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Fic: The Fury of Jewels and Coal
Also, the title is taken from an Anne Sexton poem, which doesn't feel very Dean-like, but then, this is a fic about three strong women, so I guess its feminist author seemed appropriate. Let me know what you think--if you have any better suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Title: The Fury of Jewels and Coal
Fandoms: Supernatural, Friday Night Lights, Firefly, Angel
Pairings: Dean/Lyla, Dean/River, Dean/Cordy
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,688
Summary: Three girls Dean Winchester will never understand : Lyla Garrity, River Tam and Cordelia Chase
*
Ruby: Lyla
Little towns like this always have ghosts. Dean has yet to stumble across a town that doesn’t have its fair share of hauntings, usually the benign kind that scare local kids with their spectral appearances, the kind that ignore the teenagers who sneak into abandoned houses and old graveyards on cloudless summer nights because there isn’t much else to do. Dean imagines that if what happened hadn’t happened, he and Sam would have grown up in
It’s the bloodthirsty ones that concern him, and there’s a hell of a one in
But he dutifully interviews everyone even remotely involved with the store and the deaths, staying in his jeans and flannel instead of a suit, because these Texans seem far more impressed by his ranger’s badge than he could imagine them being about one of his government agency IDs. Sam buries himself in old newspapers and microfiche at the public library in an attempt to figure out just what this ghost wants. It feels like it’s all going to play out like a normal case.
He’s drinking a beer in the empty parking lot of the football field at dusk when she walks by. She doesn’t smile or look him over flirtatiously. She just makes a noncommittal comment about him being new in town, one that he could easily bat away if he wanted her to leave.
He doesn’t.
The gates are locked, but she knows ways in, just like everyone else in town, and they end up sitting on the bleachers, looking down at the empty field and not each other, talking in the vaguest sorts of ways: weather, pie, the local motel, the hangouts here, the town’s reactions to the deaths. And once the sun has dipped below the horizon, she stands up, says goodbye, walks away.
He stares after her, then down at his empty beer bottle.
Her story, when he hears it, doesn’t surprise him, but he aches for her, and that’s something new. He cares about the people he helps, always has, but he doesn’t let himself empathize with them or feel their pain. Not when he has his pain and Sammy’s to carry. Not when what’s left of his beat-up heart is full of fire and a hole where Mom used to be and Sam eating SpaghettiOs in motel rooms and yellow eyes and Dad in a hospital bed. But somehow, for some reason, when he hears her story, he finds that he had a little bit of room left his in his heart after all. Not enough for him to fall in love with her, because Dean doesn’t fall in love, but enough for her to slip in and him to hurt for her.
Golden girl: rich daddy’s little princess, oldest daughter, straight A’s, cheerleading squad, star quarterback boyfriend. Broken world: boyfriend’s back and her future shattered on the same night, daddy’s betrayal, seeking solace from the only person she thought could understand her pain and then being judged by everybody because of it, and Dean’s finally met a girl who’s a bigger mess than he is.
It’s that, more than anything else, that holds him back. If she were any other girl, any other girl he’s ever met, he would have talked her into the back seat of the Impala by now, using sweet words he only half-means to coax something precious away from her. But she isn’t any other girl, and maybe she’s not so different, either, even though he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to really know all the things she keeps tightly wrapped inside. To be honest, he’s not really interested in trying. He just wants to sit beside her and listen to her talk. He’s pretty sure that makes him a wuss and he kind of hates himself for it, but it’s true.
She catches a glimpse one day of the
What she does instead is stride up, pull a shotgun out of the back and toss back a Grab one over her shoulder. Amused, he does as instructed.
She’s a good shot, and he doesn’t even have to add the qualifier “for a girl” to it. Not flawless, she’s no Annie Oakley, but good enough for him to feel proud of her. He gives her a few pointers, and she’s a quick study, too, improving immediately. Nothing flashy: she just calmly lifts the gun up to her cheek, squeezes the trigger, gives with the kickback, lifts a hand to shade her eyes as she looks to see that the coffee can is now lying on the ground, another hole for a souvenir.
They talk a little bit, but not about anything important. He doesn’t tell her about
He knows that there’s no way she isn’t being talked about again, that she must be getting lectures at home from her concerned mother (and, really, for once, Dean feels pleased instead of irritation that Mrs. Garrity is concerned, because, after all, he knows what it looks like, and he wouldn’t let the guy he normally is around Lyla, not ever). She must have gained quite the reputation as the town slut, what with both the broody best friend and Dean himself hanging around. It makes him angry—she hasn’t done anything wrong, and that in itself is new, because he’s always promoted his reputation as a ladies’ man, never once disputing the few women attributed to him that he didn’t sleep with—but she never seems to mind, so he doesn’t bring it up. She’s not so broken that she wouldn’t have walked away from him at the beginning if she really cared about her reputation anymore.
He doesn’t spend all his time with her. He has a job to do, after all, protecting the people who have come in contact with the antique store over the past few weeks, still doing research, though they haven’t come up with anything definitive yet, and she has a life. Still, he manages to find a few hours a day, usually around sunset, to drive out into the open land with her and shoot. Her voice, her scent, the summer air, the yellow sunlight lull him, loosening muscles and locks that have been screwed tight for years.
That’s why, when it happens, he isn’t nearly prepared.
He should have known that she had figured out what he really was. Probably not in a proactive kind of way—he can’t see her sneaking around town gathering evidence or snooping through his motel room while he’s researching—but just by keeping her eyes and her mind open. And more than that, he should have known that it wouldn’t be enough to keep her away from him. He let himself get far too close to her.
When the terrified owner of the store calls him to say that Lyla Garrity had stopped by the store yesterday looking for him, he’s drowned in a fear he hasn’t felt since Dad died. He doesn’t even take the time to call Sam, just grabs a shotgun and a bag full of salt bullets and tears over to her house (he knows which one it is, of course, even if he’s never been there). It’s empty: Dad long gone, Mom out running errands with the younger siblings in tow. But the door is unlocked.
It isn’t a scream he hears from her bedroom, it’s heavy, labored breathing, the kind that scrapes through lungs and out of an open mouth. He smells the blood, though, before he hears that, and when he throws the door open, she’s lying propped up against the bed, scarlet blossoming across her white shirt till it could almost be a flowered pattern. Her eyes recognize him, even through the clouds of pain.
