i think it would be funny if people occasionally arose from the dead. like if that was a real-life one-in-a-million but well-documented Thing That Sometimes Happens, and the entire legal system around death (laws on inheritance & marriage & murder etc) had to include caveats for the unlikely-but-scientifically-possible event that the dead person in question might spontaneously self-resurrect, even years or decades after death. it would raise so many inconvenient and absurd possibilities

“What if the love you deserve is love you never find? I've learned in love and death, we don't decide.”

“You got me, always... You said that... You said it. So, you can’t just go back on that, you can’t let this can’t be the end when we were just beginning. You can’t be dead.

CHARACTERS → Dean Winchester LOCATION → Michigan TIME FRAME → 16th March, 2019 WARNINGS → death/grief/general depression/sadness/alcoholism NOTES → Astrid responds to a request from the police after they answered her call to Dean’s mobile.  TAGS → @ofbowlegs

It wasn’t actually unusual per say for her and Dean to suggest plans and have other things come up in their place. He said he’d swing by yesterday and he hadn’t but it wasn’t a big deal, he was just busy, right? He had his own life just as she had hers and so, she didn’t think much of it. With Alice staying at her brothers for a sleepover with Piper, it left the hybrid to potter around her apartment. She managed to clean up, dance around and finally collapse herself into bed at around midnight. Pulling her phone out to check she answered a couple texts before she clicked onto Dean, about to text him some lame joke but instead, she decided she’d call him. It would be funnier if he heard it and he was always awake. With a cackle to herself, she clicked call and put the phone to her ear with a happy little grin on her lips. The call was answered but the ‘hello, miss’ made her fling herself into a sitting position with an instant frown on her face. “Who’s this?” She asked, obviously knowing it wasn’t Dean. “Miss, this is Detective Hayes from MSP, I’m answering a call from a phone that has come into o-” he stopped because he was cut off by Astrid’s question. “MSP?” She didn’t know what that was. “Oh- yes, sorry, ma’am, Michigan State Police. We have the belongings of a John Doe, I’m- I’m very sorry, Miss, are you a relative of this man? Could you tell us his name?” The Detective had picked up the call because he had seen the picture, one of his ‘john doe’ and a female and he thought, since his john doe had no i.d. on him, his contacts could save him a lot of paperwork. “What? A John Doe? What does that mean? Is this a joke? Dean lives in Georgia, he’s nowhere near Michigan, who the fuck is this?” She didn’t mean to be snippy but naturally, she knew exactly what a ‘john doe’ was and she flipped into instant refusal and denial. Somebody had taken Dean’s phone and they were playing a cruel trick, right?

“Ma’am, I’m very sorry. He has no form of identification on him and so a fingerprint check is in process but I saw you calling and I thought perhaps you could clue us in. Miss, I’m very sorry to tell you, especially over the phone, but the male who owned this mobile has passed away.” He was trying to be both professional and sensitive. “Are you in the area, Astrid, is it?” He had seen the name on the caller I.D. “I would really prefer to speak with you in person and I’m very sorry to ask but if you have any identification for this man, could you bring it with you?” His words all seemed to go over her head and although she wanted to protest, she just choked on her attempted response. Dead? Michigan? It couldn’t be Dean, surely? Yet, something in her gut started twisting, making her swallow her own refusal and answer him with a yes. “I’m a few hours away but I can uh- I can drive to-” she paused again. “No, I’m sorry, this is- I don’t understand. Do you have anything but his phone? Car keys? I mean, no I.D? Not even a bank card? Nothing with his name? I mean, you have his phone and nothing else? You could be anyone, this could be a trap.” She wanted them to give her something more solid; like she was still holding onto this being a trick, somehow, it wouldn’t be that far out to consider that someone had kidnapped him and took his phone to lure someone to him. 

