Reviewer: mustang (Signed) · Date: 22/07/08 04:06 AM · On: Chapter 8
That was an awesome story. Poor Dean keeping everything bottled up inside. You write the brothers so well. I'm curious about Brenna, i'm going to go read the other story that see is in. Thanks so much for writing. Are you doing more Supernatural stories on fanfiction.net?
Author's Response: Thank you! I'm so pleased you enjoyed this. This story was a result of a friend saying "I wonder what would happen if Dean were trapped in a box..." *shrug* I know. Crazy. Brenna Kavanagh was introduced in "Holding On To Let Go" and appears again in "Into the Fire." I'm going to be writing another story with her, to be titled "Weapon and the Wound" after I finish my current WIP. All of the stories that are posted here on UnGen are also posted on ff.net, and I've continued to post on ff.net and on my LiveJournal. If you choose to read more, I sincerely hope you enjoy! Best to you, Gaelic
Reviewer: birdie (Signed) · Date: 29/06/08 07:53 AM · On: Chapter 4
Amanda. Apologies for the delay in continuing with this fantastic story. It’s in no way a reflection on how much I like it because let’s be clear it’s just great but the RW interfered with its non-SN crap! Anyway, I love this chapter! Cale’s such a sinister adversary because she understands what makes Dean tick and therefore what buttons to press to terrify him and she’s doing a real good job. Bringing Sam and having him first desert Dean and then appearing to get killed is, I guess, the one thing that will always destroy Dean. He believes that he’s nothing without Sam, isn’t that sad? And so has no reason to continue if Sam’s gone. He’s not as motivated by revenge as Sam is so can’t even hold onto that to fire him. His despair and loneliness is palpable and the section where he lets slip he feels betrayed by Sam choosing his own life over Dean’s is heartbreaking. You use words very cleverly in your writing Amanda, and that makes it so rich. Here, he unwillingly reveals he feels betrayed to Cale and dammit if that, to Dean isn’t a betrayal of Sam. So the betrayed becomes the betrayer in his poor wonderful warped Winchester mind. Complicated...layers on layers of meaning...wonderful! And then you take us back to the earlier chapter when Dean and Sam were ‘tooling’ up to go hunt Cale and we had that testosterone dripping prepare and strut scene as the boys mirrored each other. That was full of bravado and hot-headedness and was, I have to say, hot! So now you give us a slightly more chastened, measured version with Sam prep-ing for the rescue with the Coulee’s and the parallels are all there but they are rightly muted, humbled almost by the knowledge that their bravado first time led them into this dire situation. Oh but you still managed to make it hot! As Sam “secured the rolled up knives in the hollow of his back”. And then that paragraph about Sam’s greater power with a blade! God, I’m a total Dean girl but what an image, Sam wooha! Thank you. So just when I think you have crushed our boy and he’s powerless in his dark box with his fears you start to pull him out. Yeah! First comes anger because he’s where he is because of a ‘fucked up Voodoo sorceress ‘ and her ‘fucking evil witch sister’. Love the venom you inject into that word. I know there is debate about the rightness of expletives and the boys but I think we have to remember SN is a mainstream show so has a line it has to tow and if this were RW I think Fuck would be well in their vocab. Then you give him his pain as power, ‘used his pain to drive himself forward’ Wow, what an emotive and (forgive me...pain junkie!) wonderful image! Oh and whilst I’m on perversions (mine not yours of course!) thanks so much for the ‘soft brush of the panther’s tail across his bare feet’. I suspect you don’t even wanna know how enjoyable that was for me! OK, so now I’m at the bit where Sam’s found Dean in the ‘box’ and Dean can’t quite believe it’s really Sam and I just had to say how much I loved the slightly delirious (god don’t ya just love slightly delirious Dean?) mumble of ‘...I think I pissed her off...’ That’s so adorable, cause of course its understatement of the year and even in the dire straits they find themselves Dean makes Sammy smile. God what a brother! So there I am smiling like a loon at the funny sweet, softness of that and then...BOOM! you hit me with ‘ You’re not alone. You’re never alone, you hear me?’ ‘I am without you,” Dean whispered. OMG! Full on tears. That’s one of the many things I love about your stories, Amanda. They are an emotive roller coaster ride that shakes, shudders and trembles the reader to life. Tremendous! Oh and then you have Sam carry Dean out of the house! Well all I have to say is ...you so OWE me a box of tissues! If there’s one thing guaranteed to have me in tears it’s that. Thank you, it was beautiful because you convey Dean’s vulnerability without ever making him less than he is...so it’s never girly but it is vulnerable. Difficult to do but you manage it so well. As to Beth...I knew she loved him! It was just the loss of her son that had her grieving so. I’m pleased about that. He needs all the loving he can get. So there I am luxuriating in Dean being cared for and then...BOOM 2...the witch is in there, in Dean’s head with him. God you conveyed his fear so well. Hell, I was scared reading it! And not only that but Bird, my cat who is a smaller version of your panther – all lean, sleek and black chose that moment to jump onto my knee. Jeeze I nearly pee’d my pants! And finally, oh god apologies as always as I have so run on again, but Brenna’s coming to the rescue. Yeah, love Brenna she’s a wonderful OC. So I’m going to the next chapter and just in case it’s not apparent...I quite like it, it’s not half bad as a chapter!! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha Bev xx
Author's Response: Lady, you are freakin' amazing. I think I read that paragraph about the word "fuck" to everyone I know. I love that you called out how visceral that can be -- and that's exactly why I use it in stories. I don't use it in life, but in stories, I give myself permission to say, do, *be* things I'm not in life through the characters (mine AND Kripke's). As far as Beth is concerned... Keep reading. I hope you're not disappointed and I LOVE that you're enjoying this, my 2nd fanfic. Thank you as always for your wonderful gift of a review. Slainte, Gaelic
Reviewer: birdie (Signed) · Date: 16/06/08 09:49 AM · On: Chapter 3
Whoa, so glad that Joss got Sam out but devastated that they left Dean in there with this freaky witch-bitch. Have I mentioned at all that you write pain wonderfully? Some stories are unrealistic and brutalise the boys and then have them up and dancing two minutes later. Your pain is never gratuitous but is always convincingly brutal and has realistic and human consequences. I have my heart in my mouth to see how much Dean will be able to wall away, to protect Sam and defy Cale. She is a complex and cunning nemesis, I like her! Oh and I have to say a big and terribly perverted thank you to you for this chapter as I do have a teeny-weensy little thing about barefoot Dean. I balme it of 20 years puls working clinically as a podiatrist but Lou tells me No I’m just a freak!Jeeze and now you’ve sent the panther in against him and I adore cats (my bird is a small black half Siamese who thinks he’s a panther) but I can see how having a real one nibbling ya would be un nerving! Heehee, he wishes it was a bunny! Yeah, right! God, she’s gonna throw everything she has at him isn’t she? This is sucha ride! Love it! Back to work tomorrow so less reading and reviewing time but i'll be back so bear with me. Bev xx
Author's Response: So... I totally feel like I'm pimping myself, but if you have a thing for barefoot Dean (hee), then you might like the next story I'll start posting in a bit called "Hear No Evil." In this story, however, being barefoot was simply one more way I could add to his torture and try to break down his defenses... 'cause you're right. She's gonna throw everything she has at him. I'm really pleased you see the pain as purposeful, because that's how it's intended. I want the stories I write to have a path, a journey, with each piece and all the pain to add to the lessons the characters learn along the road to the destination called "The End." I know I don't always do it right, but as long as I keep writing, I'll get there eventually. That's my journey. :) I hope you enjoy how the story plays out. You've spoiled me today with reviews. You actually made me feel like I might know what I'm doing. Don't worry. I won't let it go to my head. :) I have plenty around me who like to keep me grounded, thank God for them. Take care and hope work treats you well after your holiday! Gaelic
Reviewer: birdie (Signed) · Date: 16/06/08 09:48 AM · On: Chapter 2