The ghost isn’t there, but he wouldn’t have stopped if it was, just sweeps her up in his arms as carefully but quickly as he can (and he’s never been so glad of all his experience in these kinds of things). He’s down the stairs and outside without thinking about it, listening only to the scratching sound of her breathing. As he eases her across the backseat of the Impala, he wishes that that he was good at the kind of softly-spoken encouragement, whispers of soothing words that he remembers his mother murmuring after nightmares. Sam would be good at that. He kisses her forehead.
He stumbles into the door of the hospital with her in his arms, lets them take her from him (she was never his to hold), and doesn’t even wait around. She could live, she could die, and there’s nothing he can do about either. He turns to leave. He knows what he can do.
This time, he does call Sam, because he doesn’t have a death wish, not really, not when his death would mean his brother being alone in the world. But Sam’s bewildered shouts don’t stop him when he starts to destroy every piece of furniture in the store with the butt of his gun. He shakes Sam’s hands off his shoulders, keeps moving, methodically, but with barely-contained fury, destroys.
It works, though. There is the ghost and it’s slashing at him with the same butcher knife he knows it used to attack Lyla, but he ignores the pain, the blood streaming into his eyes, letting Sam take care of letting loose a round of salt bullets. It’s in the bottom drawer of an innocuous-looking cabinet that he finds the bones, and then he’s reaching for salt, the kerosene, his lighter.
The cabinet goes up in flames, the ghost disappears, and he strides out the door, not helping Sam in his furious attempts to put out the fire now that the job is done. He waits outside in the driver’s seat.
He sends Sam into the hospital to find out, and he doesn’t say anything when the news is good. She’ll be fine, make a full recovery, though she’s lost a lot of blood and will be weak for a while. He just turns the car towards the highway.
Sam opens his mouth to say something, but Dean flips on AC/DC and guns it. Sammy, with his tender, tragic love for his lost Jessica and his life in Stanford, could never understand.
Dean could never stay in a place that wasn’t his in the first place.
*
Emerald: River
Dean understands Simon Tam. Sam stares at him like he’s crazy when he agrees to help the young doctor out—for a reasonable price, of course—even though there’s no way it won’t draw Alliance attention to them, and that’s the one thing the Winchesters have always avoided. His brother smiles tightly at Simon, murmurs a polite word, jerks Dean away so that they can speak without being heard. Simon, of course, turns away. Nearly too polite, that boy. It could easily get him killed one day.
Dean rolls his eyes and answers all of Sam’s hissed protests and accusations with flip sardonicisms. His brother’s frustration doesn’t faze him, and he doesn’t even try to explain what he’s thinking—Sam is the little brother; he could never understand.
He also doesn’t tell Sam that earlier, when the youngest
There wasn’t anything Dean could say to that, not when his mind was filled with a thousand of images of Sammy being tortured by the
Sam, though, still thinks it’s about the money. He may be smart, but Dean marvels at his stupidity sometimes. Nothing was ever about the money.
Getting Simon in and out is both easier and more complicated than Dean thought it would be. He had to call up a dozen favors—from Bobby, from Derrial, from all his dad’s old friends—and spend more of Simon’s money than he’s really comfortable with, though he would never admit to that. But one look at the young doctor’s eyes, and Dean knew that the money didn’t matter to him either. Nothing did but River. Dean can respect that.
When they’re home-free and shooting out into the Black, Dean finally has a chance to look at the trembling girl in the bay, wrapped in her brother’s arms. Simon’s fighting back tears, speaking comforting words, but River’s eyes are dry, flickering over the bay, taking in everything. Dean suddenly, irrationally, wishes that he’d tidied up the place a bit. And when her eyes find him, he feels the same way about himself. He glares at her to cover for it.
It’s clear even to Dean’s untrained eyes that there is something deeply wrong with River. Simon had spoken of a brilliant girl, lovely and wickedly funny, able to learn anything better than anyone else. This River isn’t exactly broken—strangely, he doesn’t think that’s possible—but something has cracked or shattered inside her. She shrieks in her nightmare nights (Dean grumbles, but doesn’t really complain), babbles on, words that, on their own, make perfect sense, but strung together defy understanding. She finds all the nooks and crannies in the Impala, hides in them, singing softly to herself. Simon and Sam are both patient and gentle with her. The girl is batshit insane, Dean says.
She likes to sit perched in Sam’s co-pilot’s seat (Sam isn’t ever really needed to fly the thing in the first place, but Dean would rather have his brother by his side than not, even if Sam protests that he hasn’t needed a babysitter in years), bare feet tucked underneath her, the hem of her green dress hanging over the edge of the seat. They don’t say much because whenever he does say anything to her, she either gives him a “you’re dumb as a brick” look or says something he doesn’t understand but that’s clearly disdainful, intellectual, and sarcastic. In that order. That always ends in him saying something equally sarcastic and borderline cruel and Simon’s face clouding—and, after all, he likes the guy and it isn’t worth fighting with the sister over. At first he feels jumpy, having her there at his shoulder, but after a while he takes to her presence like he might a silent and watchful cat.
When he finds she’s reset the navigation computer, he yells and storms, furious. She doesn’t cower, just stares up at him with uninterested eyes. Later, once he calms down, he finds that the new coordinates she’s entered save them time and also keep them far a field of any place they might run into
She dances in the bay, slipping out of her shoes and twirling in impossibly fast circles, hair streaming out, making impossibly light leaps, landing quietly as a cat. With her dark hair, in her green dress, she likes like a figure out the myths of Earth-That-Was that Mom used to tell him at night. Sam tosses him a grin, but Dean isn’t finding excuses to pass by the bay whenever he can.
They’re on Persephone for three days, and Sam cocks an eyebrow when Dean doesn’t appear back at the ship the first night with a local girl picked up from one of the bars in tow. Dean doesn’t let himself think about why he doesn’t, but River’s eyes peek over the pile of cargo boxes, solemn and speculating.
