Song Remains the Same

Chapter Guide

"This story is too damn long!"
— Everyone

This list summarizes the chapters of this story since Song Remains the Same is incredibly lengthy.

This guide serves as a way that you can refresh your memory and/or read the story without actually reading the story, or find the chapter you're looking for quickly.

1. BORN TO RUN

The story opens late in season three with the Winchesters doing business as usual even though Dean's death day is approaching (only a couple of weeks away). Alex expresses concern to Sam about what's coming closer all the quicker but in denial and unable to talk about it, Sam shuts her down. While driving, Dean reflects on Alex's recent, unexplained, and suspicious acquisition of her voice after a life of being totally mute before. He feels there must be some supernatural explanation—not only did her voice just come back, but she has been speaking easily for the most part after a couple weeks of learning "the ropes." In the back seat, his sister is trying to believe they will find a way to save Dean from his fate, and afraid of losing her big brother who she is definitely more close to. Everyone is walking on eggshells, trying to fight what's inevitable.

2. THE WALKING DEAD

Four months and a half months later we see Alex at Bobby's going through the motions. It's revealed that she and Sam went separate ways after Dean died. They fought and exchanged harsh words amidst their grief and she hasn't heard from him since and is too proud and hurt to try and go find him now. She is very deeply grieved and not doing well in her brothers' absences, but she is the type to just follow along with whatever authority figure is closest. Bobby is like a dad to her. While she is loading some rounds for Bobby in the basement, she hears a scuffle upstairs and grabs a weapon, runs up there only to find Dean with Bobby. Refusing to believe that is actually be her brother, she holds him at gunpoint and demands to know what is going on. Bobby says he already did holy water and salt, so he's not a demon or a shifter. Dean pleads his case and she notices a tic he has always had and is convinced. Overjoyed, brother and sister are reunited. Then Dean asks where Sam is and is unhappy to learn of that situation. Chapter ends with everyone nervously wondering who or what raised Dean and why.

3. RULE OF THIRDS

Bobby, Dean, and Alex set to work finding Sam. They track him down to the town where Dean came out of the ground from. They find him with a young woman and when Sam sees Dean, he attacks. The siblings are all at odds, especially Sam and Alex. Alex rides with Bobby when they leave instead of with her brothers. She laments that having a voice is sometimes a curse because she has no filter and isn't good at knowing how to communicate herself—she feels responsible for her/Sam's problems. Bobby comforts her the best he can. Meanwhile the brothers converse tensely about what went wrong when Dean died. They head to a psychic friend of Bobby's in hopes that they can learn who/what raised Dean.

4: HEAVEN HELP ME

The psychic Pamela holds a seance in which she hears the name 'Castiel' and demands he show his face to her. Her eyes are subsequently burned out and we cut to the hospital where Bobby and Alex have stayed with her to see her through. That night Alex hears Sam sneaking out and follows him because she is very suspicious of him and his recent shifty behavior. She sees him get into the Impala and leave inexplicably. She is distracted from her investigation when the motel begins to shake and Dean is heard screaming in their room. She and Bobby drag him out of his room and they hit the road, certain that this 'Castiel' creature is in pursuit. Dean and Alex talk Bobby into trapping the creature and trying to kill it. Bobby is an unwilling participant. They set up a huge trap in an abandoned building and have every weapon conceivable ready. Bobby summons Castiel and when he finally shows up, he claims to be an angel. He knocks Bobby unconscious with a mere touch and makes to do the same to Alex but Dean jumps in front of his sister and doesn't allow it. The angel claims Dean was raised to life to carry out God's work and he also comments on Alex's 'new voice' which startles her completely. There's an intensity to him that is both scary and intriguing to Alex, and he seems especially interested in her. He leaves the brother and sister dumbfounded, saying he'll be in touch soon.