Ghosts of Future Past (джен)

Dean already knows that the future isn't looking good. Sam's sneaking out at night and lying about it. Dean's pretty sure the angels are dicks and that they're lying to him. It isn't until he gets a visit from his own ghost that he realizes just how bad it's going to get, and the future that was becomes part of Dean's memories of the past. Surely, with all that he knows, he can fix things—if he can stay alive and sane, that is. A season 4 AU that bumps into seasons 5 and 6. Written for the 2011 spn_gen_bigbang challenge. Art by amber1960.
Broadly inspired by a_phoenixdragon's excellent 2010 spn_j2_bigbang piece, Perspectives, which left me feeling melancholy, and for some reason (because it never happens in her story) gave me the image of Dean in a hospital bed, quietly rejecting the comfort Sam tries to offer.
Originally posted on livejournal as part of the spn_gen_bigbang challenge.