Apparently, the doctor must have had a little bit of money left, because when they leave Persephone, River is sitting on top of the kitchen table, a dozen books in as many languages—many of them long dead—piled beside her. Once they’re safely into the Black and he’s moving through the kitchen making dinner, she starts to chatter away—places, names, dates he’s never heard of, big long words of the kind a Shepherd or a university professor might use trailing around her like her hair. She’s talking to him, and though he knows she doesn’t expect him to understand any of the words she’s speaking, her big eyes tell him she knows that he does know what she’s getting at.
It’s on Whitefall that they finally figure out what it was the government was poking around in her brain for. Surrounded by Alliance soldiers—and this is the first time that the Winchesters get confirmation that yes, the Alliance does know they were involved—Dean and Sam raise their rifles, begin to take out the soldiers. Sam is cool and calm as ever, Dean fire and taunts at those sons-of-bitches (he can never forget Mom, forget Dad, forget home, forget everything the
He lies in bed that night, hating himself for even toying with the idea of asking the Tams to stay on. A doctor would be a good thing to have around, endlessly useful, and Simon, with his carefully-chosen words and his unruffled appearance could probably get them into places the Winchesters wouldn’t have even dreamed of going. And besides, he tells himself, River would be good in a fight.
But he never speaks the words—life since the Alliance took over the small planet of Lawrence has always been him, Sam, their guns, and the Impala, and Dean knows he wouldn’t know how to live anything different—and so when they reach Ezra four days later, the Tams pack their things.
When the doctor shakes his hand solemnly, neither thanks the other or mentions anything about how they came to end up on the same ship. There aren’t words for things like that. But Dean looks again at the cut of Simon’s suit, the snowy white of his shirt, his doctor’s hands and wonders how the children of an Osiris diplomat will survive on a backwater dustball of a moon.
But then River comes twirling out of the ship, books tucked in the crook of each arm. She lets Sam hug her, returns his smile, then darts up to Dean and kisses his cheek before darting away. When he stares after her in astonishment, she shoots a mischievous glance over her shoulder before disappearing from sight, and he realizes that the Tams will survive. After what they’ve been through, they can get through anything.
That girl is batshit insane, Dean mutters as he follows his brother back into the ship and on with their lives.
*
Sapphire: Cordy
The last thing he expected when he and Sam tracked the Slacar demon into
Someone who was a vampire with a soul and a supernatural detective agency and a really, really hot secretary.
Who just so happened to shoot an arrow right into Dean’s shoulder while she and her boss and her co-workers and Sam and Dean all try to take out the demon.
And then doesn’t even care, just sniffs and says something about how he shouldn’t have gotten in the way of people who know what they’re doing.
At that moment, Dean decides that even though he’d still sleep with her, he really, really hates her.
Which means, of course, that as soon as they kill the Slacar, they discover that there’s a whole nest of them, a nest even the six of them together can’t take, and that they’ll have to stick around town till they can come up with a way to take it out. And, of course, that the Winchesters won’t be able to turn down the offer of a free place to stay at the hotel that the vampire has turned into a detective agency, even if Dean isn’t anywhere close to trusting said vampire.
Which all gives him a chance to get to know her better and makes him realize that, yeah. He really, really does hate her.
Of course, she’s got that rich girl superiority complex that lets him know without a doubt that she would never let him touch her—her every look screams, you’ve got no chance, buddy—though she’s nothing but friendly to Sam. He decides she wouldn’t be worth it anyway.
As Dean and Sam slide into the daily life of Angel Investigations, he wonders at the obvious affection the other three men—strike that: two men and one vampire—show for her, since they all seem like reasonable guys—even the vampire. Why would they put up with such a bitch?
Except, when she thinks he isn’t looking, she isn’t such a bitch. Sure, she obviously cares too much about her appearance (which is really kind of ridiculous, considering what she looks like, trust him: nobody’s going to be looking at her clothes when she has a body like that underneath them), has an aversion to bugs and “icky” things, sometimes imperiously hands out orders like they should be obeyed just because she is who she is.
And yet…. He’d spent a lot of time at first, wondering what it was she really does: with the amount and kind of business this place does, Angel clearly doesn’t need a secretary. But then he sees—and the irony isn’t lost on him, because he’s never been terribly observant about things that didn’t have teeth and claws or weren’t Sam—that it’s the little things she does that make the place work.
She fetches blood, warms it, spices it up for Angel. Keeps Wes’s books and papers arranged and stacked, saving them half a dozen times from getting covered with demon goo or pizza sauce. Keeps Gunn’s weapons in shining order, always at the ready. Makes the tea to hand to the trembling victims who come in to ask for help. Teases Angel out of his brooding, Wes away from his office, Gunn into feeling important. She laughs with Sam, and he can see that his little brother adores her.
But with him, she’s always the most infuriating mixture of aloof and flirtatious that lets him know just how far out of his league she is and just how highly she doesn’t think of him. She never even talks directly to him, always addressing anything she needs to say to him to one of the other people in the room, like a little kid needing a mediator to talk to a sibling she’s angry at. He can’t decide if he wants to strangle her or drag her off to bed.
He tells himself that he isn’t spending time thinking about her. After all, he does have a lot of things to think about, like the research Sam is helping Wes with. They don’t come up with anything at first, but Dean doesn’t worry about it too much because he trusts Wes to come up with a solution. At first, he’d thought the Englishman was a wuss they kept around to do the bookwork, but as he gets to know him, he’s finding more and more that there’s so much more going on with the guy and that he’s a man Dean can respect. He reminds him, in a lot of ways, of Pastor Jim. It feels a little like home.
And then, of course, there’s the Angel issue. Dean just doesn’t trust the guy. Sure, he’s listened to the “vampire-with-a-soul” spiel multiple times now, and the guy does seem to be reformed and trying to help people. But he’s a vampire, and as such, Dean can’t help but distrust him, even after Lenore. It doesn’t help matters that one night when he and Gunn get drunk at a local bar the other man tells him stories he in turn had heard from Cordy and Wes about “Angelus.” The dichotomy thing, as Wes calls it, doesn’t sit right with Dean, and he’s on edge whenever the vampire is around.
But he bites his tongue as much as he can, voicing his thoughts only to Sam when no one else is around. Sam is, of course, much more trusting. But he’s also smart, and he’ll keep his eyes open.
