#ifdchallenge2026

[the-ineffable-parker]

Time and Again

Summary:

It was the heat of the moment… Sam curses. Loudly. "Sam?" Dean says, already sitting up in bed."Where the hell are we?" Groaning, Sam gets up and rubs his eyes. "Mystery Spot." Dean curses. Loudly.

OR Sam leaves Gabriel's room after getting nothing but silence from the archangel, and finds himself thrown into the past with Dean and Cas.

Word count: 10408

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Sam get up from his chair, walking away from Gabriel's bed, but a quiet voice in his head stops him before he opens the door. Try again. Just one more time.

"Gabriel, you have to dig yourself out of this hole," Sam says. He keeps talking, words tumbling over one another. His dad gets a dishonorable mention in the impromptu speech, and, despite himself, Sam finds his eyes filling with tears as he finishes. "Your family needs you — Gabriel, I need you," he pleads, looking to the angel curled up on the bed. "So please, help us." His lip stings as he chews on it. Even with their somewhat rocky relationship in the past, it still hurts to see Gabriel like this.

It doesn't look like much is going to change, though. Gabriel stays put on the bed, staring off into space. A pang of guilt shoots through Sam's chest as he turns to leave. He's tried everything he can think of to get Gabriel to talk. He knows that Cas has, too. The past few days have been hard on the younger angel — even Sam can see that. He's quieter than usual, his shoulders droop, he keeps his door locked at night… and Sam can't do anything about it.

Sam sighs, snapping himself out of his thoughts. He walks out, the door creaking as it swings open. A strange feeling passes over him when he steps through the threshold, like someone's running a cold claw down his spine.

"Ugh. Wait — what the —" Sam looks around, taking in the rows of seats, the red circular bed onstage, Dean in the front of the auditorium. "Dean!"

"Sammy! What the hell is going on?" Dean looks up at him. "Why do you have a stake?" He scans his own outfit, frowning. "Why do I have a stake? I was in the bunker a minute ago!"

"I don't know!" Sam says frantically. The room looks familiar, and he strains to remember where he's seen it before.

"If this is another freaking spell…" Dean growls. "Hex bags?"

"I don't think so. I… I have a theory," Sam says, memories flooding back to him. "Remember the case we worked here? Years ago, with the aliens and the alligator in the sewer."

"Yeah, first time we met the Tri— Gabriel. Do you think he —"

"Not sure. I was with him a few minutes ago, and when I left his room, the door led me in here. This is probably some sort of illusion that he made." Sam walks down towards Dean. "But he barely has any grace. How could he do… all of this?"

"No idea, but we have to get out of here. I do not want to be stuck eleven years in the past."

Read the rest on Ao3!

[desicat-writer]

Today is the start of AO3's IFD 2026 Feedback Fest!

This year’s theme is Alternate Universes (AUs):

my favorite Spuffy AUs

Every Rose by @sunalsolove Wishverse like Buffy goes to the Victorian era to kill Spike before he becomes human

Wrong Place, Perfect Time by MaggieLaFey Buffy lawyer, Spike a detective and mind meltingly hot

A New Dawn by kally77 Dawn is Buffy's daughter

Like Empty Calories by @camellcat Drusilla is also there during the s6 love affair

Moment of Weakness by @flootzavut s2 AU

Warlock by @boopsterliv Buffy a warlock signs a contract with a Demon (Spike) mainly sexy bathtub time

no one loves the light like a (wretched creature) by @saintmarysunshine road trip spuffy with Vamp!Buffy

[1968-100a]

Journeyman | Arrow (TV 2012) | T, 6.7K

Five times Oliver Queen’s soulmark saved his life and one time it put him in the crosshairs.

Happy International Fanworks Day!