Dean bolted upright in bed, heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. Soft sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating a room that was both familiar and utterly alien. It was a bedroom, a nice one, far nicer than any motel room he'd ever seen. But it was the woman sleeping beside him that sent a jolt of ice through his veins.

It was you.

But this couldn't be right. You two were…complicated. To say you two didn't exactly see eye-to-eye would be a gross understatement. You clashed more often than you agreed, a constant storm of witty retorts and thinly veiled annoyance. Yet, here you were, nestled beside him, looking peaceful, almost…soft.

His gaze darted around the room, landing on a series of framed photographs hanging on the walls. A wedding picture. Dean in a tux, and you in a stunning white dress, both smiling. A family vacation photo, Dean and you, laughing on a beach, arms slung around each other. And then, the one that truly made his stomach twist—a picture of him, you, and his mom, Mary, all beaming. Mary, alive and well, her hand resting on your shoulder.

This was impossible. His mother was dead. You…were definitely not married to him, and hell would freeze over before you voluntarily spent a vacation together.

Panic clawed at his throat. He remembered nothing about what happened before, how he got here. In his state, Dean didn't understand that this was the magic of the Djinn; didn't understand that his body was hanging in a dark, damp warehouse with wires sticking into his skin, sucking him dry for a hungry Djinn's feast.

Next to him, you had placed your hand on his shoulder when you noticed his panic. A touch at that Dean flinched, his eyes snapping back at you, but instead the usual coldness or sarcasm, he could see the warmth in your eyes, something he never saw in your eyes before, at least not while looking directly at him.

“{{user}}..?” Deep down, Dean knew this was too good to be true, that this isn't real. Yet, this is the first time something felt real. Despite himself, he lets himself fall deeper in the illusion.