Lovely! Laughed all the way through (apart from the poignant little asides about Mom which brought a tear to my eye as well as Sam's).

Author's Response:

Thank you so much. Ah, yes, the little reference to their mother - I guessed that would really get to Sam, as I'm sure that even though he never knew his mother, some part of him would still long for her. 

So glad you liked this so much. Thank you.

Jules

First impressions having read this straight through - gripping, traumatic, emotional.  This must have been something like Dean's experiences in Hell, don't you think - that fear and sense of losing yourself, and finding you've done terrible things (though Hell must actually have been worse as that was a choice he made, and then enjoyed the results....).

There were a few typos here and there but this was well written, good dialogue in character and some evocative descriptions. Oh and an original choice of villain (very Amercian Gods/Neil Gaiman!).

Must read some of your other stuff now!

Oh and Happy Christmas...!

Mmm you are right, that's dark - bloody good, but very dark.  But then Sam's anger is like that isn't it? Brooding and massive, like his broad shoulders! This really captures the character, fills in some of the unseen from that little clip they do showing Sam going after the cross roads demon... and makes you feel for him.  Maybe helps you understand some of his attitude when Dean does finally return, that drive to be the strong one.

Harsh on Dean but I guess that is in character - he'd be that hard on himself I'm sure - and especially as he knew he wasn't under the siren spell when those words came out...Family are always the best at knowing each other's weaknesses and how to wield the right words to deal the lowest blows...

Only got one reference - the Holy Grail giant rabbit (classic) but I did used to be a Fluffy Bunny myself (my indoor cricket team was the Fluffy Bunnies and we were were truly dire - bottom of the league for years).

Will now have to look up Peeps and Onebun...

This was good fun!

Got to say this was a totally grawsome story....! I do hope Sam gets that Hannah Montana backpack and holster for Dean, don't you?

Feel the love, eh?  Love Bobby in this - how he is so strong, how the deep affection for the boys runs through everything he does for them, especially for dean.  Love Kathleen and so glad you didn't kill her off!! I was concerned you might at one point.  I had to try and read Ch 21 & 22 slower as you lost me a few times as I got confused as to who was narrating (but I am notoriously bad at reading carefully when a plot is racing, I want to race too).

Anyhow, I think I need to read the whole thing from start to finish as reading in pieces at the end was disruptive.

Really enjoyed it, thanks for the ride!

Sorry I haven’t reviewed chapter by chapter but as with the Woods, I have read this straight through, cover to cover (so to speak).  Obviously, I am now anxiously awaiting the next and final chapters, still hoping that you will ultimately provide us with some salvation and relief, especially for poor old Dean.

So – likes and dislikes.

Dislikes first to get it over with – just generally, this is so hard to read because it is such an emotional grind, heart wrenchingly horrible thing to have to live through with the characters we know and love – what can I say but aaargh!  And you will realise that is a double edged sword – we need the angst to make the story work but man, it is very angsty.  I am also uncomfortable with the thought of young Dean giving blow jobs for money even though it is highly feasible that desperate straights could have led to desperate actions – and that is more a reflection of my discomfort with many aspects of real life that are much more frightening to contemplate than any monster of the week than any criticism of the story.  Me and Dean are on the same page there – demons I get, people are just crazy…

Likes – the language used is punchy, pithy, full of pulchritude.  The characterisation is nothing short of brilliant.  You have developed them from where we know they were at this time in the overall SPN story in a totally convincing manner, through the events of this story into some of the aspects of the characters that we can see emerging now in current episodes. Neat.

I love Kathleen fucking Hudak, hell yeah!  She was always one of my favourite additional characters. Her interactions with Dean in that episode make the way you have woven her into these 2 stories totally convincing.  And you and the boys are quite right – she is Ripley will bells on. I do hope you haven’t dropped her on her head once too often and she too will emerge victorious from that damned root cellar….

There were also a few laughs, some classic Dean and Sam bitch face moments, in amongst the pain and suffering so thanks for that!

One last point of interest.  I don’t know what you think of the whole slash genre, but I have now worked out, thanks to your writing and the theme of both these 2 books, why I am so uncomfortable with the idea of Sam/Dean.  I am glad to say it is not through some deep seated prejudice or homophobia (and I certainly don’t get that impression from you either by the way).  It comes from what we know about the two boys and their (you say it somewhere) dysfunctional relationship.  It is rooted in Dean’s ridiculously low self esteem, and you absolutely nailed it on the head in the scene between Sam and Dean where Dean finally comes clean about what Lee did to him, how he had been to some extent projecting Sam onto Lee and Sam’s horrified realisation that Dean would let him (Sam) do anything to him and never fight back because he can’t deny his brother anything.  There is this thing about loving some one too much.

I had read this slash fic xxx before reading your 2 stories, and I now realise why it actually made me so sad, and want to cry at the end.  It’s because (and I don’t think this author intends it to read this way) there is this feeling throughout that Dean’s love for Sam is too extreme, and that this love is somehow warped by this act, so much so that it actually felt like rape, submission to a powerful force and not a joyous act – which is so totally opposite to Dean in the show (early Dean before Hell anyway) where he sees sex as a totally wonderful fun thing.

I think it is interesting the writers in the series have moved the characters on from this point and that Dean is now showing that he can detach himself from Sam, that his sense of self worth is now gradually developing away from being solely defined as Sam’s big brother, Sam’s protector – his job.  I love the way they are doing this without reducing the love he feels for his brother, but giving Dean some much needed independence.

PS with my occasional proof reader hat on there were a few typos in latter chapters – like a ‘the the’ that should be a ‘that the’, missing end quotes, etc.  If you want I can track back and let you know exactly where they are, if you are interested!!  I know, I’m a sad woman!

Love the symmetry in this - the mirroring of the returning brothers and the different reactions of Dean and Sam throughout.

I'm sure it's been said lots of times (but I am writing this before reading any other reviews) but you capture the voices of the two boys really well, as well as the poignancy of their relationship as it has moved through the 4 seasons.

Really, really nicely done...

I shall now read your other scribbles with anticipation!

Encapsulates all the unsaid moments so well...and this rings true.


Author's Response:

Thank you for that. It was just such a beautiful scene, and it stayed in my mind long after the episode had ended. There was so much unsaid that I felt was going to be said after the scene ended - I just felt that Dean would tell Sam at least most of it - as Micaiah said and wrote, probably not the fact that Samifer kills the future Dean, but at least most of what he'd seen and experienced. 

They've got a long way to go, but at least by the end of this episode they were on their way again.

Jules

Ok, I confess, I cheated and found the finished version of this on your live journal site.  So I've finished reading now, and really enjoyed it all.  I've also read a couple of your other fics on there, and really like your style - I especially liked The Dark Waters Call.  I hope you will post more on here to share your talent!

On this one - a very original idea, totally convincing description of the way Dean starts to interact with his wings and I loved the idea of the feathers' changing nature (eg. the hardening in protection and the way they move instinctively to keep him warm, and the way the feathers disappear once shed).

It was also a good story from the point of view of the charmed town and the demons, so I look forward to reading more about its significance at some future point.

Ooops, should have checked whether this was complete before I started, but never mind!  Enjoying it so far, a fun original idea and I love the X-5 reference!

Just realised I never left a review for this one! 

I like the mirroring stories and actually think you nailed Sam's POV even better than Dean's (which probably reflects your growing empathy for our floppy-haired fave!).

The loneliness they both feel and their joint dependencies are nicely rendered...