Chapter twoThis is a wonderful story, I can all see how Dean’s impetuousness is going to be his downfall but it is that which makes him incandescent with passion and excitement. Sammy is more measured...in some ways more mature and I am intellectually drawn to him, and though he is lovely he does not blaze anywhere near as brightly as Dean! I love the fact that Dean is the focus of the story. Not that you miss Sam out at all and your OC’s are wonderful, but I’ve had a reading week whilst I’ve been on hols here in France and so so so many stories centre so heavily on Sam, and just sideline Dean and his importance so I am loving this. I love in this chapter how you describe Dean’s constant motion, the thrum of energy, passion, danger that he exudes. And the explanation of Sam being uncomfortable with having two hotel rooms was poignant and rather touching. This is back to the first chapters thinking about them being symbiotically in harmony isn’t it? There is a strong hint within your stories of a shared spirituality that is very appealing. It’s a complex idea but very appealing on an instinctual level. Oh and there’s sucha connectivity to Cale as well – she can sense Dean can’t she? Wow that’s hot! Oh and I love Dean’s film buff references. I was so a ‘Star Wars’ baby – the original of course not the dreadful later ones! Hamil, Ford and Fisher, the wonderful triumvirate and Lucas at his best! Oh and Wizard of Oz references...cool!Heehee, this bit where they are preparing to go after her...Gee Amanda, I can smell the gung-ho, macho testosterone flying off the page, Dean...at his strutting cocksure finest and Sammy absorbing and getting in tune with that vibe. It’s making me wanna get up and strut along with them. Only thing is I’m about a foot shorter than Dean and more than that with Sam so I’d have a real problem keeping up. And anyway I so KNOW that they are walking straight into..forgive me...deep and stinky shit! A big part of me wants to stop them but the bit that adores stupid, stubborn macho wonderful sexy idjits is shouting “Go Baby, go get the freaky bitch!” I think i may have had too much rich food here in France...I’m over excited aren’t I? Sorry! Oh and the words from your banner are here too aren’t they? Do I recognise them? Have you explained them and I missed it? Bev xx
Author's Response: The words on the banner are from a Robert Frost poem, and will come into play later in the story once again. They are something I say to remind myself not to give up when life gets a bit too heavy. Promises to keep is the equivalent of a swift kick in the ass in Gaelic world. I love it when Dean quotes movies. I mean, the boy quoted Ghostbusters in the finale -- when time was running out! I think it's such a fun part of his character. And I'm so with you on the "original" Star Wars trilogy. There is nothing quite like the original. And I find myself quoting parts of it in stories as often as I can get away with it. :) And I loved picturing them walking along the street to "Dream On" while the heady, intoxicating smell of the French Quarter swallowed them up. GS
Reviewer: birdie (Signed) · Date: 16/06/08 09:47 AM · On: Chapter 1
Amanda, This is a rollercoaster from the opening paragraphs because you give me a taste of disaster and throw me into panic before I even really know what I am to panic about. It’s clever writing because I am heightened immediately and looking for their downfall wanting to prevent it happening and utterly unable to do so. I love the growing connection between the Coulee’s and Dean and Sam. That Judah looked like Dean is significant I feel and it clearly is so to Judah’s mom. There are all sorts of parallels of relationship occurring here and it’s fascinating to explore Sam and Dean through others. The atmosphere of New Orleans’s feels so exotic and heady to me, I think about the movie ‘Cat People’ and the heat and passion and otherworldliness of the characters therein and hear this in your words too.Oh and you have cracking bones brought into play early on. I admit I am a terrible pain junkie, (slightly pervy, OK but I’m harmless really!) I shattered a wrist a few years back and that noise and the particular feel of breaking bone is so memorable! I was blown away by your description of Dean ‘holding back’ his pain so that Sam wouldn’t know This is a wonderful concept to me...that persons are so aligned, so in tune that they would ‘know’ each other’s pain and therefore I assume, joy too. It’s a heady concept. Mind you it assumes that they have joy as well as hardship and for Winchesters...? I love the description of Sam putting Dean to bed, Amanda. I’m reading this in France with my Brother and we are having a discussion about whether you really could stay asleep whilst someone took your boots off. He’s reminding me that I stay asleep when Bird, my cat, climbs into bed with me and curls up actually on my chest and his view is its quiet likely but...depends how drunk you are! (He’s drinking red wine out of a tumbler which is maybe influencing the debate!) I personally would love the opportunity to try undressing Dean...for purely academic research purposes you understand!