Harmless Things (Jean Hobbs AU)

Harmless Things 'Explanation'

Originally, I was going to have Dean kiss Jack with Jack still freaking out after, but I thought this was too obvious, so I changed it into something kind of ironic. 

Scarlett and her cancer

Any decent human being wouldn't give their six-year old character cancer, but I don't fall into that category of good people when it comes to writing. Scarlett was essential to the story, there's no way around it.

When I was first planning out the story, I knew I needed something to bring Jack and Dean together. Even though they would be friends, Dean needed to really trust Jack and they had to be able to be open with each other. Also, Dean wanted to feel like a 'normal' teenager by having friend outside the house since he was so wrapped up with his family all the time, and Jack wanted a best friend and someone to feel protective over. 

So, I created Scarlett. She brought Jack and Dean together to the 'best friend stage' because if she hadn't fallen ill then Dean wouldn't have been upset and he wouldn't have cried in front of Jack (part thirteen) which broke down the last wall Dean had up and secured the bond between them. 

Scarlett was like a time bomb. She wasn't meant live long, since her primary purpose was getting Jack and Dean together. I think she knew in herself that she wasn't going to grow up and see through to her adulthood, which is why she never spoke about what she wanted to be when she was older.

The signs of cancer actually start to show in part two. This is going to sound so wrong, but I did research on different cancers so I could find one where the first signs aren't so drastic and actually start of subtly. 

Symptoms of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) 

• Headaches

• Dizziness 

• Vomiting

• Difficulty walking or speaking

• Drowsiness 

So at first, in part two, it just seems like she's got a bug when actually it's the start of something much worse.

Her storyline was really a sub-plot, but since it was such a major thing that affected day-to-day life, it pretty much the main plot too along with what was happening with Jack and Dean.

Dean

I've always pictured Dean as a sensitive and caring person who would do anything for anyone and I wanted to get that across in his character. 

When the cancer strikes in his sister, he becomes very fragile. Jack is his one and only lifeline, and he is more than thankful to have him in his life. His love for Jack is also to blame for Dean opening up to him, but he needs his support since he's not really getting it from anywhere else.

Dean's had to put up with a lot, but Jack rejecting him and pushing him away is one of the things that hurt him the most. I believe that if Dean was able to cope with Scarlett's sickness by himself, he wouldn't have let Jack back into his life, but he was vulnerable and lonely and lovesick and even though he hated to admit it, all he needed was Jack because when he was with him, he was okay. Happy, even, despite everything else going on.

As mentioned in the story, when his dad was around, he took every hit because his brother and sister were his priority and I don't think he would've ever forgiven himself if one of them got hurt. Since he was at the hands of prolonged abuse, it all came back to haunt him after his dad left.

Dean suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but since he never went to the doctor about his flashbacks, it was never diagnosed. 

(NOTE: I have never suffered from PTSD, so scenes where Dean is reliving flashbacks is entirely made up from my own imagination. I have no idea what they're actually like so it was all guesswork.)