestones.

Castiel felt it immediately. There was a rush of wind against his face; his senses tingled. He closed his eyes and took a breath. A surge of power was coming from a small pond in the center of the cemetery, and he immediately took off towards it.

“You find something?” Jason asked, rushing up behind him.

Castiel held his palms out, feeling for the source. “I think so. There is a large amount of collected power here. It’s not of this world, which, I believe, is why I can sense it.”

Again, Jason had no idea what he was talking about, but it sounded hopeful. “Well, I’m glad. What now?”

In an instant, Castiel’s eyes glowed bright and a light erupted from his palms. He breathed deeply, collecting the ambient power from the pond and the air around it. It concentrated in his grasp, mixing with his Grace until a long, orange strip appeared a few feet away. It glowed brightly and Jason shielded his eyes.

“What the fuck is that?”

Castiel lowered his hands and smiled. He’d done it.

“That, Jason, is a rift in the fabric of the universe.”

“The thing that dropped you off here?”

“Yes.”

Jason stared at the glowing line and shook his head. “Shit. This is somethin’ else. So, what, now you jump in there and go home?”

Castiel nodded. “Hopefully.”

“What if it drops you off somewhere else again?” Jason asked, worried.

“Then I try again.” Castiel turned to Jason and held out his hand. “Thank you for all of your help, Jason Stackhouse.”

Jason took his hand in both of his and smiled warmly. “Good luck, Cas. I hope you get home safe.”

Castiel smiled. “Good luck with your vampires.”

“I feel like I’m gonna need all the luck I can get,” Jason chuckled.

With a friendly nod, Castiel made his way to the rift and took a deep breath. He couldn’t be sure it would take him home, but it was worth a shot.

He stepped through and the orange light vanished with him.

Jason stood still, staring at the space where the man had been. He scrubbed his hand down his face and sighed.

“This place is really getting ridiculous…”

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@kittenofdoomage - you'll get this now lol

[soullessjack]

[arcanespillo]

"Stranger In A Strange Land"

SPN S14E01