Mother May I?

AN: Tag to Season 12 Episode 3-I had to write another ending. I hated the fact that Mary walked out on her boys.

Dean stared at Mary for a very long second. He couldn't believe what she was saying to him. He couldn't believe how it could happen, yet again. She was leaving him, again. His heart was breaking, and when she stepped close he instinctively backed away, as if a her very touch would hurt him even further. He couldn't even bring himself to look at her. And he had tried, every times, to raise his head and look, But the tears in his eyes prevented it. Plus the fact, that at that moment, he did not feel like a grown 37 year-old man. He felt every bit of the 4-year-old boy, who had just lost his mother for the first time.

Dean just blinked he couldn't even speak. No smart-ass remark, no sarcasm. This from a man who seemed to be able to snark as often as he breathed was suddenly, inexpiably silent.

Sam could not believe his ears. He looked from Mary to Dean and back. Sam was not sure what to make of things. And, the fact that Dean could not or would not meet his gaze told the younger Winchester the massive amount of pain that the older man must be feeling.

Dean raised his head and glared hard at his mother for a moment. His shield protecting his heart and shielding his emotions sliding back into place. "Let her go, Sam."

Sam looked, shocked and bewildered, at his brother. "Wha…what?!"

"Let her go?" Dean repeated glaring at Mary, but speaking to Sam.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I'm sorry." The elder brother said, glancing briefly at his brother.

"For…for what?" Sam was now genuinely confused.

"You got it honest, Sammy. I used to blame you for running away from me, from Dad, for abandoning us, the family business." Dean said. "But, it turns out it's a family trait."

Mary was a little clueless at this point to. She didn't understand what Dean was getting at.

"It seems when things get difficult in this family, people run. Rather than staying with their family, they got out somewhere where nobody knows them and try to solve their family issues." Dean stated. "You ran off to California. And mom here is…well, where are you going?"

Mary stared at Dean for a moment. She was about to get after him for speaking to her like that, but…. Well, what could she say? He was right. She had no clue where she was going. She was just going to take off in the Impala and….

"Dean, I…."

"We are your family!" Dean said with a little more force than he intended. "Family!"

Mary just looked at her son as he paced the floor running his fingers through his hair trying to calm down.

"I get this is weird. This whole freakin'…thing, this whole life is weird. Sammy and I are the poster boys for weird. But, this is your life. You are back from the dead after 33 years, and you have 2 grown sons!" Dean said. "THAT is your life now."

"We are all dealing with this, Mom." Sam said much more gently. "Not just you."

Mary looked from Sam to Dean and back. She was not sure what to do. It was true; she knew nothing of this world. She knew no one except these two people. And, even though she didn't know them well, she had to believe that they had her best interest at heart. They were her sons, after all.

"I need…."

"You need to stay here." Dean insisted. "With your family."

Mary just looked at her grown sons. She didn't know what to do.

THE END