24: [Video] Traveling Riverside Blues

[dashboardlite]

[At first, Dean had thought that the dream he had a couple nights before was just weird.  Clockwork dolls, inky-black demon eyes - it was bad mojo.  Things are changing around him, and for the most part it doesn't bother him too much.  He expects it, now, because this mansion is screwed to Hell and back and there's very little that surprises Dean anymore.

Except for when he takes a walk outside, and his tranquility is promptly ruptured by the sight of his car.  Sure, he's been dwelling on the lack of transportation recently, but still.

His car.

An excited video message from a Dean Winchester that hasn't genuinely smiled in months is being broadcasted, and he'd love to share his obsession one true love beautiful lady with all of you.]

Dude.  Dude.  My- guys, I can't even...seriously, it's just- it's my baby.  She's here, and she's beautiful, and she's so goddamn perfect.  You all gotta come down and see her.

[He suddenly wonders if he can project miles of endless highway if he thinks about it hard enough.  It's worth a shot.

Dean is so ecstatic that he doesn't even know who he's advertising this information to.]

Comments

[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

[Really, Philip? Dean is both observant and nosey, so if you think you're going to be able to get through this without hearing an inquiry, you obviously don't know Dean very well.]

This is her, all right.

[Actually, Phil, he's really glad you came out to see her, because, y'know. Bros gotta show other bros their toys. Or in this case, their vehicular lovers.]

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

You weren't exaggerating.

[ Exaggerating about the amount of time you spent with that car is what he means, although he can certainly see why "she" would appeal to Dean.

And Philip does admire the level of detail gone into imagining the car.

He's caught on to the nature of the event by now and seen a few interestingly fuzzy dreams come true... including his own attempt at recreating a small restaurant from back home, the almost faceless guests of which eventually made him decide to abandon the idea. ]

Do you think you can drive [ An ever so slight hint of hesitation. Fun fact: He's been practicing pronouns on his way down. Cars, no matter how perfect, are its to him, but he doesn't expect that to fly in this case. ] her here?

[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

[There is certainly a lot of detail - every last facet, actually, because it's all important. Down to the tiny green army man crammed in the left passenger door pocket, the Legos rattling along with the A/C, and Dean and Sam's initials carved into the wood paneling in the back.

There's a whole lotta love in this car.]

Can you drive her here, he asks.

[Dean snorts, smoothing a hand over the hood of the Impala. The smile on his face grows wider. As he looks back up at Philip, the front of the mansion turns into an old gas station. Carefully manicured grass is now scraggly and long, growing in excess on gently sloping hills, and the pathway that once led around to the gardens, vendors, and beach is a long stretch of American Interstate.

There's a road sign, a power line, and a drainage ditch. The air smells clean and earthy, slightly-damp with the remains of morning dew.

Nobody ever said that Dean Winchester didn't have a vivid imagination.]

Oh, I can drive her here, all right.

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Philip follows the changes with his eyes and closes them once the transformation is complete. He takes a deep breath, opens them again and moves over to the road sign to knock on the pole.

Dean will have to forgive him, but his living arrangements with a perception-altering alien have taken the novelty out of suddenly changing environments.

But this... this is more than a vivid hallucination and most importantly this isn't just limited to Philip's perception.

He turns to Dean and whistles, impressed. ]

[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

[Dean takes a step back, arms out, gesturing to everything around them.]

This is my home, dude.

[Smiling fondly, he pats the top of the Impala.]

And she's my house.

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ It's true; everything is as Dean described it. A postcard picture of his life on the road (doom, gloom and various creature corpses not included in the scenic version). Only one tiny detail missing. ]

...Where's your brother?

[ Philip is fairly sure that Sam is still here. He's seen him around a few times. He hasn't spoken to him more than once yet, but he remembers the way Dean talked about him and for all he knows they should be sitting in this car together now. And yet... ]

I don't think I've ever seen you two together.

[ It's only a casual observation that comes with the setting. Surprisingly it's not worried and neither does Philip's mind immediately jump to all the horrible reasons there could be for this. ]

[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

[The smile slides off of Dean's face almost instantly. He looks put-off by something. Scratch that, he looks downright uncomfortable.]

I, uh-

[Well. Where to begin? Maybe at the part where this Sammy is two years older and two years too wrong? Maybe along the lines of the subject of demons, and how his brother is apparently a blood-sucking corpse-fucker in the near future of their universe. Or maybe the part where this Sam is more independent, and more confident, and doesn't need Dean.]

...I don't hang out with Sam.

[Dean leans up on the hood of the Impala, staring down the open road.

Denying the fact that this Sam is still Sam, somewhere, is so much easier than admitting that he's just not the brother than Dean is familiar with.]

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[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

Oh. Wh--

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[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

3/3

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

Oh.

[ Ladies and gentlemen, the horrible reasons have arrived and Philip feels more than a little bad for asking. ]

Sorry for-- Sorry.

4/3

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

{ }

[ Head hung low Philip shifts his weight nervously, staring at the ground and wishing it would just open up and-- ]

5/3

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ And with a cracking noise and a rumble the ground beneath his feet crumbles and Philip disappears, the echo of a surprised yell being the only thing that remains.

Hint: Vividly picturing certain sayings during an imagination-comes-to-life event is not always the best idea. ]

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[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well, it ain't like it's your fault that he's not my brothe-

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[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

[...did that seriously just happen?]