“Sam shook his head, puzzled. “Started what?” “These deaths.” “In New Orleans?”Dean looked up, “No, in Kenya.”” Haha, that’s priceless! Made me laugh out loud, god sarcastic Dean is so...hot! Oh and I’ve been to Kenya – one of the most amazing, wonderful, awe inspiring things I have ever had the privilege to do. Sorry rambling, why do I think you’d be interested in knowing that?Love it, another one of your wonderfully well written, hugely entertaining stories. Bev xx
Author's Response: Hee!! I'm so glad you're moving on to this next story. I am pleased the inside out beginning worked well for you. I kinda wrote this one backwards in my head -- the fight at the end was the first thing I envisioned, with the Couley's filling in nicely to connect everything. I put in an a/n at some point that I visited New Orleans twice -- both times before Hurrican Katrina, so the New Orleans in this story is the city of my memory, and not, perhaps, as the city stands now. And I've put the hubs and my brother to bed after a few once or twice and you could pretty much strip them naked and they wouldn't know. Men. *shakes head* Thanks so much for reading!! GS
Reviewer: rbliss1969 (Signed) · Date: 12/03/08 03:18 AM · On: Chapter 8
too excellent!! love the bond between Sam and Dean.
so far i am liking all of your stories; i have read 4 now and i laugh, cry and laugh again. Linger-excellent Holding On To Let Go - excellent Within My Hands - excellent & Wolf & Man - excellent. i am going to read Into The Fire next and i know it will be as great as the last 4. keep up the great story telling Renee
Author's Response: Renee -- thank you so much! I'm so honored to see you've read four of my stories. Thank you for spending so much time with me and for offering me this feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy the stories you read and I look forward to hearing from you again. Best always, Gaelic
Reviewer: supernatch (Signed) · Date: 10/03/08 05:59 AM · On: Chapter 8
What a great story! Loved it completely. Great work. Kate
Author's Response: Thank you, Kate. I really appreciate you spending time with me and taking time to let me know you've read. :) Best to you, Gaelic
Reviewer: supernatch (Signed) · Date: 03/03/08 03:04 AM · On: Chapter 2
Oh so cute how Sammy had to sleep next to Dean's bed. Reminds me so much of me with my big sister when I was a kid and we first got separate rooms! I love that detail, it's just wonderful.
Author's Response: Hee -- thank you. I thought the same thing -- my younger sibs used to sleep on my floor a lot. I'm glad you liked that detail and thanks so much for reading the story! Gaelic
Reviewer: nightchills (Signed) · Date: 01/02/08 10:39 PM · On: Chapter 8
Excellent writing, I could hear the boys thru the entire story! Would make a great script for the show, too.
Author's Response: Wow -- what a compliment! Thank you so much. I am happy you read and thrilled that you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the review. Best always, Gaelic
Reviewer: staffy08 (Signed) · Date: 24/11/07 05:51 PM · On: Chapter 8
See told you I have catching up to do. Great story (yet again). My favorite line: Níl gach uile fhánaí caillte. Not all who wander are lost. I bet it sounds wonderful spoken outloud.
Author's Response: HAH! Here you are again! I'm so glad you liked this one, too. I have so far written 3 stories with Brenna in them -- this is the 2nd one she turns up in. I got that line from a passage in Tolkien. It's a bit of a motto of mine -- and you're right. It's beautiful spoken aloud. I loved to hear the Irish speak Gaelic. One of the reasons I took on that penname. Thanks again for commenting. It's better than chocolate. :) Gaelic
Reviewer: ShinyWinchesterGun (Signed) · Date: 30/09/07 05:54 PM · On: Chapter 8
Love the end. And the J.R.R. Tolkien quote. You did...get it from him right? 'Cause I know he said that at some point...ehhhh...anyway...wonderful! *applauds* I'm just gonna...try to find a way to read all of your other stories at once...I've become addicted...I curl up into a corner and rock back and forth from withdrawal now...I swear...
