Sam and Dean
After a nice hearty breakfast, the boys were all packed and ready to go. Sam had argued that he should carry the first blade again, but Dean refused. "Sam, we almost died because I didn't have this handy. It's not happening again. I'm keeping it with me." Unfortunately, though Sam hated it, Dean had a very good point.
They set off with Jono, who was going to lead them to where the crystal was. "So tell me," he said, "How'd you boys handle yourselves so well against the unseens? I know about you being hunters and all, but no one survives an unseen attack."
"Two things, said Dean. "One, I have a blade that actually kills them. And two, we had some pretty intensive training before we left on how to sense things we can't see. I don't think we'd a have made it without either one of those, and certainly not without you."
"Listen," Jono said. "I have something for you boys. Call it a loan. If you ever get back this way, you can return them." He handed them each a ring. "They are protection from magic rings. They work whenever you're wearing them, so wear them all the time. They aren't 100% perfect, nothing is. But they can darn sure help."
"Thanks," said Sam. "We don't know what to say."
"Jono, man, we just can't thank you enough," said Dean. "For everything."
"You can thank me by finishing this once and for all," Jono said. "My family is stuck here until someone does," he added.
"Well then, start packing," said Dean, "Because we're gonna end this."
They walked a little farther and Jono asked, "Do you have all the tree ash you need?"
"No," they said together.
"Well there's one, right there. My guess is, you'll find one in each area you go to." They looked at the tree Jono was pointing out and they agreed it was the one that looked like their own maple trees. They cut a branch and burned it, and Sam got out the pouch labeled '1 Yellow Maple' to put the ashes in.
"Do you know what color this heart is?" asked Sam, while the branch burned..
"I do, indeed," answered Jono, "it's white." Sam got out the pouch labeled '7 White Elder' and moved it to a handy pocket.
"Clever idea, those pouches," Jono said.
'Yeah they are a huge help, thanks to our very smart women," he said, grinning.
"I can tell by the looks on your faces that you love them very much," said Jono.
"You have no idea," said Dean wistfully. When the branch had burned to ashes, Sam scooped up a handful and put them in the pouch and they went on their way.
Soon they came to a rocky area and for about an hour they were climbing. Then Jono pointed out a cave opening in the rocky hillside. Jono said, "This is where it gets tricky, but fortunately, I was a curious lad, and I followed the instructions to get to the crystal many years ago. I marked the way on the cave walls."
Dean stopped at looked at Jono, and said, quite seriously, "Jono, have I told you lately how much I love you?"
They all had a little laugh at that. Then Jono rustled around in some debris that was lying along the cave wall. He found three hefty branches and laid them in front of him. Then he opened his pack and took out some kind of material strips and wrapped them around the sticks. Then he pulled out a flask and poured some oil on the rags and soaked them.
When he went to use a flint and steel to light them, Dean held out his hand to stop him and said, "Jono, Jono, wait, I got this." Dean took out a lighter and struck it, thankful that it worked on the first try. Jono's eyes got big, and he looked on with amazement. "It's called a lighter," said Dean. "It's the kind of magic we have on out world."
He handed the lighter to Jono and said, "Go on try it, just flip this up, and roll your thumb on this little wheel." Jono did so, and grinned happily when the lighter produced a flame. Dean reached out and closed the lid. "Conserve the fuel," he said. "I don't know if your oil here will work." Dean showed him how to refill it when it stopped working. "It uses a very thin liquid type of fuel," he said.
Jono was thrilled with his gift. Then they all took a torch in hand in went into the cave.
Eric, Jared and Jensen
Eric closed the door and went over to sit behind his desk. "Thank you both for coming," he said. "I really need your help."
"Sure, anything," said Jared.
"We're here for you, man, what's up?" asked Jensen.
Eric took a deep breath and looked very seriously at the boys. "I'm about to tell you something you aren't going to believe. But you must try to believe it as quickly as you can, it's important.
Both boys indicated they would and for him to go ahead.
Erick looked at them without speaking for several long moments. "I have some friends who are in serious danger, and you two are the only ones in the world who can help."
The two young actors laughed and Jared said, "Sure, man, whatever. You need us to meet some bigwigs or something?"
"No, nothing like that," Eric said. "I told you it's important, and it's something you aren't going to believe. So at least wait until I get to the unbelievable part."
Again, the boys looked at each other and shrugged, and waited for Eric to continue.