All this distrust, though, doesn’t stop them from working with Angel Investigations. It’s kind of nice to have a base of operations, to have people come to them with problems instead of scouring newspapers and internet sites for potential cases. Getting paid is also pretty sweet, though they certainly aren’t making all that much. Still, it’s easier than pool hustling and credit card scams.
And
They take out a ghora demon one night. He saves her life. She doesn’t even bother to thank him. He fumes.
Things carry on that way for a few weeks: Dean mostly leaving Sam to research with Wes, patrolling with Gunn, trying not to lose his temper with Cordy, keeping an eye on Angel. But everything changes the night they fight the nest of Rancuar demons.
It’s a big nest, one of the biggest he’s ever seen, holed in up an abandoned warehouse in what Gunn calls “my part of town.” There are over twenty of them there, but the team and the Winchesters are professionals. They dispatch of them pretty easily, ignoring the disgusting but harmless goo that coats them, spurting out every time they hit one of the Rancuars. In only fifteen minutes, they’d killed all of them, and the six hunters stood in the middle of the warehouse, covered in goo and surrounded by green, rubbery corpses.
They’d all turned to leave when the Rancuar leaps out of nowhere. Dean doesn’t even have time to wonder how they’d missed one: the thing has claws that were more than capable of ripping off a head, and it is headed right at Angel.
Guns don’t do much on these guys, and he doesn’t have time to raise his crossbow. Instead, he rips the machete out of his belt and takes his own leap forward.
He crashes into the demon in midair, feeling all the air go out of him. They collapse into a tangle on the floor before Dean recovers enough to start hacking at the thing with his machete. It’s dead within seconds.
When he lets Angel pull him to his feet, he feels Cordy’s eyes on him. As the vampire quietly but sincerely thanks him, he feels Cordy’s eyes on him. As they troop out to the cars, drive back to the Hyperion, he feels Cordy’s eyes on him.
But it isn’t until they’re alone in the lobby of the hotel, the others having disappeared, that she says anything to him. She pins him with her big shining eyes and says, You saved Angel’s life. And you don’t even trust him.
And that’s when she throws her arms around him and kisses him more fiercely than any woman ever has. He doesn’t question, just returns it as completely, and even this is better than he imagined.
When she breaks away to beam up at him, he shakes his head in amazement. You’re the weirdest woman in the world. I’ve never met anyone like you.
Her grin turns cheeky. I know, she says, then tugs him by the hand back to the hotel. And up to his room.
They’re both completely covered in Rancuar goo the first time, barely managing to strip out of their clothes, and not getting anywhere near the bathroom they were aiming for. Truthfully, it takes them quite a while to make it there, and by the time they do, most of the goo is now covering the room instead of them anyways. They take a shower anyways.
Sam and Gunn both grin knowingly when he comes downstairs the next morning, and Wes’s eyes sparkle before he coughs and heads back into his office. Angel won’t meet his eye, though, and he’s pretty sure that if it were possible for a vampire to blush, this one would be doing so. Cordy seems completely unaware. But she grins at him over her coffee.
Without anyone speaking at all, Sam moves into another room and Cordy stops going back to her apartment at night. Before long her shampoo bottles are mixing with his, her clothes have taken over one of her drawers, his money clip and keys are all mixed up with her jewelry on the table. He hasn’t ever had this before, and he doesn’t really know how to react to it. He isn’t sure he’s doing any of the right things, but she never makes him feel insufficient and that’s something.
They fight. A lot. Most of it’s nothing serious, but there are a few shouting matches that have something deep inside that he denies trembling for fear it will break. But she sure as hell knows how to make up afterwards. He doesn’t really tell her much about the past, though she tells him funny stories about her high school days in Sunnydale (though he can hear behind some of the stories pain and loneliness that she never acknowledges). Besides, he gets the feeling she’s figured out more than enough about his past on her own. And they don’t talk, either, never say sweet or loving words. He never learned how, and neither of them are so delusional think this is forever. It’s better just to let it happen.
But she manages to be affectionate without being clingy, interested in him without prying, concerned without nagging. She doesn’t flinch away when he’s covered with blood or sweat, even when she’s in her good clothes. She asks him to teach her to fight, and she’s a quick learner, though he teases her for saying it’s because of cheerleading. He thinks she may be the perfect woman.
But then Wes and Sam finally come up with something. It’s a long shot and relies heavily on magic, something Dean isn’t very comfortable with. Still, they’ve all taken bigger risks before, and those Slacar haven’t stopped preying on children. They suit up.
The battle is furious and Dean feels the itch and crawl of magic even as he fights. He doesn’t like the way it seems to coat him in a sheen as fine as sweat, but it’s good to know that the others are watching his, and especially Sam’s, back.
When he kills the last one, he doesn’t look at Cordy. His excuse for staying is gone now.
She doesn’t ask them—him—to stay. She stands straight-backed and dry-eyed as the Winchesters shake hands with Angel’s team, then walk to the Impala (they said their goodbyes the night before, a dozen times, without ever saying the words). As he slides the car into gear, he glances out the window, catches her eye. She doesn’t smile, but the look there is better than that.
It isn’t till they stop four hours later for gas that he discovers the carefully packed cooler in the back seat and a note in her girlish handwriting.
You’re quite a man, Dean Winchester. I've never met a man like you. Don’t forget me.
As if he ever could.
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Ahhh, I love your writing so much. Unfortunately, I only read the first two parts because I'm not familiar with the other character--but wow.
First of all, I love the way you characterized Lyla, and how gentle Dean was with her. Their relationship was gorgeous, and I think you did a brilliant job with it.
And the Winchesters being the ones to help Simon rescue River? BRILLIANCE. I love Supernatural/Firefly crossovers, and that was definitely one of the best I've ever seen.
The way you write Dean is what really gets me here. You get inside his head, and there's just this raw, real quality to the voice you've given him in this.
Sam opens his mouth to say something, but Dean flips on AC/DC and guns it. Sammy, with his tender, tragic love for his lost Jessica and his life in Stanford, could never understand.
That line in particular really got to me. I just love this, I really do. Thanks so much for sharing.
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The last part is Cordelia from Buffy and Angel. And if you ever have a lot of time and nothing to watch, you should definitely watch those shows because you would love them.
I'm so glad you thought the Dean/Lyla worked. You're right about him being gentle, and I was afraid at first that that was a little out of character, but I do think he has that capacity that just doesn't get to come to the surface first.
