Title: A Chance to Love

Rating: M

Summary: Long story with twists and turns. Characters include: John, Jo, Ellen, Sam, Dean, Pastor Jim, Bobby

Chapter 1 - You Got Nothin' on Me

John sat at a table at the Roadhouse. He had drowned out the surrounding conversation. He had a cold beer in front of him and he was feeling numb.

Another hunter sat down at the table and tried to start a conversation. John tried to be polite but just wanted to brush him off. This hunter was a kid, and he thought he knew it all. He bragged about close-calls that he'd had. (If he'd been careful, they wouldn't have existed to begin with) He laughed in the face of death, and actually seemed to enjoy challenging it. John could see the kid didn't have a clue.

Before too long, John's fatherly instincts got the better of him. This kid was someone's son. He asked him if he ever wanted to do the usual things in life like getting married, having a family, or staying in one place long enough to have a home. The kid thought he could have it all.

"After all, you're married. Do you have kids?" he said.

"My wife passed away many years ago. Yes, I do have kids, two grown boys. There was no excuse for the danger I put them in. I drug them all over on hunts. They are still in danger."

"How come you still wear your wedding ring?" he said thinking he'd caught John in a fib.

"One day, you'll know," John responded. His voice was low as he thought of Mary.

"You guys need anything?" Jo approached the table.

"Just you, honey," the kid smiled and it reminded John of Dean.

"I'll have to think about that, Cole," Jo flashed him back a smile. "Anything else I can bring you?"

"No thanks," John shook his head at the exchange he'd witnessed.

"I'll have another one," Cole waved his empty beer.

"Be right back," Jo turned and Cole made sure to enjoy the way she walked.

"That is the perfect girl for me," Cole said without realizing that he said it aloud.

"Jo?"

"Yep, didn't you see how she was checking me out?"

John just lifted his eyebrows and nodded his head as he took another drink, even though he didn't see how it all would work out for Cole. He just wanted to avoid an argument.

When it got close to closing time, Helen stopped by John's table. She asked him what he thought about his new friend, Cole. "New friend?" John chuckled. "He was just sitting at my table shooting the breeze."

"Well, look at who he's shooting the breeze with now," Ellen tilted her head toward the bar, where Cole stood a little too close to Jo. "How much time should I give him before I chase him away?"

John shook his head. "He's determined and uninformed. A dangerous combination"

"Take as long as you want to finish, I'm just getting started at closing now."

John breathed in the scene of Cole and Jo. His mind drifted back to Jo's dad, Bill, who had gone hunting with him once. Bill sure loved his family. He'd been severely injured after a botched plan during a hunt. John had promised Bill that he'd keep an eye on Ellen and Jo, keep them from harm. When Bill was in so much pain that he couldn't stand it anymore, John ended his suffering. It was because of their friendship that he did that last act of kindness. Jo was little then, about the same age as Dean. Ellen was strong and continued to run the Roadhouse. John stopped by and checked in on them when possible. Ellen knew about the supernatural, and she knew that John would come at a moment's notice to protect them.

He looked a Jo now and realized how quickly she'd grown up. She was no longer the little girl in pigtails. She was a beautiful woman. Ellen had told him that Jo wanted to become a hunter. John didn't think that Bill would have approved of that for his little girl. He'd wanted so much for her. Just as John had wanted more for Dean and Sam.

He saw Jo in a new light as he looked back at her by the bar. She had a beautiful smile. A beautiful smile was what had attracted John to Mary. He had a feeling in his chest that he hadn't felt in many, many years. It would take him awhile to come up with a name for it, but it was love. It was more than wanting to protect her, although that was part of it, too. Then, he remembered the age difference and tried to push the thought and feeling aside.