Fic: Dictionary for a Dead Language; Epilogue

[britomart_is]

Master Post
Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Epilogue


Epilogue.

There are two stocky, no-nonsense women drinking antique Coronas in the booth by the door when the kid walks in, making this officially their busiest night since opening.

"Dude," Dean says. "We're cool. We're like a happening spot. We're legitimate business owners."

Sam rolls his eyes and sips from a can of Tab they found in the back closet next to a bag of pork rinds with a pull-date from 1982. "Pillars of the community. Sure they'll give us the key to the city as soon as they're through with the paperwork." Dean punches Sam in the arm. Sam grins till his cheeks hurt.

The young man is standing in front of the bar, staring at Sam. Dean doesn't like it when people stare at Sam. Sam watches Dean's hand casually drifting to rest under the bar where the shotgun is. "I'd ask you for ID," Dean says mildly, "but I'm pretty sure you were a glimmer in the long-haul trucker's eye the last time anyone was issuing government ID. I can hook you up with a grape Fanta. It's a 1995, good vintage."

Sam wishes Dean wouldn't insult people's parentage, particularly since most people's parents are dead these days.

The kid visibly shakes his head as he snaps out of it. "Sorry. I came because I heard a rumor. Wow."

Dean stiffens. He doesn't like it when people hear whispers and come to try to shoot Sam in the back when he turns around to pour their drinks, either. Sam watches Dean's hand curling tighter around the shotgun and jostles him warningly with a knee. The kid's young, swimming in a coat three sizes too big for him, oughta be at some college party, or dragging all his laundry home over break to use his parents' washer. Sam leans over the bar, tries to look non-terrifying. "What can we help you with?"

"Actually, I've got something for you." When the kid reaches into his coat pocket, Sam's afraid Dean'll shoot him, but the kid produces a harmless scrap of paper. A photo. He hands it to Sam. "I thought you'd want this back."

By the time Sam breaks out of his trance, the kid's gone.

"What is it?" Dean asks suspiciously.

"I don't know," Sam says, handing the snapshot over. "I don't remember it."

Sam watches Dean take in the photo, bites his lip at the softening of Dean's facial expression. Dean looks up suddenly. "Where'd that guy get this?"

Sam shrugs. "Don't know. Glad he gave it back. I like it." Sam takes the picture back, lovingly straightening its dogeared edges. "We look happy."

Dean wraps his arms around Sam's waist from behind as Sam turns to face the back of the bar. "We're happy now."

Sam smiles broadly as he tucks the snapshot into the frame of the mirror that spans the wall behind dusty whiskey bottles. "There."

In the photograph, a garish monument looms with styrofoam solemnity in a grassy field. A man, young and momentarily untroubled, smiles bashfully. There's a sun in the sky, and a bird perched on the Welcome to Foamhenge sign. And there are two brothers, together.

the end

Comments

[cjandre.livejournal.com]

Ow? And yet, Awwwwww.

I am torn between the two classic responses. Only in SPN do we get angsty curtain fic of the apocalypse.

:-D

Well done!

[laufeyette.livejournal.com]

Wow. I'm kind of speechless right now. Allow me to attempt to gush at you anyway.

This was excellent. Not like anything else I've read in a long, long time. The writing style is unique and special, the voice so amazingly Dean-like. I loved the slow build of Dean taking care of Sam, getting him back, and then the gut-punch when it becomes clear that Sam isn't the Sam he lost, but the best either one of them is going to get. So many brutal, gorgeous mental images. And I may have cried when Sam first started speaking again. The ending, guh! About as perfect as it could ever be for them in this situation.

I could go on for ages, seriously, but I kind of want to smoke a cigarette and languish quietly in the aftermath of your fic instead, lol. So I'm going to do that now. ♥

[tarod45.livejournal.com]

Beautiful. And bittersweet and melancholy, and harsh and hopeful. But mostly beautiful.