When I was brainstorming about how to get Dean and River to meet, the only thing that popped into my head was them helping rescue her. So I'm glad it worked for you! To be honest, I haven't read any other Supernatural/Firefly crossovers, but I'm very, very excited that you liked this one!
You get inside his head, and there's just this raw, real quality to the voice you've given him in this. Thank you so very much. I'm always paranoid that I'm going to be OOC.
Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm truly thrilled that you liked!
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And your icon is gorgeous.
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Sorry, that required capslock. But wow this was amazing. Like, amazing amazing.
Proper feedback is forthcoming.
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Lyla's section.
Lyla:
Little towns like this always have ghosts. Dean has yet to stumble across a town that doesn’t have its fair share of hauntings, usually the benign kind that scare local kids with their spectral appearances, the kind that ignore the teenagers who sneak into abandoned houses and old graveyards on cloudless summer nights because there isn’t much else to do.
Sorry. I had to quote that because oh.my.god that was beautiful and utterly amazing and um, please to be writing something original about a ghost town? that's, if you want, of course.
Right, fic now. Dean does think about what life might've been like and I love how he's equated that with Dillon, that the life right here could've been his. Dean is just excited because Cindy’s Diner has the best pie he’s ever eaten and there are six more kinds to try. BECAUSE YOU BROUGHT IN PIE. You always draw the differences between Sam and Dean really, really well. Sam's rushing into the case, developing theories and trying to get it sorted. Dean's lazing back and eating pie, but still keeping an eye on things. But mostly pie. For this I love you.
She just makes a noncommittal comment about him being new in town, one that he could easily bat away if he wanted her to leave.
He doesn’t.
That to me is really significant. That he isn't choosing the flirty girl, the girl with a shorter skirt or a bigger smile, he's choosing her. And he's aware that this is different, that this is new.
Her story, when he hears it, doesn’t surprise him, but he aches for her, and that’s something new. He cares about the people he helps, always has, but he doesn’t let himself empathize with them or feel their pain. Okay, so I loved the entire paragraph but it begs for dissection of love. These two lines are amazing because this really is Dean. It's not that he doesn't care, but he is aware that he has a job, that he has more than enough to bear already. Sam always seems perturbed by his lack of connection with these people, but that's not the truth of it. It's that Dean had a big heart but it's filled with Sammy and he just can't fit anything else in. Except Lyla. I love the way you put that, that he isn't in love with her, but he feels for her.
and Dean’s finally met a girl who’s a bigger mess than he is. That paragraph was so heartbreaking because I've really warmed to Lyla and this is so true. Also, that section about Dean knowing that she's different and being both okay and a little weirded out by that because, this is Dean Winchester we're talking about here.
The way she starts to finds out about the Winchester life and that is doesn't faze her is just so wonderfully well done. That he worries for her reputation and that he wouldn’t let the guy he normally is around Lyla, not ever just breaks me a little bit more.
And how she gets hurt by trying to figure him out and him saving her (and by the way the action was absolutely gripping) and that she'll be alright.
That he doesn't stick aroung and Sam doesn't question it. And this: Dean could never stay in a place that wasn’t his in the first place. which killed me. All of these are just little bits of the awesome of just this section alone.
Re: Lyla's section.
I would love to write something original about a ghost town. But I tend to have problems writing short stories that are original--most of my stuff is (in theory, at least) novel-length. But if you give me a bit more of a prompt, I'd love to see what I could come up with.
Apparently, I can't write about Dean without writing about pie. And truly, DEAN/PIE is my OTP, I guess, because pie's the only one who he doesn't leave in the end.
Sorry for that bout of silliness.
That he isn't choosing the flirty girl, the girl with a shorter skirt or a bigger smile, he's choosing her. And he's aware that this is different, that this is new. You always, always get what I'm going for.
Sam always seems perturbed by his lack of connection with these people, but that's not the truth of it. It's that Dean had a big heart but it's filled with Sammy and he just can't fit anything else in. Exactly, exactly. Dean is one of those people who loves a few people all-consumingly. I think if his life ever allowed for it, he could love a woman with that kind of love, too. It's just one of the heartbreaking things about his life that the only people his life allows him to love that way are Sam and his dad (and now John is gone, of course). I think that's what I was trying to communicate in this section--the tragedy that is what could have never been. In another world, he could love Lyla that way, but that choice has been taken from him.
*hugs Dean and sobs*
I thought I might have fallen down on the job as far as the action--I'm not so good at it--so I'm glad to know it worked for you.
Re: Lyla's section.
I'll definitely give the prompt more of a work through. My problem with original fiction, is sustaining it. My ideas themselves are novel length but I can't make the writing last that long. I have an issue with being overly concise.
DEAN/PIE = OTP FOR SURE. Even Kripke agrees with us. Pie would never abandon Dean. And Dean would never abandon pie. Therefore OTP.
Ah, it's our twinnish powers at work again Lauren.
Dean is one of those people who loves a few people all-consumingly. I think if his life ever allowed for it, he could love a woman with that kind of love, too
That is exactly it. He has so much to give but the circumstances of his life, of his history, of his family demand otherwise.
the tragedy that is what could have never been
once again, EXACTLY.
I honestly thought you wrote the action really well. I struggle with that, I'm far better at small conversations or internalising stuff; action is a problem. I like that you gave us the details but made it very clear that while that's important, what's really important is Dean and Lyla and whether he can save her.
Re: Lyla's section.
My ideas themselves are novel length but I can't make the writing last that long. I know what you mean, though conciseness has never been my problem (as I'm sure you've figured out by now).
Pie would never abandon Dean. And Dean would never abandon pie. Therefore OTP. I love this thinking.
Good! I was afraid the action was too vague. My huge epic Buffy fic I'm working on now (literally, over 150 pages now, and I'm not half through. I'm so ridiculous) will of course require it, and it totally intimidates me.
Re: Lyla's section.
Conciseness is the thing I can do. Length takes far more effort.
It's so true though, their's is a love story that can never end!
Wow, that really is epic. And I thought my currently 7000 Gossip Girl/OC crossover was epic. It'll be awesome though, your Buffy fic.
Re: Lyla's section.
