No, this is not me throwing in the towel on this 'verse. These are just my Muse's thoughts on how that—far off day *glares at Muse*—will happen.

I wrote Dean's death some time ago, then Shawn's came next. Sam has yet to die, but it'll happen eventually, I'm sure. Also, these are published in order of writing, not chronological story order.

Also, Drag asked for more fic and she made Puppy Eyes of DoomTM.

Flailed over by Lu. All remaining mistakes are mine. The non-original characters, show type stuff, and lyrics, are not. They belong to people way more awesome and successful than me.

"It's a helluva thing, ain't it?"

Shawn turned his head, "What?"

Dean offered an ironic chuckle before tipping his bottle up for a swallow or two of beer.

Shawn kept watching him, but he said nothing more so eventually Shawn turned back to looking at the kids playing in the yard. He knew perfectly well after a lifetime of conversations like this that there was no pushing. You just had to sit and wait and eventually it would happen.

Not that it was always that way. Used to be Sam was the one you waited on and Dean required poking and prodding and cajoling and teasing.

But time had mellowed Dean.

Ish.

He'd never stopped playing his rock music loud and flirting with anything in a skirt and driving too damn fast, but the bouts of running fast and hard had started to be interspersed with ones of taking it slow and easy. Which, technically, Dean had always done. But the two parts used to be vastly disproportionate, the fast and hard lasting too long and the slow and easy ending too soon.

Time had brought balance.

Dean wasn't twenty-seven anymore and acting each day like this was going to last forever.

So Shawn waited. And almost forgot the question it took so long.

"Life."

Shawn arched an eyebrow, but kept his eyes on the kids.

"Life?" he repeated.

"Life," Dean said with a nod.

Shawn twisted his head in a sort of sideways nod. "Life indeed," he said.

Dean laughed and Shawn just kept watching the kids, his lips curling up at the corners.

"Life indeed," Dean said again, though his voice had softened and his gaze had unfocused.

Silence reigned for some time, pierced by the happy shrieks and squeals of the next generation as they raced around in the air and the sunshine.

"You know, I never really thought about the future?" Dean said.

Shawn glanced briefly at him, just a little surprised that the conversation was going to be more substantial than 'Life indeed'. He thought about saying something, but decided against it. This was Dean's show and interrupting had a tendency to bring the show to an early end.

"I just..." Dean shrugged. "Never saw the point. Beyond the next hunt, the next day, the next hour, or minute, or second. I guess because I knew that it was pointless. You never knew how long you had and planning for ten years out when you were probably going to die tomorrow seemed like such a waste. Of time. Of energy. Of everything. You know?"

Shawn nodded. "Yeah. I know."

Not that he'd had that attitude before he met Dean and Sam. Or even in the early years of knowing them.

But after all this time?

Hell yeah he knew.

It didn't stop him from planning (and the very notion made him laugh because compared to Gus, he didn't plan anything), but then Dean always told him he was too damn optimistic.

It helped to balance out Dean's pessimism.

It worked.

"And look how it all turned out."

Shawn did look, surveyed the spread before him, and nodded.

"I think it turned out awesome."

Dean chuckled again and held his bottle up in a toast.

"Hell yeah."

They sat and watched and Dean took another sip.

"Helluva legacy," he said finally.

"Dean?"

They both looked up at Sam's face.

"Hey, Sam," Shawn said.

Sam smiled softly. "Hey, Shawn."

Dean didn't say anything at first. Then Shawn coughed pointedly.

He grunted, but looked up after one more intense swallow.

"Hi, Sam," he all but whispered.

Sam's smile was a little more misty this time. "Hey, Dean," he said, just as quietly.

"Been a while."

"Yeah. It has."

"Shawn and I were just talking about life," Dean said, turning a grin up at his little brother.

"I know," Sam said, returning the expression in a smaller, though no less sincere measure.

Dean finished his bottle and set it down on the porch with a clunk.

"I suppose it's time then?" he asked, looking down at his feet, scuffing a boot on the porch underneath.

"Yeah," Shawn said, standing. "It's time, dude."

Dean nodded and took one last look at the kids.

"We did right by them," he said, then looked up. Shawn and Sam were both smiling.

"Yeah, we did," Sam said.

"Their world is a lot safer place," Shawn agreed.

Dean nodded. "Helluva legacy," he said again.

He put his hands on the arm rests and stood, shaking himself as he stepped away from the chair.

He stopped and looked back at his tired old body, laying there like a suit of clothes he'd shed. He'd managed to age gracefully, though as he gave his spirit form a look over he was pleased to see the strength and tone he hadn't quite had since before he'd gone over the hill.

He looked up and met Shawn and Sam's grins and gave them a dirty look.

"Oh like you didn't do the same," he said, arching an eyebrow as he gave them a good scan. They both looked like he did, young and fit and ready to take on the world.

It was a good thing to see.

The two of them shook their heads and laughed.

"Of course we did," Shawn said.

"I just don't think we had quite that expression on our faces," Sam put in dryly.

Dean rolled his shoulders. "Whatever." Then he looked around the yard, noticing now that it didn't quite look the same. The light was... different somehow. The colors bleached out a bit. And the kids were gone. "So, how do we do this? I don't see a white light or anything..."

Shawn laughed and Sam shook his head.

"We pulled some strings," Shawn said. "Well, Sam did. I mean, it was my idea, but it took him wielding those puppy eyes of his to get it approved."

"What kind of strings?" Dean said warily.

The other two looked out toward the drive and Dean followed their gaze and sucked in a sharp breath at the sight that now greeted him.

"Oh, baby, how I have missed you, girl," he said as he crossed the yard at a jog, almost sliding to a stop next to the gleaming black and polished chrome beauty waiting for him.

Shawn and Sam joined him as he was circling around, gaze greedily devouring the sight before it, all smooth lines and rugged form. "Damn," he said, looking up. His eyes were glassy and he didn't bother to try and hide it.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

The two of them just shrugged and looked away, quite obviously both pleased and embarrassed.

Dean pulled open the door, eyes closing in sweet bliss as the familiar creak sounded.

Dean and Sam and Shawn may look twenty-something again, but that made her forty-something. She wore her age well, but then she always had.

He slid in and took a few moments to just savor the feelings of being back. Of being home.

Sam climbed in the front and Shawn in the back, scooting to the middle and leaning over the seat.

They watched in eager anticipation as Dean twisted the key in the ignition, the growl and purr making all three of them sigh.

It just felt... right.

Dean shifted into gear and pressed down on the gas, his right hand reaching over to flick on the stereo.

"We're on a Hiiiighway to Hell! Hiiiiiiighway to Hell!" blasted out and Sam frowned as Shawn laughed.

"Dude," Sam said and popped the cassette out. "Not funny."

Dean just grinned as he glanced over. "It's a little funny."

Sam just stared. "Uh huh. How about this instead?"

He popped in a different cassette and Dean's grin stretched impossibly wide as the opener played.

"Good song," was all Dean said as he floored the gas and drove straight on down the open highway before him, no place he'd rather be than in his car with his little brother and his best friend.

Carry on my wayward, son.

There'll be peace when you are done.

Lay your weary head to rest.

Don't you cry no more.

Review, plz&thx.