Thank you so much for sharing. :)

[fromyourashes.livejournal.com]

♥

[mementis.livejournal.com]

This was utterly beautiful. Thank you :)

[isla-verdad.livejournal.com]

I loved every minute of this, if you couldn't tell from my comments along the way! It was lyrical from beginning to end, and I'm going to have to read it again. And again. You truly have a way with words. A beautiful story.

[sistabro]

Oh such wonderfulness with the prose of fabulousness and the angst and the hope and the aw and Sam being handsier and and and

*draws hearts around the entire thing*

And now it is 2am and I should sleep, but excellent fic makes me want to write instead :/

[dime-for-12.livejournal.com]

Dear god, did I cry, but it was worth it. This fic was...okay, painful, but also real and unabashedly there and present.

Sorry for the incoherency :\ I loved it. A lot.

[humming-along.livejournal.com]

This was well worth staying up until almost 3am to read. It may be my favorite Sam/Dean story so for this year out of all the ones I've read. It's just absolutely beautiful.

[amproof.livejournal.com]

This was absolutely stunning. Everything--the pacing, the story, the tone, the arc. As perfection goes, you've nailed it.

[who-favor-fire.livejournal.com]

*draws hearts around this*

[who-favor-fire.livejournal.com]

More coherent comments to come at a later (and more sober) date.

[lolabobs.livejournal.com]

Wow - this has just made me late for work - so i should be showering and not commenting, but I have to say how much I liked this. Right from the start with the hardness of teh prologue this grabbed me, and kept me right there.
beautifully written.

[winterweathered.livejournal.com]

like the waking world is a surprise to you every time and you'll look over at me to check that I'm still there even though I'm driving the car so it's kind of obvious

That's the part that made me cry, and then I just kept on crying. HOW ARE YOU SO GOOD AT EVERYTHING? It was hard to read, but it really reminded me of why I love these characters, which is saying something, because I am just a cloud of indifference lately! Thank you so so much for sharing this with us. Better comments when I don't have to be awake in 3 hours! xo

[takobella.livejournal.com]

Holyyyyyyyyyyy shit I loved this so much!!!

[blueeyedliz.livejournal.com]

What an excellent story, really enjoyed it and the way you handled Sam and Dean's interactions was fantastic.

[nova-lies.livejournal.com]

This is amazing. Really painful and I cried a lot but really wonderful too and I love it.

[bittersweet_art.livejournal.com]

Wow, this was amazing. AMAZING.

Funny story: Last night I dreamt that I was reading your BigBang and then sat there struggling to come up with a comment that would properly describe how freaking awesome I thought it was. When I woke up I couldn't help wondering if I'd actually read your fic yet, if it was the story I dreamt about. Obviously it wasn't, since it was posted about the same time that I got out of bed, but... Same dilemma. How the hell do I describe how astoundingly good I thought this was? Just as in my dream, I fail.

You, however, win. At life and everything.

[sloane-m.livejournal.com]

This was simply wonderful.

[venilia.livejournal.com]

I'm utterly torn between crying quietly in the corner and laughing for joy.

[oddlyspoken.livejournal.com]

This was so wonderful I'm lost for words. Oh hell, now I'm all weepy and full of emotion. Shit. *flails*

Thank you so very much.

[zeerine.livejournal.com]

My heart is heavy, tears dry on my face and I am left speechless.
This was a beautiful addition to supernatural fiction, thank you for sharing it with us.

[qblackheart.livejournal.com]

Hands down, one of the best SPN fics I've ever read and I have mainlined the genre after finding the fandom a few months ago. Your writing style is incredible; so much said in so few words; it's vivid and vibrant and I loved it! Fantastic work!

Wonderful

[annie46.livejournal.com]

Loved it - made me cry - thank you!! (not for making me cry but for the wonderful writing!)

[esnetsap.livejournal.com]

baaawww. ok tbh i didn't expect it to end happily, i guess you started off angsty and slowly progressed towards the other end of the scale but ok w/e i like it a lot! thanks for writing this, it was beautiful and dean's voice is so..real.