Author's Response: Okay, so... Tolkien. The master. I applaud you for recognizing that. It's become such a part of our culture and speech that I don't know many who would recognize the quote from The Fellowship of The Ring: "All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be the blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king." I'm glad you liked the end -- I wanted to give Dean some time to heal, and since this was the 2nd interaction with he and Brenna, well... it is *Dean* after all. I'm honored that you would want to read all of my stories. Thanks for that. I would be curious what you thought about any of them -- past, present, and future. Thanks for spending time with me, Shiny. You're certainly a gem. Gaelic
Reviewer: ShinyWinchesterGun (Signed) · Date: 30/09/07 05:51 PM · On: Chapter 7
I'm just gonna...yeah. Just think of all the happy, pretty things in the world and that's basically my review. Lovely, lovely...man, I wish I could hear the Gaelic! I've listened to songs in Gaelic before, and it just sounds so beautiful, but I haven't quite figured out how to pronounce it myself. It's like French...gorgeous, but I suck at making it sound good...
Author's Response: Gaelic sung sounds prettier than Gaelic spoken, but it's still pretty cool. It sounds like the words fill the speakers mouth, tumble about in there a bit, and then spill out over their lips in a tangle of sound. It took me forever to develop an ear for it because Irish people speak AMAZINGLY fast. Even when they're speaking English! I couldn't speak it to save my life, but I eventually learned to understand bits and pieces. Enough to pass my classes in any case! I'm glad you are still enjoying this. GS
Reviewer: ShinyWinchesterGun (Signed) · Date: 30/09/07 05:49 PM · On: Chapter 6
"If he were ever left alone to fight that darkness, he was afraid he wouldn't survive." Wow. Those words are so incredibly PERFECT for Dean's character. Really, it's amazing how well you seem to know all his layers and quirks. It's amazing...he's such a hard character to truly get a grasp on...it's difficult to figure out who exactly he is, and yet...I can totally see him as you portray him. Of course, there's quite a few less "moments" in how I myself think of him, but I love your ideas and they make so much sense. In Holding On, plus this one...plus your other story with Brenna...it really makes sense that you sort of use her to explore Dean's character. Amazing stuff, and if any of that made sense, cookies to you, lady.
Author's Response: Thanks for this -- I appreciate you saying that you can see Dean as I portray him. I know we all (we meaning fanfic writers) see these characters through our own filters of life, shining our own spotlights on different aspects of the character that speak to each of us for different reasons. Some illuminate the fighter, hunter, bad-ass in Dean -- calling out his ferocity as often as possible and only really comfortable with him when he has a gun in his hand. Others tease up the hidden emotions they are sure lay hidden beneath his safe exterior of snark simply because of what he has survived in his life. And then there are the protectors of the group that adore his devotion to Sam and John, the way he has raised his brother and is loyal to his father. The lovers are fewer and further between because I think in some ways we all want to be that. I think all of us (myself included) like to thing that we write this character bringing about each aspect of his personality, but we simply can't. Not to an equal degree anyway. We just write the character that we see how we see him (both of them, actually -- Dean through Sam's eyes and Sam through Dean's eyes is a fun exploration) and we hope that our vision resonates with some reader out there. ::steps off soapbox:: Sorry. Don't know where *that* came from. I blame the wine. Ahem. GS
Reviewer: ShinyWinchesterGun (Signed) · Date: 30/09/07 05:46 PM · On: Chapter 5
Wooooowwwww. Veeery emotional, gaelic. Of course, it all works together...somehow...I can actually picture this particular chick-flick moment...
Like how you incorporated the Robert Frost poem in there. One o' my favorites...lol, Brenna cut her hair apparently. Love it...