"Look, I haven't had a lot of time to figure out how to approach this, so forgive my abruptness." Eric snapped his fingers.
Suddenly Jared and Jensen found themselves in France, looking at the Eiffel Tower. "What the hell?" said Jared, knitting his eyebrows.
"Are we really where it looks like we are?" Jensen asked him.
"Well people are speaking French all around us, so I'd say yeah."
"How?"
"You think I know?" Jared answered.
"Some awesome new Technology maybe?" asked Jensen
Suddenly they found themselves back with Eric again, standing in the middle of the room and looking around in consternation.
"Eric, what the fuck?" Said Jared.
"Sit back down," said Eric gently. "Sit, sit."
The boys took their seats again, warily, and Jensen said, "What the hell man, are you really Eric?"
"I assure you I am the same Eric you've always known. You just haven't known everything there was to know about me," he said.
"Like what?" asked Jared.
"Let me start again," said Eric. "I have some friends who are in serious danger, and you two are the only people on earth who can help them."
Jensen pursed his lips and said, "Yeah, that sounds pretty much like what you said before. But what's the unbelievable part?"
"Jesus, I don't have time for this," Said Eric softly.
"Time for what?" asked Jensen.
"Look," Eric said a bit harshly. "I may have to do this in a harsh way and I'd really rather not. Can you two please try to be serious for just a few minutes and listen to me?"
"Sure."
"Okay."
Eric rubbed his hand over what little hair he had. "I know we've all pranked each other many times. This is not a prank. I also know that if it were a prank, I'd be telling you it's not a prank, and you wouldn't believe me. So can I ask for you to listen for five minutes, and not say anything or make any judgments until I'm through?" he asked them. "And then, if you still don't believe me, I'll prove it. Deal?"
"Okay," said Jared.
"Why not?" said Jensen, with a shrug. "Go for it."
Eric let out a long breath. "After all these years of acting on this show, did it ever occur to you that the supernatural might really exist? I mean did you ever wonder?" He put up his hand, "No, don't answer that, it was rhetorical. What I'm about to tell you is the total, absolute truth. You aren't going to believe it. But here goes."
Jared and Jensen exchanged looks again.
"The supernatural exists. And what I'm about to tell you, at least the very first part, I'm trusting you to never share with anyone, it could be dangerous for me."
Jared and Jensen both looked skeptical, but they agreed not to tell anyone, ever.
"I happen to be a supernatural being," said Eric. The boys almost started laughing, but Eric stopped them. "Remember your recent trip to Paris?" he asked. "I sent you there with a snap of my fingers. Please, just let me get this out."
They both indicated for Eric to continue.
"There are more truths out there than you two know of. While the supernatural does exist, it doesn't much do it on this particular world. But there are many other worlds out there where it does, very much, exist. I happen to come from one."
Both boys were still looking skeptical, but as they had promised, they said nothing.
"Now, I have some very good friends on another world, where the supernatural doesn't just exist, it runs rampant, and they need some help. In particular, they need YOUR help."
Jared spread his hands in a 'why' gesture.
"Because," Eric said, as seriously as he could manage, "it happens to be the world where Sam and Dean Winchester are real."
After a moment of silence, Jensen asked, "Okay, can we laugh now?"
"No!" said Eric, decisively. "You may not! I'm telling you the truth!"
"Riiiight," said Jensen. "Eric, I think you've been writing too much supernatural crap, you're starting to believe it."
Eric snapped his fingers again, and the boys found themselves on a ledge above the Grand Canyon. "Whoa!" Jared shouted, and reached out to pull Jensen away from the edge.
"Is this real?" asked Jensen.
"Looks real to me," Jared said. "Maybe we ought to try listening some more."
"I am listening, I'm just not buying it," said Jensen. "This has to be some sort of elaborate trick. Supernatural exists, my ass.
When they were still there ten minutes later, Jared said, "I think maybe we need to consider the possibility that this might be real."
"I'm glad to hear you say that," said Eric, from behind them. They spun around to see Eric standing there casually, just waiting for them to come around.
Jensen looked down into the Canyon, and back at Eric. "Okay, say we might be willing to listen. What then?"
Eric snapped his fingers again, and they were all back in Eric's office. "You really ready to listen?"
Both boys were still looking more than a little spooked. "We don't seem to have much choice," said Jared. "But now I really understand Sam a lot better."
