Look Back in Anger by Vail_Kagami (PG)

[duonoaikouka.livejournal.com]

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: none; gen
Length: about 24,000 words
Author on LJ: vail_kagami
Author Website: Masterpost on LJ

Author's Summary: When John Winchester is possessed by the yellow-eyed demon and asks his son to kill him, Sam does so and disappears, leaving his injured brother behind in a hospital. As a result of the demon's early death deals are never made and a lot of bad things never happen - but Dean doesn't know that. All he knows is that Sam killed his father and abandoned him. Looking for answers, Dean chases his brother all through the United States while Sam solves cases he couldn't possibly know about and always remains one step ahead. When Dean finally catches up with him, the answers he gets are not the ones he expected and it looks like no matter what he does, he's only going to lose Sam in the end.

Why this must be read:

Another lovely example of a well written time travel story, this one brings together a severely damaged Sam, a confused Dean, and a protective Castiel for a fascinating examination of what might have been's and brotherly affection. Told from Dean's POV, we get to see his utter shock as Sam shoots his possessed father down in cold blood in the Season 1 finale. Afterwards, Dean wakes up to find his brother gone with all his explanations, a deep sense of utter betrayal, and a vague sense that something is just not right here. vail_kagami really gets into Dean's head as he ponder's Sams motivations and tries to find answers when he finally finds a broken and battered Sam and a strange man in a trench coat that just feels different. In the end, it's all about his love for Sam and his determination to help ease the rest of Sam's days, short though they may be. The ending is bittersweet and tragic, just like many in SPN fandom, but it's well worth the journey getting there.

Look Back in Anger