“Oh, yes, ma’am, there was a black Impala parked up which as we have discovered, fit the keys that were in his pocket. In regards to his wallet, there was only cash and a voucher for- well, for burgers.” He confirmed whether it was a violation or not he thought perhaps this girl could identify him and basically, save a lot of paperwork. “I’m- I can be there in the morning. Which hospital? Will you meet me there?” Astrid was already scurrying from her bed. Potential prank or not, it was enough to freak her out, especially with the mention of his car and of course, the burger voucher, considering Dean’s love for them. She listened to him tell her which hospital/morgue “Dean” was in before she hung up and threw on her clothes. It was around fifteen hours drive, she thought? It didn’t matter. The entire call had her completely bent out of shape, enough to let worry and paranoia consume her soul and make her set out in her car to travel there. Naturally, she was already trying to convince herself this was a trap, it was a lure, it was anything other than what it actually was... Truth. The drive felt like days rather than hours and she flipped between slow breathing, tears and then total absent minded numbness. Dean? Dead? Absolutely fucking not. 

Astrid had parked up as near to the hospital as she could get, thinking to herself now she was here that it was probably more logic of her to of checked his hot spots before she jumped in the car and came all this way. She hadn’t called anyone, hadn’t checked his home or anywhere he would usually be, which now made her feel stupid. Because this was a trick... He wasn’t in Michigan, he wasn’t dead. And yet the guy who approached her in the hospital doorway, holding out his badge, looked so official and legit. “Miss. Astrid?” She only nodded. “I’m very sorry to do this to you but I have to ask if you’re a relative?” He asked and she frowned, glancing to the two other suits waiting a few feet away. She assumed it was regulation. Protocol. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I’m his family.” Her pupils focused and she used her compulsion to make him believe it without question. She knew what was coming next, or at least she assumed so. They needed a family member to identify the body, right? Given how the Detective nodded and gestured into the hospital, she followed with her fists tightly clenched and every single nerve in her body on high alert. Just because they were in a hospital still didn’t make this legit, if she was walking into a trap she wanted to be on red alert to defend herself. 

“I’m sorry, I know you’re trying to do your job and I’ve travelled hours to be here but this can’t be Dean. He lives where I do, it’s hours away, I don’t understand why he would be here?” Astrid just felt like she had to say so as she halted her footing before they entered the morgue. “Where was the body found? How?” She compelled the Detective once more whilst the two assumed officers lagged behind. “Cemetery in-front of a new headstone. Dead on scene, alcohol at hand but a cause of death isn’t yet confirmed, an autopsy is required.” He answered, much like a robot who looked positively confused right after he spoke, like he didn’t understand how the words just tumbled out his mouth even though he didn’t want them to. “A new headstone?” Astrid pressed. “Yes, ma’am. A headstone for a Lisa Breaden.” Giving a nod, the name alone made Astrid turn a shade of pale. If this was a trick then they were hitting all the right boxes to make it convincing. Lisa, his ex. Alcohol, something he didn’t do without. The fact it was a new headstone, for a person who died only recently. So what was left? Her head turned to the side and she peeked through the window. “You’re just going to let me in there? To tell you if it’s Dean or not? You don’t even know who I am. You don’t even know who he is. I could tell you anything. I haven’t got any I.D. to show you who I am? I called his phone, sure, but I could be his dentist for all you know, you didn’t even ask.” She whispered.

“We understand that, Miss. But your caller I.D. displayed on this mans phone with your name and a picture of the two of you together which is what’s prompted us to seek out your assistance. Fingerprints and or dental records will also be done, of course. And we will need some details from yourself.” The little officer answered - the one who looked like they were around sixteen on their first work experience day. “Right... I mean, that doesn’t seem entirely official but... Fine.” She frowned. She didn’t really know enough about these lawful situations to call them out if they were trying to skip over and cut corners. At this point she was just anxious to see the body, the body she still wasn’t actually convinced was Dean. Because it just couldn’t be. No. No way. “Oh, uh, here...” Astrid dug into her bag and pulled out the only thing Dean had left at her home, identification wise and it was only because he’d left without his jacket. “Just- I mean, you said... You said you wanted something but I’m only showing you this because I need to know if... If that picture looks like who is in there.” A warning would be better, she figured. Though she was actually hoping the Detective would look at the I.D. and say to her ‘oh, no. no it looks nothing like who is in there. “... Well? Is it? Is it him?”

