Dean, laying in a mass of tendrils, hears Sam calls to him…
Startled, Dean wakes up in an apartment in Lawrence, KS, and finds himself in bed next to a beautiful woman. He has no idea who she is and falls out of bed,. Once he dresses, Dean calls Sam and asks if he's okay. Sam says that he's in California, much to Dean's surprise, When Dean says that the last thing he knew, they were hunting in Illinois, Sam has no idea what he's talking about. He says that the woman in the bed is Carmen, Dean's wife. Sam figures that Dean is drunk, hangs up, and goes back to work studying criminal law.
Dean looks around and finds a photo of himself at his current age with his mother Mary. He drives to the Winchester home and Mary answers the door. Shock, Dean embraces her and they go inside. Dean asks if there was a fire there and Mary says that he must be having another bad dream. She makes him hot milk with cinnamon, just like Dean drank it as a child. Looking around, Dean finds photos of the entire family together and asks about John, and a shocked Mary tells him that John died of a stroke a year ago while playing softball. She wonders if Dean is all right and he assures his mother that he's fine.
When Dean goes outside to take everything in, Carmen arrives and reminds him to get the gift while she helps Mary. When Dean wonders what she means, Carmen reminds him that it's Mary's birthday and figures that he forgot. Dean goes into town and picks up the necklace that they ordered for Mary, choosing a blue ribbon. He then goes back to Mary's house and starts painting the roof with blue paint.
Sam arrives with his girlfriend: Jessica. Dean is shocked to see Jessica alive as well and privately asks Sam what's going on. When Dean starts talking about demons, Sam has no idea what he means. He tells Dean not to ruin their mother's birthday with crazy talk and goes inside.
The Winchesters and their guests celebrate and Dean tries to help Mary with the necklace. She thanks him for everything and Dean says how happy he is that they're all together. Everyone stares at him, surprised, and Mary finally says that she's happy that they're all together as well. Sam announces that he and Jessica are engaged and they all share a group hug. Later, the women hang up sheets while Dean congratulates Sam on the engagement, calling him "Sammy." Sam wonders why he's started calling him that and wonders why he's been acting weird. He points out that they don't talk much and wonders what Dean means when he says they go "hunting." Dean realizes that with Mary alive, they never became hunters and that the two of them have nothing in common. When Sam wonders if Dean is okay, Dean admits that he's not sure.
That night, Dean wakes up from another dream of blood and Sam calling to him as blue lights drift before him. He goes out to walk and get some fresh air, and sees Bobby Singer going into a video store. Dean follows him inside and discovers that Bobby works as a clerk there. Bobby has no idea who Dean is but points him to a shelf filled with a Supernatural: Hunters movie series. The latest one shows a picture of a Djinn, and Bobby explains that it's a spirit that grants someone all their wishes. The Djinn in the movie is an evil one, and devours the wisher's body in return for the wish. As Dean stares at the cover, he realizes that the Djinn's eyes are the blue lights he sees in his dreams.
Dean rents the movie and watches it at home, and realizes that it isn't fiction. Carmen brings him some hot milk and Dean, happy to have such a perfect wife, says that he wants to marry someone just like her. The next day, they go back to Mary's house and Mary shows Dean the wedding photos. Sam shows Jessica her childhood photos and Mary says that she's looking forward to having lots of grandchildren. Carmen teases Dean about having a little Dean, and he quickly excuses himself to go to the bathroom.
Everyone tends to the chores and Dean goes to sleep on the couch. He dreams that Sam is calling to him, telling him to wake up, and the Djinn's eyes drifting in front of him. Dean wakes up, yelling for Sam, and runs out to where Sam is watering the lawn. He checks Sam's face for scars from all of their hunting and doesn't find any, and tells his brother that everything is a dream. Dean explains that the Djinn put him to sleep and has trapped him in a dream, and Sam figures that he's been drinking. When Dean calls him a bitch like he usually does, Sam doesn't respond and Dean realizes that he's part of the dream as well. He goes back into the kitchen where the women are talking, picks up a knife, and prepares to drive it into his chest.
Sam runs in and asks what Dean is doing, and he says that according to legend, if you're about to die in a dream, you'll wake up. Mary calls his name and Dean says that he doesn't want to lose any of them. He talks about how he doesn't want to ruin their happiness, and that he's realized how much he's missing... and how cruel it is that he's been shown that. Dean says that he's just not used to happiness... and stabs himself in the chest.
The Djinn dies, a blade thrust into it. Sam yanks Dean free of the tendrils and Dean hugs his brother, crying and saying that he was happy for once in his life. Later, Dean tells Sam that he should have seen the false life that he had. Sam figures that it was his ideal world, but Dean tells him that there was one thing wrong with: they weren't hunting together.
Written by Gadfly on Nov 19, 2015