"I can't even deal with you right now," Jo yelled, running her hands through her hair haphazardly. "You are so-"

Dean laughed loudly, a sound devoid of humour, drowning her out. "You can't deal with me? Sweetheart, you're impossible at the best of times."

Beyond reason, Jo let out a snort. "I'm impossible? Really, Dean?"

"Go away," Dean replied, turning away from her.

Jo strode towards the front door angrily, throwing a "Gladly," over her shoulder as she slammed her way out of the house, into the torrential downpour outside. Too proud to sit under the porch, Dean watched (at an angle where she wouldn't be able to see him, of course) as she stomped out, and started pacing the driveway, her hair already soaking and plastered to her face.

Still too irritated to think straight, Dean returned to the kitchen, where Sam, Bobby and Ellen were sat in silence, all looking in different directions.

When all three focused on him without a word, Dean scowled. "What?"

"Nothing," Sam said, too quickly. "Uh... you want a drink, Dean?"

Letting out a deep breath, Dean nodded. "More like five."

Sam smiled, though it was strained, and slid a beer across the table to him. Grabbing it, Dean took a giant swig, before slamming it down on the table a little too hard, initiating more uncomfortable silence.

"She'll stay out there all night, you know," Ellen eventually said, trying to control her mothering instincts, which were screaming at her to kick Dean's idjit ass, and go knock some sense into her equally idjit daughter.

Dean shot her a tight smile. "Oh, I know."

Bobby exhaled loudly, exchanging a look with a now clearly agitated Ellen, before turning to the man who was currently trying to down the remainder of his beer. "Dean..."

"Bobby," Dean replied, with another hard smile.

"Come on, son," the older man tried to reason. "She's your girlfriend. She's meant to be a pain in the ass."

Ellen elbowed him. "That's my daughter you're talking about."

"I'm not saying he isn't a colossal one," Bobby rolled his eyes, and Dean raised his eyebrows. Bobby met his gaze strongly, daring him to object. Eventually, Dean just sighed, and rose.

"I can't deal with anyone in this house," was his parting shot as he banged the door shut behind him heavily, ignoring Sam calling after him. Continuing his deliberately loud footsteps through to the front door, Dean rested his hand on the handle, allowing himself a moment of hesitation. Then, though not without a deep sigh, he pushed it open, and started the search for his freaking impossible girlfriend, swearing at the rain soaked through his jacket.

For one heart-stopping moment, he couldn't find her, and his chest constricted. Not Jo, he thought, please for the love of God, not Jo. Then hazel eyes settled on a small dark form at the end of drive, and everything rushed out of him in one long breath. He was so relieved, he almost laughed. Then he remembered he was meant to be angry at her, and squared his shoulders before quietly making his way to her.

"Jo," he said, trying to make himself sound fierce; it just came out tired. Jo looked over her shoulder at him, eyes wide, dripping with rain, and still managing to look stubborn as hell. She just stared, eyes hinting that she was still fully capable of holding her own if he tried to continue the argument, but Dean's heart just wasn't in it. He was tired of arguing with the people he was closest to, and exhausted in general.

Sinking down beside her, they both sat cross-legged beside each other for a few minutes, watching the rain fall. Finally, Jo turned to Dean, and sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, and Dean knew this was because he'd made the first move. They were both stubborn as hell, an awful match really, but they were able to compromise, and that's why they worked. "Everything just..." she trailed off, grabbing a small stone and throwing it forcefully across the road. "Everything just sucks."

Dean tilted his head to the side, considering, as he mimicked her actions with his own stone, his hand flicking with a flourish Jo would've made fun of, if the circumstances were different.

"Yeah," he agreed eventually. "Everything kinda does that a lot."

She nodded tearfully, thinking of everything they'd lost, everything they still had to lose, before resting her head on his shoulder. Dean wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer as he kissed the top of her head, as they both silently resolved that from now on, they'd bear the burdens together