Epilogue [4] – Jo Harvelle
Jo downed another shot of whiskey, and the burn felt good.
Ever since she got returned to Heaven, she felt her hunting streak seem to sputter. Her focus wasn't where it used to be. She knew the monsters she hunted weren't a real threat in Heaven, they seemed like...simulations. Simulations to keep her occupied, happy, and to keep her mind off the fact she was back in Heaven.
Compared to the first time, Jo was very aware of where she was. She was aware of the "danger" that the "monsters" posed that she hunted. It took the fun out of it since the real world wasn't at any sort of risk level.
"Need a buddy?"
Jo quirked her nose. No matter how real he sounded, she knew it wasn't him. He'd appeared after Cas had returned her. He hadn't left. "Pull up a seat. Bet you can't drink me under the table."
Dean Winchester took the only other available seat across from Jo, pouring the liquid into his own glass. "What, are you the Queen of Drinking? Do they have a competition for that?"
Jo snorted and rolled her eyes. She nudged her empty glass towards him, and he poured her shot number...she honestly forgot how many she'd already had. She felt a little buzzed, and she wondered if that was the most she would feel. Does Heaven permit people getting drunk? If it's about making me happy and comfortable, it should be allowed.
Dean Winchester was not Dean Winchester. He was Heaven Dean, as Jo had deemed him mentally. He walked, talked, and acted like the older Winchester brother, but it was like Heaven produced a very convincing clone to pacify her.
At first glance, Jo had assumed the worst: that Dean had in fact, permanently, died. But it was in the little details that she noticed that he wasn't from Earth. He was procured by the angels, tailor-made for her Heaven. It was almost a sick joke, Jo thought.
"Look, I'm not happy about it either, but we get our misses," Dean told Jo. That was one of the minor details about Heaven Dean: the Dean Jo knew would never admit defeat or admit that it was okay to let a hunt go by missing the prey. It felt like an insult that Heaven even made Dean say that.
I want a refund, take him away. But Jo knew she wouldn't get her wish. After escaping Heaven, she was sure the angels would refuse to accommodate her. Why would they want to do that for someone who, with the help of Castiel, ran out and got a second life?
Heaven's messed up.
Jo looked at Heaven Dean. Almost an exact carbon copy, except with how he talked. His quips weren't sharp...though Dean on Earth sometimes didn't come with the best comebacks. So maybe that was more accurate than Jo was willing to admit. Admitting defeat after a hunt certainly wasn't his style.
"When we get our misses, other people suffer," Jo said gruffly. In this world, though, there were no real consequences if a "monster" got away. They'd surely make their round again in Jo's Heaven.
"Yeah, well, some people we just can't save."
That rung too true to Jo's ears. Whether she liked it or not, she couldn't always save everyone in the hunts. There would be a fatality here and there to even out the score. Do I count as one of those?
"Did I say something?" Heaven Dean asked when Jo was too quiet. He gave the glass a push back to her.
She downed the shot almost instantly. "Nothing that's not already true." Surprisingly, she didn't flinch when Dean grabbed her hand. It's not the same. He's not the same. What in the actual hell are you angels doing to me?
When Dean retracted his hand, Jo took note of the kicked puppy look in his eyes. It was cruel, to make Heaven Dean have feelings for her. They were feelings she would reciprocate with the real Dean Winchester, not this Heaven knock-off.
Jo cleared her throat, trying to cut into the awkward silence over them. "Sorry. I'm just...not feeling that great."
"No, I get it. A disappointing hunt really puts a damper on things." Heaven Dean avoided Jo's eyes. "You know...if there weren't so many monsters to gank, I'd say let's haul ass someplace nice and build something."
Jo's brows rose. "Like, you and me? Together?"
"Not together, not if you didn't want to." He was still dejected from her non-reaction to holding her hand. "Just something to think about."
"But then who would keep the monsters in check? It...could be possible to build something and keep on hunting."
Heaven Dean scoffed. "Oh yeah? Name one hunter that you know of that's accomplished that."
Jo couldn't provide him with an answer, not the one he wanted to hear anyhow. "Well...I don't know anybody, but, there's time for you and I to make history."
Though Heaven Dean was still skeptical, it did seem to brighten his green eyes a bit. Jo groaned internally. She wasn't sure what she started. Maybe the Heaven feel to it all would never go away. Maybe she and Heaven Dean could build something together, but it wouldn't be with Dean. Maybe, just maybe, Jo would forget that she was in Heaven.
Maybe one day, the real Dean Winchester would find her Heaven. Maybe they'd finally embark on that unspoken thing that had long gone on between them, tauntingly dangled in front of their faces but held just out of their reach.
The angels must be mocking me now. Do they think this makes me happy? Jo thought bitterly. Heaven feels more like Hell than Hell will ever feel.
**For real, I'm not sure who really got burnt the most in their Heaven. For me it's a tie between Jess and Jo.**