Summary: Dean's life has always been dictated by duty rather than by need. So when Amara offers to give him the thing he needs most, he doesn't know what to expect, but it certainly isn't this: a chance to rest, some time away from his life and his burdens. Now he's trapped in an enchanted sleep, unable to bring himself back to the waking world.
It's up to Sam and Castiel to gather the components of a spell that will bring Dean back to them. Through road trips, honest conversations, and a lot of patience, they'll make sure Dean comes home. And when he does, maybe he and Castiel will finally have a chance to act on long-buried feelings brought to the surface by their enforced separation.
Canon-divergent from the end of 11.23.
Keep reading for a sneak preview!
“It is like Sleeping Beauty,” Rowena says, her lip curling slightly. “He’s in a state of rest, so to speak. The body is living, but the spirit is absent.”
“Absent,” Sam repeats. “Where is it?”
“That doesn’t matter,” Castiel says, more harshly than he intended. “How do we get it back?”
How do we get him back is the real question. Castiel is not prepared to live in this world without Dean. He wasn’t prepared when they said goodbye in that cemetery, and now that they’ve saved the world, again, it needs Dean Winchester in it again, living and breathing and laughing and teasing Castiel about his crappy car.
He needs Dean back.
“I don’t know the exact spell that was used, but I can guess it was Amara,” Rowena says thoughtfully. “The magic feels like her, somehow.”
“Dark?” Sam asks, frowning.
Rowena shakes her head. “No, but calm. Empty. Still. The absence of creation. That’s what we have here,” she says, indicating Dean’s body. “It feels restful, in its own way.”
Sam and Castiel exchange troubled glances. “So you’re saying this is a good thing,” Sam says.
“I highly doubt I’m the one who should be judging what’s good and what’s evil,” Rowena replies. “But I think it was done with good intentions, yes. This was a reward, not a punishment.”
“It’s not a reward for us,” Castiel says quietly. Perhaps Rowena is right. Perhaps Dean is resting, unburdened for once. Away from the weight of the world, the problems he carries on his shoulders.
But he never wanted that for himself, not really. At least not for long. Just long enough to recharge, to review his priorities. He remembers Dean telling him, all those years ago: “I just need like, four hours.” Just enough to keep going.
“So how do we get him back?” Sam asks again, and Castiel is grateful for it. Sam is the one who Dean would want making these decisions for him. If Sam thinks they should wake Dean up, then that’s what they’ll do.
“We need to guide his spirit back to his body,” Rowena says. “Remind him that they’re one.”
“Could you be more cryptic, Mother,” Crowley mutters under his breath. Judging by the glare Rowena sends in his direction, she hears him.
“It’s simply enough in theory,” she continues. “We’ll need...tokens, so to speak. To coax him back. Things that remind him of his life, his memories, his experiences. Seven would be best. It’s a powerful magical number.”
Castiel begins to grasp the theory behind the spell. “Positive memories,” he says. “We want to remind him what’s important. And then he will be drawn back.”
Title: If This Is To End In Fire
Writer: @reaperlove77
Artist: @entirely-the-wrong-sort
Track: Big Bang
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depiction of Violence
Summary: Dean comes to Kelvin’s Point to renovate the historic lighthouse and get away from his painful past. Besides peace and quiet, he also finds himself instantly infatuated with a mysterious naked swimmer who pushes his way into Dean’s live and sweeps him off his feet in no time. And when locked doors open by themselves and things seem to keep disappearing, it must be because Dean has overworked himself, right?
didn't the ep pass bechdel wallace when the police officer called into dispatch about the fog? (I REALLY want robbie's episode to pass... and I think maybe it might have?)
entirely-the-wrong-sort said: It passed Bechdel-Wallace, technically. When the police lady radioed in re: fog to the other police lady... does that count?
Ahh, nice catch!
But did we hear the dispatch officer’s name? If so it just barely gets a Bechdel-Wallace pass... and as much as I love Robbie I think he can do better than that :)
