Homing by Sophia Prester (pg)

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: none – Ellen-centric gen (incidental Ellen/Bill)
Length: ~24k words
Author on LJ: sophiap
Author Website: presterpress
Why this must be read:

Homing is an absolutely stunning story that fills in Ellen's backstory using a layered narrative detailing her childhood, her marriage to Bill, and her life raising Jo at the Roadhouse after Bill's death. Beautiful, vivid writing full of truth, palpable emotion, and insightful characterization.

As stories go, Ellen would say it was nothing special; nearly everyone who passed through the Roadhouse could play some variation on that particular tune.

A werewolf savaged Diana's son, and when she was drunk enough she might let slip that she was the one who wound up putting a silver bullet in her baby's heart. Gordon's sister was taken by vampires. Roger had the rotten luck to go digging in the wrong place. John's wife was slashed open and burned to a crisp by a demon. Linda Jean made a stupid deal and has been looking for a way out of it ever since. Ash's best friend got himself possessed and damn near killed Ash before getting killed himself.

At least, these are the stories she's actually heard. There's probably a bit more to the tales than people let on, but that's just the way of it.

She suspects the real stories are hidden in the way Gordon used to sit hunched over at his bar stool, glaring angrily at something no one else could see. There are probably dozens of stories in the tarot cards Diana deals over and over and over again as she tries to find an ending she can live with. She thought she heard a hint of one in the way John snapped his phone shut after barking orders to one of his boys like he was their commanding officer and not their father. She can read a hell of a lot into the way Ash stays lost in his research or lost in beer and television, never growing up, never moving on from college and the moment his life got turned upside-down.

Her story is tucked away and all but lost in the way she's been at the Roadhouse for two decades and change, rarely going far and only occasionally hunting, but always, always looking at the maps the hunters bring in to plot their next hunt, tracing the best routes to Denver, Seattle, New York, Chicago.

It's a story she doesn't think about much, not unless the wind is coming down from the north, moving through in crashing pulses through grass, through trees. She'll jerk awake, then, convinced she can hear the ocean just outside her window.

I cannot recommend this story highly enough. Set aside some time, because you won't be able to stop reading once you've started, and make sure to leave the author feedback when you're done.

Homing by sophiap

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Comments

[sophiap.livejournal.com]

Coming across this in my scan of my flist made my day.

Thank you so much for the recommendation!

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Thank you for writing such a spectacular story. *g*