This is the nineteenth story in my series.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have the right to anything concerning the Supernatural universe. I'm just playing in their sandbox.
A week after the decision has been made to go off on their own and into normalcy, Dean and Lizzy have a map out on the coffee table in the cabin. Sammy sits propped up on his dad's lap and Dean pats his back after his meal, Lizzy sitting by his side. Both of them have their eyes trained on the paper image of the US.
"What about Utah?" Lizzy questions. "It's pretty rural. And kinda centrally located…"
"No freakin' way," Dean immediately turns down.
"What? Why?" she questions with surprise.
"I'm not living in Utah!" he tells her with pure audacity with her suggestion.
"Why the hell not?"
"I'm not living my life according to a bunch of Mormon rules!" Dean says, killing her idea right off the bat. "It's practically illegal to drink there."
"It can't be that bad," Lizzy rebuts.
"They don't allow beer over 3%. Even Bud Light has to make special beer just for those wet blankets."
"Are you serious?" Lizzy asks him, eyes wide with shock.
"Dead. We had a hunt out there once when I was in my mid-twenties and I thought I was gonna die."
"From withdrawal?" Lizzy jokes and Dean gives her a look. She laughs at him. "Ok, so… no Utah. How about Oregon?"
"Hm, could work," Dean nods. "But we're all the way at the coast. Kind of cuts down on our directions to evacuate in an emergency."
"True…." Lizzy concedes. "So I guess that California dreaming is out of the question."
"Yeah," Dean laments, remembering their conversation before Sammy was born. He told her how much he liked it out that way, that if they got out he'd want to go there. Oh well, moving on.
"What about Nebraska?"
He ponders the idea for a moment. "Kinda boring."
"But don't boring and safe go hand in hand?" Lizzy rebuts.
"That's kind true. And ain't nothing ever happening in Nebraska."
"Exactly. And it isn't so far from here that if we were ever in a bind that we couldn't get back relatively quickly."
"And I'm sure everyone could stop by now and then on their way around since it's pretty centrally located," Dean points out, thinking the middle-America location would be able to ensure that Bobby, Sam, and Lou would have plenty of chances to swing by and visit.
"Even better," her eyes light up. "And all the small towns are scattered about all over the state, each one like an island on its own. Any threats are contained to a small area and it'd be super easy to track down anything that might come our way." Her smile spreads across her face with true excitement.
Dean nods and looks down at the detailed map, picking up the magnifying glass he found in the basement to really look Nebraska over. "I pick Broken Bow."
"Why?"
"Because that's a cool ass name," he tells her.
"That's the only reason?"
"No," he tells her and points to the city's location. "It's also about an hour and a half from route 76 and from there we can get anywhere. It's isolated but still accessible."
"It's perfect," she grins, summing it up.
Dean looks over her smiling face, the swelling practically gone from it after her fight with the Fury and her bruising fading slowly but surely to a lovely yellow shade after a week to heal. "It is perfect." He leans forward and presses a quick kiss to her lips. "Let's go there."
"Done!" she says with excitement.
"What's done?" Lou asks, walking into the room and heading for the refrigerator for a beer at one in the afternoon.
"Uh… we might have found a place to… maybe move to," Lizzy tells her sister with hesitance. This has been a very sore subject for Lou since they told her their plan. She's not doing well with the idea to separate.
"Great," she sarcastically bites as she cracks the bottle open and tosses the cap in the trash.
"You wanna know where?" Lizzy gently asks.
"Is it next door to here?" Lou questions, taking a big swig.
"No."
"Then what the fuck does it matter?" she spits back.
Lizzy sighs with frustration so Dean jumps it. "We're thinking Broken Bow, Nebraska."
"Ok," Lou shrugs and just looks at him.
Dean takes a deep breath and reminds himself that this is Lizzy's sister and best friend. She is hurting with the change and they have to be a little understanding… or at least that's what Lizzy told him. "It's smack in the middle of the country and relatively easy to get to. That way you and Sam can get to us whenever you're bouncing around out there."
"Lucky us. We now have to visit Nebraska to see our nephew," Lou comments, pushing off the counter she'd been leaning on to walk away. "Nebraska sucks ass."
Right then Sammy lets go of a big belch.
"See? Even my dude agrees with me," Lou says, gulping down more beer as she leaves the room and heads for the retreat of her bedroom and Sam. She's not at all ready for this.
"Well… that went better than I thought it would," Lizzy says honestly.
"What the hell did you think was gonna happen?" Dean says with wide eyes as he wipes the little bit of spit up off Sammy' mouth.
