Supernatural: Don't Pick Me Up at the Crossroads - Chapter 1: What the Hell Kind of Transmigration Is This? (Patreon)

Synopsis:

Murphy never expected to fall from 2026 straight into the supernatural world of 2007.

One moment, she was living an ordinary life. The next, she found herself at a crossroads, witnessing a deal with a demon and becoming the suspicious stranger Dean Winchester reluctantly took along with him.

But Murphy carries two secrets.

Her photographic memory holds everything she knows about the Winchester brothers: every tragedy, every sacrifice, and every terrible fate awaiting them.

And her soul exists beyond the rules of this world, untouchable even by demons and angels.

She sees through the self-destructive tendencies Dean hides behind his jokes and understands the struggles Sam keeps buried deep inside.

She'll find ways out when there seem to be none, stand between them and death, and try to spare them the regrets that once seemed inevitable.

What begins as an uneasy encounter between strangers slowly grows into a bond built on trust, loyalty, and the willingness to watch each other's backs.

Three people who refuse to accept the futures laid out for them.

And this time, they'll carve out their own path together.

...

[Before You Read: Content Warnings]

The essentials: Non-monogamous ending, no incest, and the original characters' romantic histories are preserved.

This Supernatural fanfic follows a heroine who hopes to save the Winchester brothers, ease the burdens they carry, and offer them emotional support. However, she isn't merely a plot device. She has her own personality, motivations, and story, with relationships that develop naturally as she becomes part of their lives.

Over time, mutual romantic feelings will develop between the heroine and both Winchester brothers. She won't end up choosing just one of them. This is an intentional part of the story.

There will be no romantic or sexual relationship between Sam and Dean. Their bond remains strictly brotherly, with their romantic feelings directed toward the heroine.

The story will largely follow the show's main plot, though the heroine's attempts to save people and change their fates will lead to some differences.

The original characters will remain true to their established personalities. The brothers' romantic histories won't be erased, and their involvement with other women may still appear, though such scenes will be kept brief.

If these themes aren't for you, consider this your warning. Otherwise, enjoy the story!

...

Murphy stood at a crossroads in the middle of nowhere, completely at a loss.

What was going on?

Seriously, what the hell was going on?!

She'd just finished her makeup and slipped into her black Gothic dress. She hadn't even had a chance to adjust her earrings. One turn of her head, and somehow she'd gone from her own home to this baffling place.

The crossroads were deserted. There wasn't even a streetlight.

And right in front of her, a man and a woman were kissing passionately.

Why was any of this happening?!

The man abruptly broke off the kiss.

He turned as though he was about to leave, only to spot Murphy. He looked as if he'd only just realized another living person was standing nearby, and his expression changed at once.

“Son of a bitch!”

What? A foreigner?

Murphy felt a little piece of her soul die. Where the hell had she ended up?

The man stepped forward, one hand already reaching toward the small of his back. He looked her up and down, then quickly glanced at the dark-haired woman he'd just been kissing.

“Who are you?” he demanded warily. “Where'd you come from?”

“Uh...” Murphy struggled to find her voice. “Sorry to interrupt, but I don't know why I'm here either. Could you tell me where we are?”

At least her English was decent, thanks to her computer science studies and all the American shows she'd watched over the years. She didn't sound like a native speaker, but she could hold a conversation without freezing up in the middle of this absurd situation.

The man didn't answer.

His gaze moved over her face and clothes, and his expression grew even darker.

“You're standing at a crossroads in the middle of the night, dressed like that,” he said, “and you expect me to believe you have no idea how you got here?”

“Technically, I was at home a second ago.”

“Oh, that's a new one. What are you, a vampire?”

“Huh?”

Murphy nearly laughed in exasperation. Before she could respond, the dark-haired woman chuckled.

“Relax, sweetheart,” she drawled. “This young lady doesn't look like your problem.”

Then she stopped speaking.

Murphy watched the woman narrow her eyes as the smile slipped from her face.

She was studying Murphy from head to toe, as though looking for something.

A chill crept down Murphy's spine.

The man noticed something was wrong and shifted slightly, putting himself between Murphy and the woman.

“What?” he asked.

The dark-haired woman didn't answer immediately. She stared at Murphy for several seconds before murmuring, “Strange.”

Murphy was more confused than ever, but she also felt an inexplicable sense of danger.

A slow smile spread across the woman's face. “Just an ordinary human. Tell me, miss, do you have a wish?”

“What do you mean, ordinary human? Aren't you human? I guess my wish would be...” Murphy edged away from the woman who made her so uneasy, but the man cut her off before she could finish.

“All right, you can leave now. We're done.” He turned toward the woman, his face serious.

“Fine. Don't worry, Dean. Our deal is sealed. By the time you get back, your little brother will be alive and kicking.” The woman laughed softly, turned around, and disappeared.

“Ghk!” Murphy made a strangled noise, squeezed her eyes shut, and opened them again. “So this is a dream, right? I've had plenty of weird dreams, and I even like them, but never one this realistic... Am I dreaming about Supernatural or something?”

