Forest of the Angels

A room full of idiots

"I don't understand." Rachel muttered.

"It's simple really. Cas writes the letter pretending to be Jess and all the documents, giving the file to our real grandma who lives here telling her to read it and tell her family that something is in these woods. You get all interested after she dies, we go to the house, find the documents. Jess disappears and we find 'her' letter, giving us a reason to come here. Jess isn't our grandma, we can take her home and be together again with no paradox to intervene." Ellie slurred, her head laid on the table as she counted each passing second that she could've spent sleeping.

"No I get that." Rachel snapped as though it was obvious. "How did we not recognize Jess' handwriting?"

"We are terrible relatives" Ellie murmured through a yawn.

"I still can't believe you two." Jess was laughing in the corner, munching on the food Ellie and Rachel had picked for her. She made it halfway through a packet of Crunchies before she too yawned widely.

"Are you kiddos tired?" Dean chirped from the table.

"Piss off granddad." Ellie muttered, propping her head on her arm and forcing herself to stay awake.

Sam snorted, whilst Dean's face flooded with shock. "Right, bed, all of you." He snapped, waving the three out of the room, ignoring Rachel's complaints.

After they were gone, Dean shot a glare at a still sniggering Sam.

"What?" Dean growled, too tired and irritable for manners.

"You're acting like their dad." Sam stated as he flipped through a newspaper which Dean had already called him a nerd for reading.

"And?" He grumbled in response. He grabbed a beer and downed half in an instant, wiping his tired face lazily with his hand.

Sam set down the newspaper. "You suit it, being a parent. Just reminded me of all the times I pictured you if we got out of the life. You would get married, raise some kids and be that kind of embarrassing dad who your children pretend to be irritated by but secretly love. The way you joked with them, it just makes me want you to be out of this life more than anything."

Dean smirked, reflecting on what his brother had just said, before his expression dropping to a frown. "What about you, Sammy?"

"I had my chance." Sam snapped, grabbing the newspaper back.

"You mean Jess?" Dean asked, slightly harshly. He ripped the newspaper from Sam. "Jess was taken from you by Azazel and that wasn't fair, you deserved her, man, more than anything. You decided to hunt that demonic son of a bitch down and stop more people like Jess and Mom dying, it was the right thing. Don't you dare treat that like trapping yourself in this life, what about Ben and Lisa? I could've spent the rest of my life with them but I couldn't, because I couldn't leave you hunting alone. If I do, by some miracle, get out, I won't be out alone, you hear me? You'll be free too." Dean ranted at Sam, who bowed his head mournfully.

Sam only nodded in response; both knew what Dean really meant. Neither of them could escape from the hunter's life. The slim chance they had of escape was shrouded in the shadow of trauma and nightmares –if they did get out, their memories would be enough to keep them there forever. They would only be free if the other died – permanently – and it's not like they'd forgive themselves if that happened. Their one true chance was death, for the both of them.

Dean to a long gulp from his beer, he didn't want to admit his deepest thoughts. Instead, they both sat in silence, the dark cloud of their conversation hanging over them as a smothering mist.

None quite knew how much time had passed when Cas, who had been sent to look for demons, returned.

"Well?" Dean grumbled.

"I can sense them, they're close, but they're hiding themselves well. I think we should split tomorrow; half of us look in the woods for angels and the other half asks around town." Cas mumbled, fumbling with his coat as he worried that he had disappointed them.

"Awesome idea, Cas." Dean lightly slapped him on the back.

"Okay." Sam interjected, his intelligent mind rapidly coming up with an idea. "Rachel is local, so she knows the woods best and Cas you can go with her, we can only hope that you have power over these things. Maybe if Jess goes around town as she's been here for a few weeks." He paused, wondering where he should go. "I'll go with Cas, I want to check out the house and maybe Dean, you're better with them than me, you go with Jess and-"

"Oh, I'm not going with her, she'll kill me." Dean flapped his hands in denial, whining like a petulant teenager "And she has blue hair, I mean, come on, what person in the 1930s has blue hair?"

Sam raised his eyebrow and then placed his fist in his palm, motioning at Dean to do the same.

Dean rolled his eyes and copied his brother, and they commenced their match of rock-paper-scissors.

"Son of a bitch!"