"Ain't that the truth," said Jensen.
"Okay then, here we go again," said Eric. "There really is a world where Sam and Dean Winchester are real. Their lives are the very ones you two have been acting out for going on ten years now, with some minor differences here and there. It's where I've been getting the ideas for the show, to be completely honest."
The boys seemed to be getting over their initial shock, and were listening with a little more interest.
"You may find it amusing that the real Sam and Dean recently found out there was a world on which their lives were a TV show, played by actors who looked just like them."
"Wait, what?" asked Jared.
"It so happens that you two look exactly like the real Sam and Dean Winchester, which is why you are the only two people in the world who can help in this particular case."
"You want us to help Sam and Dean Winchester?" asked Jensen incredulously.
"No," said Eric. "I want you to help their girlfriends save the bunker from Demons."
Eric could tell from their reactions that he had once again hit the point of disbelief. Jared and Jensen were blinking their eyes, staring at him, looking at each other and repeating the process, until Eric interrupted.
"Yes, I know it's really hard to believe. Should we take another visit around the world somewhere? How about Siberia?"
"No!" they both shouted together.
"Okay then, let me finish," Eric said. "To make a long story a little less long, the boys are actually away from their world at the moment. If you decide to help, I'm sure you'll get the lowdown on what's happening there. Anyway, because they are gone off the world, some demons have concluded they are dead, and are, as we speak, trying to find a way into the bunker."
Jensen pursed his lips and said, "Good one, Eric, are you going to write that?"
"That's it, isn't it? This is a plot for a spinoff, and you're testing our reactions," said Sam
"And here I thought I was actually making some headway," he said under his breath. He snapped his fingers, and it began snowing in his office.
"What the hell," exclaimed Jensen watching the snow fall.
"Now listen! I'm not, writing a story" he said in a frustrated tone, "because this isn't a story, it's very real. And there are two very frightened girls who need your help." Eric looked at them seriously. "I know it's hard to believe. I told you it would be. But it's time for you two to get over the shock and accept this for what it is. Please!" He snapped his fingers and the snow stopped.
"Even if we did believe all this Eric, what could we do? We aren't Sam and Dean Winchester! We aren't about to go fight real demons."
"Ah," said Eric, "that's the first reasonable thing you've said." He sat back in his chair and started to swing in it. "You aren't expected to fight anyone. All you really need to do is what you've already been doing for almost a decade now … play Sam and Dean!"
"Well that's certainly something we can do," said Jared.
"Yes," said Eric. "And Cas said he can whip up something that will protect you from the demons but help them believe you are the real Sam and Dean once they see you.
"Cas?" asked Jensen.
"Yes, the real Castiel, who, incidentally, also looks just like Misha."
"Aw come on, how can that even be?" asked Jared, obviously not believing it.
"When you get there, you can ask the girls. They just spent several months figuring all that crap out, and a lot more besides. It's a fascinating story." Eric sat forward in his seat. "Look, you willing to help or not?" he asked them.
The boys looked at each other and then back at Eric. "If this is real," said Jensen, "I don't see how we could refuse to help."
"But if this is an elaborate prank," said Jared, "I swear I will be getting even with you until you're on your death bed."
"Fair enough," said Eric, decisively. "Here's what I need you to do."
Katie and Maggie
"Do you think they will do it?" asked Katie.
"I do, because I believe they are awesome men, and they wouldn't refuse to help someone who needed it," Maggie answered.
"Yeah, I agree, but I do wonder how long it will take Eric to convince them it's all real, I mean, we know exactly how they feel, don't we?"
Maggie chuckled, "We do, yeah, but I'm sure he'll find a way. I think Eric is wonderful to take the chance with his own identity like this."
"I know, I wish he didn't have to. But it can't be done without his help," said Katie.
"Well if the boys succeed, I mean, when the boys succeed, he won't have to run anymore."
"That's true," said Katie. "That will be so nice for him. God I wish he'd call already."
"It's kind of exciting that we might actually get to meet Jared and Jensen," said Maggie grinning.
"Very exciting. I just wish it would be under better circumstances."
"I know. I hope we're doing the right thing. We can't let Jared or Jensen get hurt," Maggie said.
"They won't. Cas will help protect them. And Georgie said that the demons weren't supposed to hurt them anyway," said Katie
"I know, but still."
"Yeah."
They sat silently then, waiting for the phone to ring