Now I want a Dean/PIE icon.
And I thought my currently 7000 Gossip Girl/OC crossover was epic. That's totally epic for you! And I'll probably read it, even though I don't watch either show, shockingly enough. I mean, I've seen a few episodes of the OC and I know about GG from you and May, a bit.
I'm really, really excited about my Buffy fic. I can't wait to start posting it. I just hope I can find some people willing to read it. I guess I'll have to get a beta, which is something I've never done before--I'm so OCD about grammar that I usually catch most of my own mistakes. So the whole thing should be a new kind of fandom adventure.
River's section
Dean understands Simon Tam Um because yes, yes you are totally right and that was what I was going for with this prompt completely subconsciously. Simon and Dean are completely selfless when it comes to their siblings. They'd give their lives over and over, and they do, for them; they'd literally walk through hell. I love that Simon recognises that in Dean, that they understand each other through their parallel love for their siblings.
Nothing was ever about the money. Because that's precisely it with Dean. Money isn't the issue, it isn't why he does what he does, it's never been a motivation for him. It's always been about doing the right thing, about getting it right.
Dean suddenly, irrationally, wishes that he’d tidied up the place a bit. And when her eyes find him, he feels the same way about himself. He glares at her to cover for it.
I love that, his sudden unexplainable reaction which he covers with anger. That is the Dean Winchester way. (ALSO THEIR SHIP IS CALLED THE IMPALA. WHY ARE YOU SO AWESOME?)
Simon and Sam are both patient and gentle with her. The girl is batshit insane, Dean says. I love that comparison, that the others are careful with her whereas Dean's all a but Mal about it, blunt and to the point but not unsympathetic.
disdainful, intellectual, and sarcastic. In that order. Once again, I love the sly little slips of humour, this being one of them. It's just so you and so Dean together.
She’s talking to him, and though he knows she doesn’t expect him to understand any of the words she’s speaking, her big eyes tell him she knows that he does know what she’s getting at. I love that. That she knows that he knows, that he even knows at all because some things transcend the words used. Because Dean isn't stupid, not anywhere near.
And I love the ending, about the Alliance tracking them down, about River's abilities, about how Dean considers asking them to stay and how he never does. That he wonders whether they'll make it but realises of course they will.
Re: River's section
And yes. Dean has always been about the right thing. I think I'm really drawn to these characters who you wouldn't expect to really care about right and wrong because on the surface they seem like rebels or selfish bad boys. But underneath, they're all about the mission. Dean is this way, and Spike gets to be, too (which is my favorite thing about his transformation), and Mal, and probably a bunch of others I can't think of right now. But I loooove it.
ALSO THEIR SHIP IS CALLED THE IMPALA. WHY ARE YOU SO AWESOME? I don't know! I don't know where these things come from! It's like my fingers type these things but they never went through my brain first!
Dean's all a but Mal about it, blunt and to the point but not unsympathetic. Right. Which I think she needs just as much as gentleness. And Dean and Mal are really so very, very much alike.
Because Dean isn't stupid, not anywhere near. No, he isn't, though I think he thinks he is.
Re: River's section
That's exactly it, that while they have this rebellious thing going on, they know what's important and in fact have a stronger moral compass than those who sit back and let things happen.
Wow. Even your subconscious is awesome.
That's what's so heartbreaking about him; he compares himself to Sam and finds himself lacking but when he compares himself to his father, it's exactly the same. He's in this middle ground between the two and he sees that as a failing on his part, an indication of uselessness.
Re: River's section
And since I see Dean as being very similar to Mal in many respects - shoot first, ask questions later; falling for someone they can't really have; loving something or someone almost too much; being kind of an old fashioned gentleman - you worked that in really well. All of those are so true. They're both old-fashioned heroes, in a way. They would both work really well in Westerns.
Re: River's section
I've always loved their relationship, right from the pilot episode. As you said, neither of them really belong but neither make that particular effort to ingratiate themselves; Inara can't because she's a Companion and it would break the rules, Simon doesn't because as he said to Kaylee, the manners are all he's got left and he's just not ready to let that go yet. (Oh Simon and Kaylee make me so very happy.)
Man, putting the two of those in a Western. That would be amazing.
Re: River's section
*muses about Westerns*
Cordy's section
(which sounds like the premise of a really lame TV show to Dean, the type even he wouldn’t watch at 2:00 in the morning when he’s run out of quarters).
Once again you and your awesome slay me. SLAY. ME. Because that line was hilarious and totally true until you watch the show.
I love that you break up the introduction to Cordy, building on the circumstances one by one until the conclusion of At that moment, Dean decides that even though he’d still sleep with her, he really, really hates her. . And that was fantastic because yeah, I can see him saying that. (Also, Cordy is like a more awesome Bela without an annoying accent, y/y?)
Of course, she’s got that rich girl superiority complex that lets him know without a doubt that she would never let him touch her—her every look screams, you’ve got no chance, buddy—though she’s nothing but friendly to Sam. He decides she wouldn’t be worth it anyway.
Like May said, there's a definite parallel between Dean/Cordy and Xander/Cordy. And I love that. I love that it's snarky and kind of love-hate that blooms into something that means more to the both of them. It's a relationship that works well with both characters and together it is just amazing. I love that once again, you make clear distinctions in people's reactions to the Winchesters. That Sam is the most readily accepted, being more like a Scooby than Dean, what with the research and his puppyish looks. That Dean is a little too sure, a little too 'I can handle it' for her to accept right away.
I love that as soon as he calls her a bitch, he knows that really that's not true. She's really anything but, it's just an easy front to put up. She fetches blood, warms it, spices it up for Angel. Keeps Wes’s books and papers arranged and stacked, saving them half a dozen times from getting covered with demon goo or pizza sauce. Keeps Gunn’s weapons in shining order, always at the ready. Makes the tea to hand to the trembling victims who come in to ask for help. Teases Angel out of his brooding, Wes away from his office, Gunn into feeling important. She laughs with Sam, and he can see that his little brother adores her. I just love this description of everything she does around the place and that yeah, actually, she's like the best secretary in the world. x 100293923489r2389.
He reminds him, in a lot of ways, of Pastor Jim. It feels a little like home. I cannot explain why I love those lines so much but know that I do and am envious. That's just such a great parallel to make.