Author's Response: I've loved Robert Frost since I read The Outsiders in like... the 4th grade. "Nothing Gold Can Stay" drew me into the rest of his poems and when I found this one, it became my mantra. So, therefore, I made it Dean's. And the line "you cut your hair" was from LadyHawke when Navarre sees Isabeau for the first time in years as a woman and it's the first thing he says to her. I always found it incredinly romantic and incredibly funny and when Dean sees Brenna for the first time after they first pull him away from the nightmare witch, it felt like the perfect line. GS
Reviewer: ShinyWinchesterGun (Signed) · Date: 30/09/07 05:44 PM · On: Chapter 4
Eeep! Amazing escape...lovely job once again! *worships* I think I'm starting to go crazy because all I want to write down now is prettyprettyprettyprettywriting...
Author's Response: Prettywriting works for me. Thanks for that. Though... you did suddenly make me flash to an episode of Buffy when the school, um, blows up and she's basically "Fire bad. Tree pretty." Ahem. ANYWAY! I'm glad you liked the escape. Sam was gonna get him out of that box come hell or high-water. GS
Reviewer: ShinyWinchesterGun (Signed) · Date: 30/09/07 05:41 PM · On: Chapter 3
Oof. Those torture/fear/scary scenes just about broke my fragile heart...poor Dean...of course Cale has to be all creepy about it...neeeeever can't be creepy, can they? Noooope. Looking forward to seeing how they get out of this...
Author's Response: The cupcakes must've kicked in a 2nd wind... since you're still reading. :) Bad guys and creepiness kinda seem to go hand-in-hand, yes. :) And I know it was sadistic, the torturing of Dean, but for a reason I refuse to explore... it was also fun. GS
Reviewer: ShinyWinchesterGun (Signed) · Date: 30/09/07 05:38 PM · On: Chapter 2
Oh my. Ohhhh my. Crazy, crazy stuff, gaelic...love the voodoo lore...scary Cale, scary Riggs...yeah, I'm getting tired...I'm pretty sure my sugar high peaked a while ago...those cupcakes just aren't charging me up like they used to...havin' trouble concentrating on the actual plot...just sort of...laughing occasionally at funny things...squeaking whenever Dean gets poked...
Author's Response: Hmmm -- well at least it amused you and caused you to squeal! That's somthing at least. :) GS
Reviewer: ShinyWinchesterGun (Signed) · Date: 30/09/07 05:35 PM · On: Chapter 1
Lol, I love that last line...great beginning! Isn't kale a vegetable? Yeah...sorry...lol, I digress...Interesting story! Can't wait to see how Brenna plays into this...I love the interactions between Dean, Sam, and this family! Great stuff...yeah...
Author's Response: Wow! Here you are again! And so fast! I applaud you. :) This time 'round I'm gonna say a bit to each review rather than respond in one big chunk as I did with your gracious Holding On To Let Go revewis. Kale, yeah -- it's a vegetable. But Cale is (and don't make fun of me for this, okay) a Ronin Warrior. He manipulates the cold, death, and darkness. And until I decided to make Cale a voodoo priestess (voodoun), that's kinda where I was going. I liked the name, so it stuck. Glad you liked it enough to keep reading. GS
Reviewer: jane (Signed) · Date: 24/08/07 04:28 PM · On: Chapter 8
Oh wow, I've been looking forward to reading this last chapter all day long and it was well worth the wait. Brenna, what a lovely girl, I really like this character. I love her insight and just the way that she bonds to Dean. The tenderness between them is a stark contrast to both their worlds. LOL, I see what you mean by helping him over the ordeal! And you played that particular scene so beautifully, it was delicious in its simplicity, two well matched souls coming together but, alas, not meant to be together. Ack! And moving on, as they do, but it really strikes a cord in my heart that the car is home. A fab story indeed, I truly enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing. I'm just a tad gutted that Sunday Bloody Sunday is not up yet, as I'm off on my holibobs for a week and will now miss the update, unless my lappy can find a nice friendly wireless network!! LOL. Oh well, something to look forward to when I get home. ;) Jane
