briarwood | Fic: Never Say Die 0/16

Title: Never Say Die (0/16)
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: Adults Only
Pairing: John/Ellen
Genre: AU, Darkfic.
Summary: After a hunt that went horribly wrong, John wakes up in a California hospital. It's thirteen years later, everyone he trusted seems to be dead, and he has no idea how to find his sons. Meanwhile, unknown to John, Dean's time is running out.
Warnings: Darkfic. Character death. Torture. See notes at the bottom of the chapter list if you need more detailed warnings.
Spoilers: Up to Jus In Bello.
Notes: This is my version of how the third season might end. You know, if I were writing it, and if the show were about John instead of his boys.
Notes on the season finale: The story was finished before the last few episodes of S3 aired, so I had to make some choices about what would happen when Dean's deal came due and which of the hundreds of possible demons might hold Dean's contract. Needless to say, my choices and Kripke's are not the same, though I was surprised by how close I came in some details. Ultimately, for the purposes of my plot it didn't matter much which demon held the contract, only that it wasn't Lilith. Which, well, now we know how the canon turned out. My story is AU, it's internally consistent and it's certainly not the first time I've been "Jossed". So here it is.

Never Say Die - Chapter List

This page will be updated with links as each new chapter is posted. The story is all finished: it's sixteen chapters long so I'm spacing them out 'cause not many people want read that much in one sitting!

*Livejournal links are now locked

Part One: John wakes up in hospital and finds the world has changed on him.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Two: Ellen has an unexpected visitor.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Three: John sets out to find the boys.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Four: Bobby tells John about Dean's deal.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Five: Jo's search gets her into trouble.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Six: Ruby, searching for Sam, finds John instead.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Seven: Jo meets Ellen and John on their journey.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Eight: Dean's time is up.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Nine: Night, in the cabin.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Ten: Sam makes a deal with Ruby.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Eleven: The Winchesters, Ellen and Bobby prepare for war.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Twelve: Lilith gives Sam an ultimatum.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Thirteen: Lilith tortures John; Sam and Dean attempt a rescue
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Fourteen: Sam confronts Lilith.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Part Fifteen: When Sam fails to defeat Lilith, Dean is forced to take over the fight.
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

Epilogue: Fifteen Years Later
Livejournal | Journalfen | Dreamwidth | AO3

More info on the warnings:

Pairings: This is a plotty story and not a romance in the traditional sense. The main pairing is John/Ellen but their relationship is very much second place behind the plot. There are other pairings implied in the story: Ellen/OFC, John/Bill and John/Bill/Ellen, all in the characters' histories. Sam/Dean is not a pairing in this story, but there's enough here that those who violently dislike Wincest may feel uncomfortable, and those who love it can certainly interpret the brothers' relationship that way. All alone in that cabin for so long...I'm pretty sure they weren't playing poker all day. What else they did do is up to the reader's imagination.

Warnings: This story includes the death more than one major character who is not Sam or Dean. If you feel the need to know exactly who dies before you read, then I'm happy to tell you. In private where it won't spoil the story for others.

The story also includes scenes of horror, violence and torture, in one case leading to death and in another to permanent physical injury. These scenes are on the graphic side, hence the adult rating. The story does not contain sexual violence or rape.