Dean couldn't understand her muttering. He gave her another suspicious look. “So, are you planning to stay out here alone? Because I'm leaving.”

“No! Please, don't. Take me with you. Anywhere, as long as there are people...” Murphy was sure the skin beneath her makeup had gone as white as the thick foundation on her face. She was desperate. As little as she knew about this man, she would rather ride with a stranger than be abandoned in the wilderness. What if there were wild animals out here?

“...No. I've got something urgent to deal with. It'd be inconvenient.” Dean hesitated briefly.

“I won't get in your way. You can leave me in the car while you do whatever you need to do. Just don't leave me here by myself. I genuinely have no idea where I am. I've got no phone, no car. If you abandon me here, I don't even know if I'll survive...”

Her mind raced as she tried to sound as sincere and pitiful as possible. She was practically forcing herself to tear up.

Dean fell silent again. Then he took another look at her pleading expression, and his face twisted. “Do you have any idea how terrifying you look right now?”

Murphy's mouth twitched. She closed her eyes and rolled them.

What a tasteless jerk!

“...Get in. And don't touch anything.”

Dean led her to a car. Its black body gleamed softly in the moonlight. It was beautiful, and there was something strangely familiar about it.

Actually, everything about this was beginning to feel familiar. In daylight, Murphy would surely have recognized the man's face and the car hidden in the darkness, and figured out exactly what it all meant. Unfortunately, the night was too dark.

“Oh my God, that's an old car.” Murphy opened the rear door, climbed in, and peered around the interior by moonlight.

“One more word and I'll throw you out here to fend for yourself.” Dean started the engine irritably.

“Sorry.” Murphy mimed zipping her lips.

They drove in silence. Dean barely said anything, simply pressing harder on the accelerator.

“So, I'm Murphy. What's your name?” she asked, trying to break the ice. She'd spent a long time watching the scenery outside and had even pinched her thigh hard twice, nearly bringing tears to her eyes. By now, she was certain this wasn't a damn dream.

Dean glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Murphy? Your parents have a twisted sense of humor. I'm Dean.”

“Dean...” Murphy repeated the name to herself. The clues she'd overlooked began falling into place. A crossroads. A woman who'd vanished. What that woman had said. The black car. The name Dean. An unbelievable truth was taking shape in her mind.

She'd been transported into another world? Just like that? She hadn't done anything special beforehand. She hadn't made a wish or gotten run over by a truck. She'd just been an ordinary overworked employee enjoying a hobby.

Worse, she couldn't have arrived at a more disastrous point in the story. Dean had just made a deal with a crossroads demon, trading his soul to bring his younger brother, Sam, back to life. If she'd arrived a little earlier, maybe she could have tried to prevent Sam's death in the first place. Damn it...

Her thoughts were a mess, yet her nerves somehow settled. Maybe it was because she recognized Dean Winchester and believed she'd be safe with him. Still reeling from everything, Murphy slowly drifted off to sleep.

After all, she'd been a miserable office worker who'd just finished working overtime, changed into something fun, and planned to go out for the night. How much energy could anyone expect her to have left?

...

When Murphy opened her eyes, the sun was high and the car was still moving.

She struggled upright and stretched her painfully stiff neck, her groggy brain just beginning to wake up.

“Jesus!”

The exclamation made Murphy jump. She stared wide-eyed toward the voice.

Dean was startled too. The steering wheel jerked under his hands before he straightened the car. “Sam, what the hell's gotten into you?”

Murphy found herself staring at a young man with long hair. His eyes were fixed intently on her. “Dean, who is that?”

Dean checked the rearview mirror and let out a “Jesus” of his own. Then his face went blank, as though something had finally come back to him. “Uh...”

“Thanks, but I'm not Jesus. Anyway, what time is it?” Murphy looked at the long-haired man and realized he was Sam, the brother Dean had exchanged his soul to resurrect. Under his hawklike stare, the corner of her mouth twitched.

“Oh God, I actually forgot...” Dean groaned and briefly closed his eyes in frustration.

“Who are you? Why are you here?” Sam continued to stare at her.

Murphy rolled her eyes. “I'm Murphy. I got lost beside some road last night, and Dean was nice enough to pick me up. Otherwise I'd probably be a ghost haunting the woods by now.”

“Right,” Dean agreed, as if only now remembering what had happened.

“Murphy?” Sam narrowed his eyes and turned a suspicious look on his brother behind the wheel.

“Oh my God, you reacted exactly like your brother.” Murphy gave up on them and began straightening her hair and clothes.

Her long, smooth black hair was hopelessly tangled, and her dress was badly creased. She didn't even want to imagine what her makeup looked like now.

“How did you know he's my brother?” Dean asked without warning.

Murphy felt as though something had punched her in the stomach. “Uh, I guessed. What else would you be? A couple?”

Now it was Dean's turn to grimace. Beside him, Sam looked rather amused at his brother's discomfort.

