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Summer really should be paying more attention to the cities and towns she’s driving through, but she’s in Kansas. Kansas. She’s just been hoping she doesn’t run into the Winchesters, although she knows she’s likely to run into them at some point. Kansas - and South Dakota for that matter - are the Supernatural hot spots. Still, she’d assumed she’d been paying enough attention to avoid Lebanon, but no. She pulls into some little town in the middle of nowhere, looking for food, and notes the name almost absentmindedly. “Okay, Lebanon. Let’s see what kinda chips your mini mart has.”
She doesn’t even process her own words until she’s out of the car and opening the door to see the store is not empty. There are two high schoolers behind the counter and a third trailing the one other person browsing the store, his dark brown hair and dark gold wings instantly recognizable, and Summer freezes.
“Hey. Can I help you?”
She blinks and looks over at the girls behind the counter, their faces vaguely familiar, and forces herself to smile. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just…been driving for a while.” She starts browsing the shelves, but can’t help overhearing the two boys talking in the next aisle.
“I’ve been watching these guys called the Ghostfacers. You heard of ‘em?”
“No.”
“They’re awesome!” And Summer really should keep her mouth shut and get moving, but she can’t help but let out a snort. There’s a pause from the next aisle, then a boy with red hair peeks over the shelves at her. “Do you watch them too?”
Summer rolls her eyes. “Definitely not. I mean, they kinda know what they’re talking about, but I have other…more accurate sources.” She can’t remember if these kids know about the supernatural or not - her Season 13 and 14 timeline is a little shaky, and she doesn’t want to say anything she shouldn’t.
But the boy, far from being deterred, only looks interested. “Really? Like what?”
Crap. “Umm…books?”
That answer shouldn’t satisfy anyone, but Jack takes the talking point and runs with it. “Oh, I like books too. I’m reading about zombies.” The last sentence is directed to Redhead, whose eyes just about pop.
“Zombies are real?”
“Well, no,” Jack says with a frown, “not really. It’s kind of disappointing. But there are other monsters.”
Summer blinks and adjusts her timeline. Okay, so definitely post that cowboy episode in Season 13. I’m guessing from the wings that this is either the latter half of Season 13 or Season 14. If I could just figure out who these kids are and why Jack trusts them so much…
“Like what?”
Jack looks over at Summer, and she can read the hesitation in his eyes. Judging from the conversation, this boy, and probably the girls too, have been let in on the secret. Why, Summer has no idea, but it does mean she can talk freely. Mostly. “Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters…definitely more, but I’m not about to rattle off the whole list right now.” She watches with amusement as both boys’ jaws drop open, and she can’t hide her smirk.
Jack recovers first, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “How do you know that?”
“I’ve got skills,” she replies, tapping her stylus with a finger before going back to browsing the shelves.
“Wait.” Redhead has come around to her aisle, his expression similar to a kid on Christmas. “Are you a hunter too? Do you know the Campbells?”
Summer frowns. Last she’d heard, anyone with the last name of Campbell died in Season 6. Am I in Season 15? “Campbells?”
“They’re these two guys - brothers - who live just out of town,” one of the girls at the counter speaks up, her hair a pale blond. “We saw them destroy a clown ghost a couple weeks ago.”
Clown ghost. Clown ghost. Summer nods as she finally realizes what season she has to be in. “Lebanon. Right,” she mutters. She hadn’t realized the Winchesters were using their mother’s last name, but it makes sense given how many times they’ve ended up on the FBI’s most wanted list.
“So, do you know them?”
Redhead is still looking at her eagerly, and Summer isn’t sure what answer, if any, she should give. She decides to go with the truth and shrugs. “Sort of. I’ve met them a couple times over the years, but I doubt they remember me.” That’s the unfortunate side effect of being a Writer. She always interacts with the original timeline, meaning most of the time only her contact remembers meeting her. Prior to Season 7, that had been Bobby. After, it’s the Winchesters, but even then, she’s found that while they know of her, very rarely do they actually recall any interaction with her. It’s frustrating, but it’s just how her world works.
“Are you like, their sister or something?”
Summer raises an eyebrow at the kid and turns back to the shelves. “No. Nothing like that.”
