"Sammy."
"Dean."
"It's good to see you're still alive," Dean declared with a smile.
"Yeah," Sam let out a breathy chuckle, "You too."
"Listen, Sam, about what I said back there," Dean started to apologize, but Sam cut him off,
"It's alright."
"No, it's not," Dean argued, "I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm sorry."
"Dean," Sam turned to face him then, "It's fine. Look, I gotta go."
"Where?" Dean asked, "Where are you heading? Maybe I could give you a ride for old time's sake."
"I'm going back to Stanford," Sam revealed, "Pick up where I left," He shrugged, "Who knows, might just make something of myself."
"Yeah, maybe," Dean agreed, "C'mon, I'll give ya lift."
"Nah, it's fine," Sam assured him, "There's a bus leaving in an hour. I've already got a ticket. Non-refundable."
"Alright," Dean heaved a sigh of defeat, "Well, if college doesn't work out for you… me and dad will be in Philly for about a week, maybe two, depending on how long the job takes and then I dunno, might head back to Bobby's to regroup."
"Sounds like a plan," Sam declared, "Speaking of dad, where is he?"
"Getting supplies," It was Dean's turn to shrug, "Wanna thank you again for helping us gank that yellow-eyed son of a bitch. If it weren't for you… Who knows…"
"Yeah, well, I'm just glad that it was me who pulled the trigger," Sam declared, "I mean it's like I got some kind of closure, you know?"
"Yeah," Dean understood completely, "Well," He cleared his throat in a nervous fashion, "I'm not one for weepy teary eyed goodbyes. So…"
"I know," Sam smiled and re-shouldered his bag, "Take it easy out there, Dean."
"You too, Sammy," Dean hugged him, "The phone's not a monster, don't be afraid to pick it up and check in every once in awhile."
"I won't," Sam vowed, returning his hug without hesitation, "Bye."
"See ya," Dean released him and watched as he once again walked out of his life.
"I'm proud of you, son."
Startled, Dean turned to find his dad leaning against the pump.
"You are? What happened to sticking together?"
"I was wrong," John proclaimed, "Someone in this family has to make an honest living. Might as well be Sam."
"True," Dean wasn't about to argue with him there, "So, what's in Philly again?"
John smiled and straightened to his full height,
"Nothing. I just want a real cheesesteak sandwich."
Dean couldn't help but smile himself as they climbed into the Impala once more. Both eager to get on the road before anything else popped up.