"Not sure… but I figured at least one punch would have been thrown," she smirks at him and leans in, kissing him with cautious excitement. "She'll have to get over it, right?"
"Maybe…" Dean says, unsure that Lou ever will.
"I hope so." Lizzy's face wrinkles with worry over it. "It feels bad enough leaving as it is. Her being so awful about it just makes it so much worse."
"She knows we're doing what we have to," Dean tries to excuse it all. "And she loves Sammy, so for the same reason it sucks she has to get it."
"I'm sure she does," Lizzy gives him a small, lopsided smile of hope. "And as much as I love my sister, Sammy has to be safe."
"And normal," Dean tacks on, lifting his boy up and holding him out in front of him so he's face to face. "Right, dude? You're gonna be normal. With a mom and dad that are boring. We're gonna get you a home and some friends…."
"And dinners at the table every night," Lizzy adds, kissing Sammy's little cheek. "And one teacher at one school every year."
"And a swing set in the backyard that your awesome dad is gonna build you," Dean finishes, standing up. "Uh, he stinks." Dean tilts Sammy on his side midair and gives him a good whiff. "Oh man."
"Have fun with that," Lizzy grins wide.
"Yeah, a regular blast," Dean jokes, holding Sammy with one arm and a hand at the back of his head as he's up against his chest. "This what normal dads do every day?"
"Pretty much," Lizzy nods to him. "Stinky baby poop instead of stinky creature guts seems like an obvious choice though."
"You know… it really is," he says, his attitude light with the idea.
Getting Sammy upstairs and laying on his back on their bed, Dean starts getting to work. The second he has his diaper open he can hear heavy footsteps heading up the stairs.
"She told you?" Dean asks as Sam comes into the room, knowing it was him by the sound of his feet alone.
"I like it," Sam admits, leaning on the doorway frame with his phone in hand. He already pulled up a map of Broken Bow and looked it over. "Good location. We can see you guys pretty often if you move there."
"That was the idea," Dean says, grabbing the wipes as Sammy lays on his back, looking around.
"And if you ever had to get out of dodge fast you can head in any direction."
"Exactly what we figured."
"Plus, you know, we've been there before so it isn't a new town to you."
"Is there such a thing as a new town to us anymore?" Dean jokes a little.
"Probably not," Sam huffs a laugh.
"And when did we go to Broken Bow?"
"Christmas. The pagan gods a few years ago…."
"Right," Dean recalls as he wipes Sammy's small bottom. "You thought it was evil Santa and almost dropped that drunk guy from Santa's Village."
"Hey, Krampus might be real and that guy was creep as hell. Uh, man. That's nasty," Sam says when the smell hits him.
"This one isn't even his worst," Dean tells his brother as he cleans Sammy up. "He's just lucky he's so damn cute 'cause he stinks to high hell on the regular."
Sam smiles and watches on for a few seconds. It still seems so damn surreal when he sees his big brother, the manly-man with ice in his veins and badass written across his forehead, raise an infant and do so with so much love and honest-to-God gentle care. But then again as weird as it is it's also so obvious. It seems like Dean was always made for this… he just did all he could to hide that fact from everyone.
"You're really gonna do this, huh?" Sam asks, needing to make sure this plan was real and happening for sure.
"Yeah. We're going for it," Dean answers, glancing at his brother.
"Good," Sam nods. "I'm really happy that you are. You deserve this."
"L sure does," Dean says with certainty, wrapping up the used diaper and pulling out a new one. "So does this little badass. Too much hunting for him already." He rubs Sammy's little belly with the comment and he kicks his feet like crazy with it. "He's retiring at the age three months."
Sam smiles, really smiles with that idea. "It'll be, ah… weird. Without you."
Dean pauses and looks at his brother with a little bit of surprise before paying attention to Sammy again. "Yeah. It's a big change."
"Very big."
It gets quiet as Dean finishes up, getting Sammy redressed. Once he picks him up and puts his head on his shoulder again, Dean looks at Sam. "You gonna be ok out there?"
"Of course," Sam brushes it off. "I have Lou. We'll be fine."
"What about your head?"
"I'm handling it," he lies. "Don't worry about me. You got enough to deal with."
"You know I'm not back-burnering your head, right?" Dean asks, really meaning he's not forgetting about or any less concerned with Sam in general just because he's leaving. He couldn't come out and just say that though. Not a very Winchester thing to do.
"I'll be ok."
"Because I wouldn't ever put anything above you, Sam. Never."
"Are you kidding me?" Sam asks with sheer disbelief. "Dean, Sammy should be put before me. He's your son."
"And you're my brother," Dean says right back. "There's a reason my son has your name. You will always be my priority. You'll always be… my brother."