The boy finally leaves her alone, and she hears the kids inviting Jack to hang out with them the next day. Hearing that sends a chill down her spine as she grabs a soda and some snack foods. Jack might have his Grace back, but he has next to no soul at the moment. He’s young, inexperienced, and eager to please - not a good combination for hanging out with kids his own age, though Summer has to hold back a snort as Jack stumbles through saying he’s two. Twenty. Twenty-two.
She remembers this meet-up. She doesn’t remember exactly what happens, but she knows it doesn’t go well at all. Unfortunately, there’s nothing she can do about it. Jack’s on his own, and he’s allowed to make his own mistakes. She does step in when the girl at the register asks him for ID for the alcohol and Jack seems to pause.
“I’ll buy the beer,” she says, holding out her actual ID instead of the psychic paper.
The girl looks at the ID, then at her, then at the ID. “Um…this says you were born in 2000.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re nineteen?”
Summer blinks, then her gaze slides to the date on a newspaper and she curses. Stupid timeline. “God, I hate this universe,” she mutters, putting away the ID that in her universe would show her age was closer to thirty. “Nevermind. Dean will just have to get his alcohol on his own.”
She and Jack walk out of the store together, and Jack turns to her with confusion. “You’re a teenager?”
“Try thirty, kid. And before you comment, you’re one to talk Mister I-was-born-two-years-ago-and-look-like-I’m-in-college.” She sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose. “I swear, if I end up seeing Dean, I’m gonna…” She trails off and looks sideways at Jack. “Where are the Winchesters?”
“On a case,” Jack says simply.
“And they left you at the Bunker?” She doesn’t miss the way the kid’s wings droop at that. Her eyes must have followed the movement, because when her gaze returns to Jack’s face his expression is one of confusion.
“Can you…can you see my wings?”
Summer looks skyward, then back at Jack. “Yes, Jack. I can see your wings.”
“How?”
She sighs and stores her purchases in her car, leaning against it after she’s closed the door. “I am what’s called a Writer. It’s my job to keep the various worlds and universes separated, make sure they don’t bump into each other. I’m sure Sam and Dean have a file on me by now - they said they were going to make one last time I met them. Although I don’t know if they had time to get around to it…” She lets herself trail off and refocuses, holding her hand out to Jack. “I’m Summer Days.”
He takes her hand and shakes it. “Jack. But, I guess you knew that.”
Summer nods, biting her bottom lip. She shouldn’t say anything - it’s not her place, and it won’t matter in the long run, but she can’t help it. “Hey, Jack.”
“Yes?”
“At the meet-up tomorrow, just…be careful.”
He frowns, and Summer wants to cry at how innocent this boy is. “What do you mean?”
“It’s just…these kids, they mean well, but they’re, well…they’re human. They might have seen a ghost once, but there’s a big difference between having one incident with a supernatural creature and meeting…you.”
“So, you’re saying I should lie? I should hide?”
Summer holds up her hands as Jack starts working himself up, doing her best to stay calm. “I’m not telling you to do anything. Just, decide before you go, and if you want to tell them, do it sooner rather than later.”
She watches as Jack seems to consider her words, then he nods. “Okay. I’ll decide tonight.”
Summer nods, then Jack turns to go and a thought strikes her. “Hey, Jack, wait a second.” She dives into her bag and pulls out a pad of paper and an actual pen, and starts writing.
“What’s that?”
“A note for Dean. And Sam,” she tells him. Not the same one, though. No, the boys will each be getting their own notes. Because Season 14 is awful and if she can at least poke them in the right direction, she has to try. She finishes both, folds each one in half and labels them, then hands them to Jack. “Can you make sure they get them?”
“Of course.” Jack’s smile is honest, and Summer can’t help but smile back.
“Great. See you around, Jack.” And with that, she forces herself to get into her car and drive away, no matter how much she wants to stay.
Dean,
Word of advice - don’t send your two-year-old kid out to buy beer, I don’t care how old he looks or how many IDs he has. And second word of advice - calm down, chill out, and stop substituting lies for the truth. You’re driving me nuts.
-Summer
Sam,
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but keep an eye on Jack. Keep talking to him, keep pushing. And see if you can’t get your brother to stop lying to him - I’m sure you both know that never ends well.
Best of luck to both of you in the next few months.
I’m sorry.
-Summer