“Anyway, we're headed to a friend's house. Once we get there, you can clean yourself up, and then we'll have a talk. If everything checks out, we'll take you wherever you want to go. Okay?”

“Your call.” Murphy shrugged. “But do you have any food or water? I'm starving.”

“Hang in there. We'll arrive in another two or three hours. We'll deal with it then.”

Dean didn't know what to make of Murphy, but he was more suspicious than anything else. Someone who could appear out of nowhere was usually a demon or some other supernatural creature. He intended to take her to Bobby's, have her tested and questioned, and only let her go once he knew she wasn't dangerous.

“Fine, but I'm seriously dying of hunger and thirst.” Murphy used the hair tie on her wrist to pull her hair into a loose ponytail, then tried to sort through her thoughts.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. This Asian girl was definitely suspicious. Sam cleared his throat.

“So, what country are you from? Are you here to study? Did you immigrate?”

“China. I don't want to lie to you, so I'll tell you what you want to know. I just hope you'll believe me.” Murphy was exhausted by it all. She hadn't asked for any of this and genuinely didn't know what had happened.

“That's up to you,” Dean snorted. Sam shot him a look that clearly meant shut up.

“We'll believe you,” Sam said in his gentlest, most coaxing voice. “Do you want to tell us about it?”

“All I remember is that one second before I appeared here, I was in my bedroom. I've never even been to the United States, and...” Murphy swallowed.

“And?” Sam prompted. Dean glanced at her in the mirror too.

“What year is it?” Murphy asked suddenly, a question that seemed to come out of nowhere to both brothers.

“2007. Why?”

“I knew it... I'm from... I'm from 2026. The rest probably isn't anything you really need to know.” Murphy sighed and stretched her stiff limbs.

The car went quiet. For a moment, the only sound was the hum of the road as all three fell silent.

“Heh. Back to the Future, huh?” Dean chuckled, but Sam's glare quickly wiped the smile off his face.

“Oh, come on. All I did was turn around. I wasn't driving a car. And now I'm broke. Completely screwed. What about my savings? Are they just going to go to waste? What am I supposed to do?” The thought nearly sent Murphy into despair. Why couldn't her bank balance have come through time with her?

“How much did you have saved?” Dean asked with some interest.

“Let me think... About twenty thousand dollars?”

“What?!” “What?!”

The brothers exclaimed at exactly the same time.

“Yep, so...” Murphy laughed awkwardly.

“All right, Miss ‘Marty McFly.’ When we get to our friend's place, we'll make sure you're properly taken care of.”

Murphy couldn't explain why those words sounded vaguely threatening. But what could she do? She could afford a little patience for a guy who'd just gotten someone precious back.

...

At last, the car stopped. The sight of a junkyard told Murphy exactly where they were: Bobby's place.

She got out after the brothers. When the door opened, she heard them greet the man one after the other. “Hey, Bobby.”

Bobby opened the door and immediately saw Sam, back from the dead. If his heart hadn't been so strong, he might have passed out from the shock.

“Sam.”

Murphy was still wondering whether she should copy the brothers and say “Hey, Bobby” too when she heard his startled greeting. She would have loved to see Dean's expression, but the two human walls in front of her blocked her view completely.

Bobby shot a look at Dean, who seemed too guilty to meet his eyes, just as Sam said, “Thanks for patching me up.”

Sam went inside first, opening up the space between the brothers and revealing Murphy, who'd been standing silently behind them.

“Jesus Christ!” Bobby had barely recovered from Sam's words when he caught sight of Murphy and cried out again.

“Uh, hi, Bobby?” Murphy had no idea what to say. Was her makeup really that frightening? She hoped she wouldn't scare the poor man half to death in broad daylight.

Bobby shut his eyes in exasperation. When he opened them, he glared at Dean, who was still standing there like a statue. “Dean. Anything you'd like to tell me?”

Dean tried to pull himself together and sound casual. “Sam's much better, and we're both back. So... what have you found?”

For a moment, Bobby was speechless. As the realization of what Dean had done sank in, his gaze turned sharper.

Watching them, Sam sensed that something was wrong and gave Dean a puzzled look.

“Sorry to interrupt, but could I please come inside, get something to eat and drink, and wash up? I'm in worse shape than a prisoner right now. I haven't eaten or drunk anything in over ten hours, and I haven't even been to the bathroom!”

Murphy's weak complaint broke the tense atmosphere. She was at her wits' end. Why did her trip into another world have to be so miserable?

“Where the hell did you come from?” Bobby demanded, turning an annoyed stare on her.

“Hey, Bobby, I'll explain in a minute.” Dean took Bobby by the shoulders, then turned to Murphy. “Go clean yourself up in the downstairs bathroom. I'll get you something to eat.”

He pointed her toward the bathroom and drew Bobby off in the other direction, clearly intending to talk to him.

Murphy nodded in relief and hurried toward the bathroom.

Behind her, Dean caught Sam's eye and nodded in Murphy's direction, signaling for Sam to keep watch on her.