Dean is never wholly comfortable around Angel and I really like that, because it is too unrealistic for him to just accept it. He'll admit he's a decent guy but he's been trained his entire life to think that his kind are the bad guys. That's a lot of conditioning to get around and I like that you don't brush that off.
Hee, I love the casual reference to the Hellmouth.
The way that they get together is just classic Cordy. What I mean is that, it takes something like that to force her into acting on her impulses. I love that you write about everyone's reactions and the line about Angel blushing if he could was perfect.
They fight. A lot. Most of it’s nothing serious, but there are a few shouting matches that have something deep inside that he denies trembling for fear it will break. OH DEAN. He will never not break me. Also, that he sees behind the stories to the fact that she was lonely in high-school and that no-one ever really got that.
Dean feels the itch and crawl of magic even as he fights. I love that image. It's just so vivid you know?
And of course that they don't stay, that she doesn't ask and she doesn't cry but she leaves her mark. I have to say, the cooler thing and the note totally made me tear up again. Because it's sweet and resigned and I can just see him reading it and crumpling it in his fist, half angry and half really wanting to turn the Impala around.
This really was amazing. What you did with the prompt is just, it's astounding and I couldn't even have imagined anything this awesome would come from it.
Re: Cordy's section
Also, Cordy is like a more awesome Bela without an annoying accent, y/y? Yeah, I can see that. And also with more selflessness under the bitch-facade.
Yeah, I'm loving the comparison between Xander/Cordy and Dean/Cordy. Because I hadn't considered it, but it's true.
That Sam is the most readily accepted, being more like a Scooby than Dean, what with the research and his puppyish looks. That Dean is a little too sure, a little too 'I can handle it' for her to accept right away. Exactly. Sam would fit right in with the Scoobies. But Dean is a little more Team Angel, if he could work on a team at all.
yeah, actually, she's like the best secretary in the world. x 100293923489r2389. Cordy is so much more than people give her credit for. I just love her so much.
because it is too unrealistic for him to just accept it. He'll admit he's a decent guy but he's been trained his entire life to think that his kind are the bad guys. That's a lot of conditioning to get around and I like that you don't brush that off. Yes, yes, yes!
Thank you so much for the awesome review and the awesomer prompt. I can't tell you how much fun I had writing this. You FTW, seriously.
Re: Cordy's section
Cordy is the epitome of the bitch with a heart of gold, except she's so much more than that. That's what I love about Joss, even this girl who we originally saw as shallow and vapid had such heart in her, and it was believable.
Once again evidence of your awesome subconscious.
That's so true! There needs to fic of this.
Oh Cordy, you were cheated.
Likewise Lauren, you = far more winnage than myself.
Re: Cordy's section
That's what I love about Joss, even this girl who we originally saw as shallow and vapid had such heart in her, and it was believable. Oh, yes. Gah, I love Cordy, but I have such a hard time writing her because of that very fact.
you = far more winnage than myself. I doubt that. You = tons of winnage.
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This is fabulous and gorgeous and god, Dean Winchester. You will never stop breaking my heart, will you?
I am going to go gather what's left of my coherence and come back shortly to leave you a much better comment.
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Dean Winchester. You will never stop breaking my heart, will you? I know! What is it about that boy? He just decimates me.
Okay, coherence more or less found
But going back to Lyla, my favourite part has got to be this: Golden girl: rich daddy’s little princess, oldest daughter, straight A’s, cheerleading squad, star quarterback boyfriend. Broken world: boyfriend’s back and her future shattered on the same night, daddy’s betrayal, seeking solace from the only person she thought could understand her pain and then being judged by everybody because of it, and Dean’s finally met a girl who’s a bigger mess than he is. Because you summed up Lyla's life in two lines and Dean's so right with the double standard thing. Tim got flack for what happened, but Lyla got more and it just brings me back to that scene in the cafeteria, where he tries to sit across from her to make things okay and she tells him it isn't the same for him and to leave. Oh, Lyla Garrity.
Sam opens his mouth to say something, but Dean flips on AC/DC and guns it. Sammy, with his tender, tragic love for his lost Jessica and his life in Stanford, could never understand. And this, this just broke my heart for him. Because he does what he can and moves the hell on. I think that will always be the one thing that differentiates him and Sam. Sam is forced into that position when Dean knows it's the only one there is.
Also Pam Garrity being wary of Dean and Dean being okay with it because that is the correct reaction both cracks me up and makes me sad. Just cause he's never going to be normal and everyone, even strangers, know it.
Sam is the little brother; he could never understand. ! I love that you pointed that out. Because he does get a lot, but he's always going to be Sammy and Dean's always going to feel that extra burden to keep him safe on top of everything else.
He may be smart, but Dean marvels at his stupidity sometimes. Nothing was ever about the money. And again! For shame, Sammy. Though I do understand why he would think that. Dean hides his heart of gold ever-so-carefully.
At first he feels jumpy, having her there at his shoulder, but after a while he takes to her presence like he might a silent and watchful cat. I love the image of River you draw, but that line is the best one by far. Because that is oddly what I see when I think of her.
she either gives him a “you’re dumb as a brick” look or says something he doesn’t understand but that’s clearly disdainful, intellectual, and sarcastic. I love your River! And I love that Dean squabbles right back because Dean would.
That girl is batshit insane, Dean mutters as he follows his brother back into the ship and on with their lives.
Sam smiles. I love the ending and Dean and Sam and kind of wish the Tams would've stayed on if only so I could go on about the hilarity that is him and River being in the same room.
(which sounds like the premise of a really lame TV show to Dean, the type even he wouldn’t watch at 2:00 in the morning when he’s run out of quarters) WIN! You would probably find yourself watching for the secretary though Dean. Don't say anything different.
Okay, so the Cordy/Dean? Also amazing. But the best thing about it for me was the feeling of oldschool Xander/Cordy I got with Cordelia seemingly being above him. So many flashbacks.
But she manages to be affectionate without being clingy, interested in him without prying, concerned without nagging. She doesn’t flinch away when he’s covered with blood or sweat, even when she’s in her good clothes. She asks him to teach her to fight, and she’s a quick learner, though he teases her for saying it’s because of cheerleading. He thinks she may be the perfect woman. So I love you. And that just encaspulates why, because she would ask to learn and he would take her up on it and the idea of him thinking 'perfect woman' when he's Dean and all does funny things to my heart.