The Detectives silence spoke volumes. It shushed the hybrid into total silence and by her face alone, the guy knew he didn’t actually have to say anything. The mortician opened up the door with one of those pitiful yet polite smiles and Astrid slowly glanced towards her before forcing her feet into the room. This was becoming way too real, she was feeling more nauseous by the second. Lightheaded and quite dizzy, if she was honest, because she’d come here on a whim, a stupid panic fueled whim and big belief it would be a trap and yet, now she was here. Stood with police who looked legit, clued in on facts that made sense and standing in front of a body with a white sheet over it. A body she didn’t need to see, not at this point. Her supernatural senses were hyperaware, she could smell the decay of the body as strongly as she could smell Dean’s scent even from under the sheet. Her legs turned to jelly and she stumbled a little further into the room, all colour washing from her, the sickly feeling creeping up on her even more. “Take it off. Just take it off.” She blurted out, to which the woman complied and carefully removed the sheet from his head. 

Any strength the hybrid had in her body vanished in that second. She sucked in the air and held it because she simply couldn’t breathe it out. She stumbled with her wobbly legs before she almost collapsed to the floor. Held up by an officer who pulled his arms around the back of her and even that didn’t deter her eyes that were fixated on his body. Astrid was trying to force back tears to see clearly, her breath was still caught in her lungs, she huffed and shoved the hands off her to allow her to move forward. To walk towards him. “Dean...” She whispered, reaching the metal table he was laid upon, one hand gripped the edge just to keep herself upright, but the other was trembling at her side. When she tried to breathe out, she choked. Her hand reached out to press against his cheek and she openly sobbed. He was cold. So cold. And it was him. Not only did ‘it’ look like him, ‘it’ had his smell too. This wasn’t a trick. It wasn’t a prank. It wasn’t a lure to get her here. It was real. It was all real. He was dead. “Wake up.” She murmured and brought both hands up to touch lightly on his shoulders. Almost like she didn’t dare squeeze, she only nudged him as the waterfall from her eyes dripped down her cheeks. 

“You said you wouldn’t leave me...” She prompted as if he could hear her. As if he would wake up. It was a grief-stricken moment, obviously, she knew he wasn’t just going to revive, she just needed a minute to try and process. “You got me, always... You said that... You said it. So, you can’t just go back on that, you can’t let this can’t be the end when we were just beginning. You can’t be dead.” Her head shook fiercely, making the teardrops from her face and onto his body because she’d dropped her head just a few inches from his face. Her words meant nothing, not even to her. He was gone. She literally had her hands on his dead body and after the denial minute passed, her upper half closed the gap between her and him and she choked, sobbed and screamed all in the space of a few seconds. Astrid felt hands on her, hands trying to pull her shoulders upward and basically pull her away and of course, logically she could have stopped them, but right now? Not a single cell in her body felt like it had strength enough to do anything but cry. “Please, please! You can’t do this to me! You said you wouldn’t leave me!” Distraught, she was screaming at Dean’s body and at this point, only standing through the aid of the officer's arms holding her up. “... Please.” She stopped struggling in their arms and her voice wasn’t higher than a whisper as she shook her head. “I can’t lose you, it-it’s too much, I- I just- I need you,” she blubbered, letting the extra bodies hold her weight as she tried to sink further into the ground, her focus not once leaving Dean’s face. “I love you...” And that made it all the more tragic... She’d told him, as he had told her only a couple weeks ago. It was supposed to be the start of something, not the end. Yet somehow she couldn’t help but recall the entire conversation which had if not many, then at least one relatable comment which was the fact they had both expressed...

“Everyone I love d i e s.”