Deans Therapy Session

"Please have a seat, Mr.… Winchester."

The young man sat down.

"So, why did you come here today?"

"Because my brother made me. Look, no offense Doc, but I'm just doing this for my brother. I don't really need to be here."

"You must be pretty close to your bother then, huh?" I noticed a look in the young man's eyes and I automatically knew the answer. It was a look I had only seen a few times, but every time I saw it I knew it was true. It was a look of pure love.

"Yeah, Sammy and I have pretty much been together since he was born."

"How would you describe your brother?"

"He's my geeky, college-boy, sidekick." Dean grinned.

I could hear the love and pride in his voice, and I couldn't help but grin myself. Despite the sarcastic comment, I could just see that this man loves his brother. "And what about your parents; how would you describe them?"

I immediately saw a change in the man's expression. I could still see the love, but it was different; weaker. There was also something else, but I couldn't tell what it was.

"They're dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you mind talking about them?" I waited but didn't get a response, so I continued. "How about you start with your mom?"

The smiled faintly and I could tell that he was reliving a moment in the past. "She was beautiful. Long, flowing, blond hair, and a smile that could light up a room."

"When you think of your mom, what's the first thing that pops into your head?"

The man answered immediately. "Angels. Every night before I went to bed she'd tell me that angels were watching over me. I just wish I could still believe that."

"Why don't you?"

* * *

"Why don't you?"

Dean snapped out of his memory. Should I tell her? I've already said more than I was planning on saying. I have to admit though; it feels good to be able to talk to someone without caring about what the other person will think. I always have to be careful around Sammy, don't want to upset him. Maybe if I talk about Mom I can avoid talking about Dad. I know that's why Sammy wanted me to come here, and I know that I should talk about him, but I don't want to.

"Throughout my life, I have witnessed things that no one should have to go through." Dean paused while he thought about how much he really wanted to tell her. "I've seen people have to face their deepest fears; people losing loved ones, and so much more. There's just so much evil out there, how could there possibly be angels? Or a God?"

"If there's bad out there how can you not think that there's good out there, too?"

"You know, Sammy asked me the same thing once. I'll tell you what I told him; because I've seen what evil does to good people."

Dean saw the doc stop and think.

* * *

I wonder what it is exactly that this man has seen. He seems to be avoiding the topic though.

I decided to not ask him what he's seen and instead asked, "What about your father?"

The man didn't say anything for a few minutes, and I started to wonder if he was just going to ignore me, but finally he replied.

* * *

Dean really wasn't sure how to answer. Sure, his father hadn't been perfect, and he'd done things that really pissed him off, but he was his father after all. "My dad was a great man. His death was more recent; about a month ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. It must be pretty hard on you boys."

"No, Sammy and I are fine." I could tell just by the way he said it that it was a lie.

* * *

"Look Lady, no offense, but I don't really want to talk about this." In all reality, he did want to talk about it, even if he would never admit it. What harm can it do, talking to her? Everything's confidential; Sammy won't find out. I have to act strong around him, not this women. Hell, she gets paid to listen to whackos like me tell their life stories.

* * *

There had been a quick change in the way he was talking. I could tell that this man was used to keeping his emotions bottled up, and I guessed that there was probably a lot that he needed to talk about. "Okay then, what do you want to talk about?"

Dean was quiet for a while, then he said, almost in a whisper, "It's not fair."

"What's not fair?"

"Everything!" Dean answered, a little louder than I think he intended, because, when he continued, he was quieter. "My dad was a great man. He spent most of his life protecting people and almost never received a thank you." He paused and I could tell that he was thinking. "Sure, he left his kids alone a lot, but that's what he had to do."

I think I just found part of what's bothering this man. "How did you feel when your dad left you alone?"

"Most of the time, it didn't really bother me, but I could tell that Sam really wanted him around, so I got mad at him for upsetting Sam. I mean, the man would leave for days at a time, and not care about what that would do to us. Sam needed a father around, and, because dad wasn't there, he looked to me. I've taken care of the kid my entire life, and I've never complained about it. I needed my dad, and he left."

Okay, that was way more than what I was expecting. For the first time in the course of my job, I didn't know what to say. What was there to say? "Your dad didn't leave you on purpose?" That's not what he needed. So I just decided to wait for him to say something first.

* * *

When he was done talking, Dean was surprised by how much better he felt. He hadn't realized that he had been keeping so much in, and secretly he was glad that Sammy had made him come talk to the Doc, though he'd never admit that to anyone, not even Sammy.

"What, no comment? Did I leave you speechless?" Dean asked with a grin.

The Doc smiled back and said, "I wouldn't say speechless."

"Uh huh, sure; whet ever helps you sleep at night," Dean teased.

"Okay, well, Mr. Winchester, your time is up. Now I get to talk to your brother."

"Okay," Dean said, standing up. "Be careful, Sammy likes to get emotional."

"Thanks for the warning."

"Thanks for listening to me talk about my tragic life."

"Hey, I get paid for it."

"Oh, you liked it and you know it."

"Okay, goodbye," Doc laughed.

"Bye Doc, thanks."

"Your welcome."

Dean turned around and left the room, knowing that a small weight had been lifted from his shoulders.