Oh and having her thank him for saving Angel and not her is so Cordy, it's ridiculous.
Re: Okay, coherence more or less found
hat one did me in because a) Simon should be an honourary Winchester and b) they are actually hysterical. I know! Don't you just know that Simon and Dean would get along so incredibly well? In any other circumstances they would probably hate each other because they're so incredibly different, but the whole "I will do absolutely anything to save my sibling" thing, there's no way they wouldn't be able to understand each other. I love it.
Yes, exactly. That scene in the cafeteria just broke my heart. He really was trying to help and POOR LYLA! It was the first time I felt a twinge of sympathy for her, and even though I like her tons more this season, it was that moment that made me start caring about her. Because it is different for girls.
Because he does what he can and moves the hell on. I think that will always be the one thing that differentiates him and Sam. Sam is forced into that position when Dean knows it's the only one there is. Exactly, exactly. That's just who Dean is and that's what I wanted to get across. Sam had a shot at getting out, and if it weren't for the YED, he probably could have gotten away with a real life. But Dean could never be anything other than what he is, and that's his great tragedy.
I mean, I love Dean, but can you imagine your mom's reaction if you brought him home? Or your dad's? We know he's a lovely guy, but there's no way you'd guess it just from interacting with him on a shallow level. He's trouble. In the best sense, though.
Dean hides his heart of gold ever-so-carefully. Exactly (I keep saying that)! It's one of the things I'm really drawn to in characters, I've found. Guys who are rough on the outside but who do the right thing most of the time anyways. I love it.
I love the image of River you draw, but that line is the best one by far. Because that is oddly what I see when I think of her. Oh, good! I thought I was the only one! It's really a shame to me that I didn't let these two work out because I think they would. In a weird, twisted, but sweet sort of way, you know?
I would totally watch a show about Dean and River. Because there's no way it couldn't be funny.
But the best thing about it for me was the feeling of oldschool Xander/Cordy I got with Cordelia seemingly being above him. I didn't even really think of that. But I did sort of love Xander/Cordy and always felt that she felt so much more for him than she ever let on. I mean, she gave up her popularity for him! There's no way she would do that for just any guy. And then he cheated on her, silly boy! *is in love with "Lover's Walk," even if it makes her cry*
So I love you. And that just encaspulates why, because she would ask to learn and he would take her up on it and the idea of him thinking 'perfect woman' when he's Dean and all does funny things to my heart. I'm so glad! I lovelovelove Cordelia, and I think she would be able to see that Dean's got a great heart, just by looking at him, but also realize that he could very easily break hers, and she would make him work really hard to get her. (Which was what the whole saving Angel thing was about. And I'm thrilled beyond words that you thought that part was Cordy, because it just seemed so to me) She wouldn't really think she's above him, but she would treat him that way till she was sure he really wanted to be with her and not just her body. Because I love Dean, but the way he treats most women is definitely one of his flaws.
So I'm so very, very glad you liked it! Thanks so much for all the love!
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Sorry for not responding sooner, my email has not been sending me any of my friends updates!
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The Fury of Jewels and Coal
LOL! Yep, I imagine that's how it might go. Interesting comparison of Wes and Pastor Jim. I quite enjoyed the Firefly section as well.
Re: The Fury of Jewels and Coal
Thanks so much--glad you enjoyed it!
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Thanks again!
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And then that was fantastic too so I thought, hey, I've never watched FNL but her Dean is fantastic so I'll give it a go... And I loved that one too, even though I didn't get the references.
I adored them all. I think you drew me into the FNL one especially because I'd read the other two, loved them, and decided that this could be an OC that would work in the SPNverse - I hope that comes across as a compliment, LOL.
Back to the Cordy/Dean, however (because that is ultimately why I'm here and why I squeed because you posted it at
Not only do I think you have a fantastic handle on Dean, but your Cordelia is spot on. Bonus points to you from the Cordelia/Angel shipper in me because it makes so much sense that the minute Cordelia thanks him for something, it'll be for saving Angel's life, even when he doesn't trust him.
I love how she just sort of...moves in on his life and how Sam backs away, LOL. I could see Cordelia doing that but Dean not caring one iota. They fit together and oh the fighting they do will be explosive, but the make-up sex? Whoo-boy.
I could go on all day about this fic. I truly could. Am Memming it because I think it ranks as pretty much my favourite Cordy/Dean fic and I would totally be inline to champion *yay, what a word, lol* another one from you.
Awesome. (And I'm sorry for the lengthy/rambly feedback, LOL)
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I really am beyond thrilled that you enjoyed all three. And may I suggest that if you ever get the chance that you watch FNL--especially during the first season, it's about as perfect as television can be.
decided that this could be an OC that would work in the SPNverse - I hope that comes across as a compliment, LOL. Oh, definitely.
Not only do I think you have a fantastic handle on Dean, but your Cordelia is spot on. You really don't know what that means to me, because even though Cordy is easily one of my favorite characters from anything ever, I find her so hard to write, probably because we have very little in common. I'm writing her at the moment in a big Buffyverse epic fic that I'm writing, and I was feeling very discouraged about writing her, so you've definitely encouraged me in that area--I want to get back to writing her right away--thanks for that.
Bonus points to you from the Cordelia/Angel shipper in me because it makes so much sense that the minute Cordelia thanks him for something, it'll be for saving Angel's life, even when he doesn't trust him. As a Cordy/Angel shipper myself, it just made sense to me. Even if she's not with Angel in a romantic sense, he's by far the most important person in her life.
They fit together and oh the fighting they do will be explosive, but the make-up sex? Whoo-boy. Exactly!
Am Memming it because I think it ranks as pretty much my favourite Cordy/Dean fic *blushes furiously* Seriously, I can't think of a kinder compliment. Thank you.
I would totally be inline to champion *yay, what a word, lol* another one from you. Ha! A pun! *loves it* I can't make any promises, but they are so much fun that I would be surprised if I did write them again, especially after all of your encouragement.
Thanks so much, and I truly enjoyed and appreciated the lengthy/rambly-ness of your feedback. Thanks again!
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