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[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

[Sonuvabitch.]

Phil!

[Dean scrambles to the edge of the hole, looking down into complete darkness.]

Dude, are you in there? Can you hear me?

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Philip opens his eyes and groans. Somewhere above he can see a small circle of light, and can hear the faint echo of Dean's voice. The hole is not a bottomless one, but it's certainly making a valiant effort. ]

I_chh--

[ Philip coughs violently, dust and dirt clinging to the inside of his throat. He swallows. ]

I'm here! ...I'm fine!

[ ...which is surprising, considering the fall, but maybe the good part about imaginary holes is that their bone-shattering impact doesn't compare to the genuine article.

Still, he feels battered enough and a sharp pain in his leg reminds him that that was probably one fall too many for the day. ]

[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

What the Hell were you thinking about, Tremors? No one even liked that movie!

[Dean is suddenly struck by the revelation that thinking about something might just be enough to make it happen, and sandworms are really not on his to-do list today. Not thinking about something is easier said than done, though.]

Hold on!

[If only he had a flashli- Oh. Well. There we go. Dean switches the giant Maglite on and shines it into the pit. This isn't the first time he's had to save someone from falling down a hole in Wonderland, and it probably won't be the last.

Philip is waaaaay down there. It's maybe twenty...twenty-five feet? Thirty? He imagines a ladder running down the side of the hole - a moment, and then it's there.]

Hey, buddy! Can you climb that thing, or should we imagine an elevator or somethin'?

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

I think--

[ Of course. Philip can work with that ladder. ]

I think I'll manage!

[ ...His leg remains less enthused however and he looks up tentatively, deciding that the climb is too long to risk it giving out halfway. ]

...somehow.

[ He scratches his head. It takes him a moment to realise that he doesn't have to try if he can only think of a different way up.

So he steps on the ladder with his good leg, holds on tight with both hands and shuts his eyes, imagining the ladder being drawn in like an anchor, pulling him up... up... further up until he can feel the light on his face.

Philip opens his eyes, climbs the short rest of the ladder and drags himself up on the ledge, sprawling out on the ground and taking a deep breath ]

I didn't...

[ He shakes his head and looks at Dean, grinning a little. ]

I didn't think that would happen today. Again.

[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

[It takes Dean a second or two to realize that the ladder is rising, and he backs up in anticipation of Philip's arrival on solid ground. He stares down at him, huffing a laugh as soon as his friend cracks a smile, signifying that he's at least okay.

He looks a bit gimpy, though. It was a long way to go.]

Walk much?

[Dean grins, leaning over the pit and imagining it shut. Once the earth is solid, he sort of shuffles a foot over it to test the area. Safe. For now. Turning to Philip, Dean offers him a hand up.]

You sure you're good? I'd woulda thought you might've broken some bones down there.

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Philip takes Dean's hand and pulls himself up, briefly flinching once he puts weight on his slightly more mangled foot. Some bruising at worst. Not that he isn't surprised himself, but why look a gift horse in the mouth? ]

I'm sure.

[ Dirty, dusty and tattered, but otherwise perfectly fine. Luckily falling from inconvenient heights is on his list of things he's gotten used to since his arrival in Greenland. That list also would have included giant worms, but he's glad it didn't have to come to a demonstration all the same.

Philip brushes himself off, glancing at the spot on the ground where the hole used to be. ]

...I mean, it's 'wishing that the ground would open and swallow you whole', not 'that the ground would open and break your neck', right?

[ He grins.

So maybe he did hit his head a little. Or maybe he's just glad that the distraction was enough that he can't remember why he was so mortified earlier off the top of his head. ]

[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

[Dean is starting to think that Philip really did hit his head, because he never smiles this much and it's a little weird. It's still nice and all, but unusual. If this has already happened once before today, then something's got to be scrambled.]

...yeah, I guess.

[He remains dubious. Luckily, Dean's pretty much forgotten about Philip's question by now, and even if he did remember, he wouldn't be the one to bring it back up. So...what had they been doing, anyway? Oh, right. The car.

Have one of those companionable, teasing grins you love so much, Phil.]

I know you didn't just come out here to win the Olympic gold in falling down holes, dude.

[Please oh please say that you'd like to ride in his car. You wouldn't even have to worry about your gimpy leg or anything!]

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Oh, but Philip used to have many days when he did smile that much and more. Not here, of course. Not recently. But surely there's nothing wrong with trying to recreate the past in a completely non-head-injured way? ]

I came out here because you practically invited the entire mansion to a welcome party for your car.

[ He takes a few steps towards it and looks at Dean, expectantly. ]

So either you invite me into your home and we drive or you dream up a few cold beers to celebrate.

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[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

[Point taken, my good man.]

...well, I'd hate to be a poor host.

[dashboardlite.livejournal.com]

[You'll get no arguments from Dean. He shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets, turning and walking back over to his car. Dean settles in the front seat and it feels like home.

It might just be his imagination - it is, actually, completely his imagination - but the whole vehicle smells like lemon-scented air freshener and aged, Armor All-coated leather.

Leaning over, Dean opens the side door and grins at Phil.]

Welcome to my humble abode, please watch your step on the way in.

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

[ Philip accepts the invitation and is instantly awestruck by the overwhelmingly wonderful sensation of normality. He leans back into the seat and stares ahead. ]

...I don't remember the last time I sat in a car.