Author's Response: Oh, I clapped when I saw this pop up in my inbox - and then I was instantly nervous before I read it because... what if you hated how it ended... GAK. But thank you so much for your kind words and I'm so pleased you liked Brenna and that what transpired between Brenna and Dean resonated for you. Dean purpose is and always will be Sam. He can't really have *anyone* else -- Brenna or whoever -- if Sam isn't safe, happy, *alive*... at least how I see it. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't connect and that he doesn't feel and that he doesn't -- on some level -- love. And I'll shut up now. Thanks so much for reading and for all of your lovely comments. Sorry about the delay on Sunday Bloody Sunday -- one thing about co-writing is that you kinda end up sharing lives in a way for the duration of the story... and there are times when RL is not kind. :) But we're nearly complete with the next chapter and will have it up mid-week next week for when you get home. I hope you enjoy it. It's a long one. In fact... the remaining chapters will all be quite long, I expect. Thanks again. Slainte, Gaelic
Reviewer: jane (Signed) · Date: 24/08/07 03:04 AM · On: Chapter 7
Oh lots going on in this one. Aftermath is a good description and what a fall out for Dean. He really does need to have a good old cry, release it all out of his system and a hug, a nice long one. Maybe Brenan...? This was a really thoughtful chapter too, with Sam wanting to help and be there for Dean. Dean's defences down and taking a little from Sam, but never a lot, huh! And Dean's thoughts on his dad. Did he feel that he was let down, rather like Coulee's dad did to his boys? Again his need for his family but also his fear that Sam's there because of him and yet he wouldn't want him anywhere else. Love it, absolutely! Jane :)
Author's Response: :) I think you'll see that Brenna does help him get this nightmare out of his system in a way in the final chapter. :) When I wrote this, I approached it from the perspective that yes, Dean did feel let down by John, similar to Paul Coulee to Joss. But he would never admit that to himself or anyone else. One of the things that makes me love the character of Dean so much is his need for his family. It makes him human. :) Thanks for commenting on that. I hope you enjoy the final chapter. Thank you so much for reading. Gaelic
Reviewer: jane (Signed) · Date: 24/08/07 02:24 AM · On: Chapter 6
Oh wow, that was an excellent chapter. She was determined not to let Dean go, so sure that she could actually defeat him, but she didn't considered the joint force of Sam and Dean. I love this line...'Dean slid his eyes to his brother, thinking. Once he’d believed that it was really Sam there with him, he never doubted that he could defeat her. Without Sam, he was alone in the dark. With him, he was powerful.' For me that really sums up what the two boys mean to each other and typifies how they 'need' each other to survive, but that has echoed through this fic, showing Dean's need particularly for his brother to be there - for Dean its all about Sam. Fabulous. Of course, the rest was pretty neat too, LOL, in fact the fight with the witch was overwhelming, leaving me feeling void at times, when Dean was dragged back on his own and then elated when Brenan came to help and finally, Sam. I enjoyed Dean's wariness when Sam first arrived and Sam's glimpse into that very dark core Dean has and realising its his first taste of that side of his brother. And yay to Brenan, who didn't appear to do much in the fight, but was there holding all the seams in place. Can I read the rest without wrecking my fingernails?? LOL. Jane :)
Author's Response: I think Sam is a strong character in his own right, but I honestly have trouble identifying with him except where he relates to Dean -- his importance in Dean's life is monumental and that is what I enjoy writing. How tied to each other they are and how, because of Sam, Dean is who he is. I'm glad you saw that in this chapter -- Dean had the strength to defeat the nightmare witch, but it wasn't until Sam was fighting beside him that he *believed* in that strength. Plus, I was able to write about one of my favorite scenes in Season 1. Dean's "anchor" is one of those TV moments I'll never forget. Thanks so much for your continued reviews -- I'm so pleased you're enjoying this! GS
Reviewer: Magos186 (Signed) · Date: 22/08/07 07:18 PM · On: Chapter 1
Hey. I love your stories...they always start off so intriguing and end up being terrific and i'm sure this one won't dissappoint. I just wanted to say that the creature they fought in Something Wicked was a Shtriga. A Strega is an Italian Witch.
Author's Response: HA! Thanks for that. I should go back in and fix... I've learned a lot about storytelling and the show since writing this one. Getting the baddies right? ALWAYS a good idea. :) Thanks so much for reading and leaving a review. I hope you continue to enjoy. GS
Author's Response: There. Fixed. In this chapter at least. ;) Slainte.
