Echoes of the Past

Chapter 2

Outside the towering estate of Downton Abbey, Sam and Veronica stood near the car, huddled in conversation over a phone call with Dean and Castiel. The cold air had a slight bite to it, but Sam barely noticed, too focused on the discussion at hand.

"A time portal?" Dean's voice crackled through the speaker, thick with disbelief. "Like an actual time portal? You gotta be kidding me, Sammy."

Sam sighed. "I wish I were."

Castiel's voice chimed in, calm and methodical as ever. "The appearance of a time portal is rare, especially in a place like Downton Abbey, but it's not unheard of. Usually, time portals are the culmination of magnetic energy—or, in some cases, they're created by rifts through time caused by significant events in the past."

Veronica, leaning against the hood of the car, furrowed her brow. "So, like residue of electromagnetic energy... or, you know, if Hitler had won World War II?"

"Exactly," Castiel confirmed.

Dean groaned. "Great. Another time travel adventure. Any way to shut this thing down, Cas?"

Cas paused for a moment before answering. "Closing a time portal requires a significant amount of power—far more than any ordinary human could possess. The only way to shut it down or figure out why it's there is to investigate the source of the rift."

Veronica gave Sam a sidelong glance, then raised her voice toward the phone. "Which means we have to go through the portal... to the other side."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Dean spoke again, his tone serious. "Well, just be careful. Time travel can be messy. Trust me, I've been there. Last thing you want is to end up screwing up the timeline and causing a whole new set of problems."

Castiel chimed in again with a note of caution. "Yes. Keep the timeline intact with minimal interference. Even small changes can have lasting effects."

Sam nodded, even though Dean and Cas couldn't see him. "Don't worry, we'll be careful."

After ending the call, Sam and Veronica turned to Peter, who had been quietly observing the conversation. His expression was one of curiosity, but also of understanding.

"We appreciate your help," Sam began. "But it's probably time for you to go. Things are about to get... complicated. And dangerous."

Peter, ever the pragmatic historian, nodded with a soft smile. "Don't worry. I know when it's time to leave things to the experts. Just... be careful in there."

Veronica gave Peter a small, appreciative nod. "We will. Thanks, Peter."

With that, Peter headed toward his car, leaving Sam and Veronica standing at the threshold of the estate, the looming presence of the time portal still fresh in their minds. They shared a look, a silent agreement passing between them.

It was time to find out what was on the other side.

XXXX

Back at the bunker, Castiel sat in a chair across from Dean, who was wrapped in blankets and looking generally miserable. A small pile of used tissues sat on the table next to him, and every so often, Dean would cough or sniff, clearly not thrilled with his current state.

"You're a difficult patient," Cas observed, his voice even and calm, but there was a flicker of concern in his eyes.

Dean grumbled, shifting in his seat. "Yeah, well, you try dealing with a head full of cotton and a throat full of sandpaper."

Cas tilted his head slightly, studying him. "How exactly did you get sick?"

Dean huffed. "We had a run-in with a vampire nest down in Texas. Sam wanted to drive the Impala back, but I told him I was fine. Drove all the way home, only to wake up the next day feeling like death."