Reviewer: jane (Signed) · Date: 22/08/07 04:59 AM · On: Chapter 5
::takes a breath:: Holy mother that was dark and scary. I was in there with Dean fighting his side all my muscls tense and barely breathing. What a horribly dark chapter that was. So, typically Dean, he knew what he was getting into from the go get, he's such a noble cookie he really is. Stupid too! Bless, but I love that he always puts himself last, that his love for his brother is right up there, keeping Sam safe. And keeping his bro safe is what makes Dean function and she's most certainly found his weak spot there. So, Brenan has arrived (and what an arrival, small, but obviously can hold her own, I like this character already) and by touching Dean she can be where he is? That's cool, and I hope that she's able to help him fight the evil thats in him because he's sure in a tight dark spot and needs all the help he can get. Oh yeah, and someone lock the mother with the syringe up! Bring on the next part. (I've obviously read these in the wrong order for the Brenan character!) Jane :)
Author's Response: Yeah, Brenna met the boys in the story before this one -- they weren't originally meant to be a series or anything. She was just a reoccuring character that I used in a couple (well, three) story lines. I *think* that as long as you know she has a history with the boys -- especially Dean -- that her involvement makes sense. And while she's instrumental in taking out the baddie, she's not pivotal to the story. ANYWAY -- too much coffee, Gaelic -- thanks so much for continuing to let me know what you think of the story! I love that you seem to see Dean as I do in this story. Hope you enjoy the next part -- some of my favorite moments are in chapters 6, 7, and 8. I know, that probably sounds weird, but... it's true. :) GS
Reviewer: jane (Signed) · Date: 21/08/07 05:49 PM · On: Chapter 4
After all that Dean has gone through, the emotional and mental torture and its not over. This evil witch is now living inside his head and will take him on another horrible mental journey with what kind of consequences?? I loved the moment when Dean leaned into Sam's touch, really needing to connect there with his Bro and how heartbreaking that he wanted to go home. It shows how badly his defences are down that he needed this and worryingly will he be be able to hold his own with the witch in his head in this vulnerable state? It was one of those 'don't go to sleep' moments. Of course, we knew he would, poor soul is utterly exhausted. I'm curious how this other person, Brenna, that Sam has called, will be able to help Dean. Its been a great day, chores interspersed with a bit of reading, can't beat it, but its bedtime here now, so I'm going to have to hang on till the morrow for the next couple chapters! Jane :)
Author's Response: Well, now is when my curiousity on your reaction increases because Brenna Kavanagh is a character that I introduced in my first story Holding On To Let Go. Her particular abilities and Dean's current state with the nightmare witch are why I thought she would be the perfect solution for Sam to help his brother. My favorite thing about these characters is how they connect to each other, almost wordlessly in tune as a team. I adore these brothers and I hope that comes across through the stories. Thank you for spending time with me, and I truly hope you enjoy the rest of the story. Gaelic
Reviewer: jane (Signed) · Date: 21/08/07 03:29 PM · On: Chapter 3
My last post just hit a cyber wall so here goes a second attempt. I have a fab vision of this Riggs with a huge hole in him and it slowly closing and here I am screaming for the boys to run like hell before it closes up and he comes running after them again! I know that Sammy wanted to go back for Dean but it did nothing for my fear level when he was standing there hesitating. Like run man, run! Dean is really up against it but I love how he's using his music to keep his mind closed but the struggle is getting hard and I fear he will let her in with devastating consequences. I don't think thats Sam hanging around there, unless he's been captured and its all going to hell. Can I just say that the blackness, cold and Dean pacing out just 5 x 8 is really hitting my claustraphobic tendancies! Great, bring on the next part. Jane :)
Author's Response: You don't know how great it is to see these reviews come in today. It's like a 2nd Monday... I had a friend say once that she wondered what Dean would do if trapped "in a box"... that's kinda was birthed the idea for Within My Hands. I love how you react to the story -- thanks so much for the reviews... and I'll warn you... it's always darkest before the dawn in my imagination.
GS
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