Sam lets that sink in for a few seconds. "I don't think you're ditching me, if that's what this is really about."
Dean nods and accepts Sam's words for what they are. He was worried about that. He remembers how much it hurt and how lonely it got when Sam left him for Stamford. It wasn't fun and it certainly didn't feel good to know Sam wanted to be elsewhere.
"Sammy, I…" Dean pauses. He may have gotten better at speaking his feelings to Lizzy but past that he's still that same, closed off man. He clears his throat. "Be careful out there. Remember what dad taught you."
"What you taught me," Sam corrects, knowing that most of what he knows is all Dean's doing in the long run.
Dean grows speechless for a moment with that comment. "Yeah. Just remember everything and if you forget, I'm just a phone call away with all the expert knowhow you'll ever need."
"Expert, huh?" Sam asks, eyeing him with a face that calls bullshit.
"You heard me," Dean says right back with full confidence while picking up the new play mat with multiple colors, shapes, and textures built into it that Lou was nice enough to buy on her last trip out. "I may be getting out but I'm still the best hunter out there."
Sam just gets a good laugh out of him for this one. "Yeah, you're the best," he responds with pure sarcasm. "You really look it with that baby toy in your hand. And a baby in the other."
"Screw that. This just makes me awesome," Dean answers with confidence as he makes his way down the stairs, Sam following.
"How so?"
"If I can hold friggin' cute little baby and this… thing?" he starts while holding up the mat. "And still be this manly? Hell, I'm downright beyond awesome."
"I think the term you were looking for is DILF," Lizzy jokes as she walks towards her boys, kissing Dean on the lips before heading back to the couch with her laptop and mug of tea.
"Don't you know it," Dean slickly returns, not minding that kiss at all.
"Alright so… time frame?" Sam asks them as he ignores the interaction in favor of getting info from them.
"I'd say… a week maybe?" Lizzy guesses while turning on her computer on the coffee table in front of her. "I need to do some research. Find an apartment to rent that would be safe for us specifically. And hopefully there's a garage out there that needs a really good mechanic."
"Or a bar looking for a hot bartender," Dean counters, laying down the play mat on the floor by the couch.
"Yeah… think I might need more time for that. I still look like a victim," Lizzy points to her still healing face.
"A hot victim," Dean mumbles while putting Sammy on his stomach on the colorful mat. He then gets stomach down himself on the floor facing the little boy. "Right, dude? Mom's still a total hottie."
"Like he'd ever want to admit that," Lizzy laughs as Sam sits down next to her. "Poor kid'll have it tough enough when he's a teen. I still plan to be the hot mom even fifteen years from now."
Sam just smirks at her for a second, happy to hear her talk about the future in a positive light for once. It's been a while since she's done that.
"That's ok… at least dad'll be more than happy," Dean comments, still looking right at his son and smiling. He makes a face at him while going for one of the multiple fun little items on the mat, pressing on a squeaker. With the noise Sammy's eyes go wide and he watches his dad do it again for him. He then reaches out a little hand to the source of the sound.
"What if you could find a house?" Sam suggests, having put a lot of thought into this new life Dean and Lizzy plan to make.
"How the hell would we do that?" Dean asks while still lying on the floor of the cabin, playing with Sammy. "You got a few grand down payment stashed somewhere because we sure don't."
"And not to mention neither of us has any credit at this point, good or bad," Lizzy tacks on to prove the point.
"No, you guys can't get a house. Well, not you-you," Sam tries to clarify but fails.
Dean just glances at his brother with confusion as Lizzy tells him, "Maybe you should try explaining that again." She smirks at him and Sam rolls his eyes.
"You told me Bobby's gonna hook you up with a guy named Frank and Frank's gonna get you set up. New identities, new registered social security numbers, the works."
"Right," Dean says, rolling to his side and propping his head in his hand with an elbow to the play mat to listen.
"Then couldn't Frank get you some money in an account and good enough credit to get you on your feet?" Sam logics. "I mean, if he does all that work he might as well put you in a good place. You could probably find something small and affordable in the middle of nowhere, USA, right?"
Dean and Lizzy look to each other with this the plan. "You know, that idea ain't half bad," he says to her.
"We could have a yard. Maybe get another dog for Sammy."
"You sure you wanna do that?" Dean questions, narrow eyes on her with idea of getting another beloved pet.
"Definitely," Lizzy says. "I know Cass…" She sighs with the thought of her beloved dog. "I know his death is on me. I shouldn't have gotten him when I knew how easily shit could come for us. But if we're ditching the right way, new names and off the grid, what's the harm in letting Sammy grow up with a furry best friend?"
"Plus, guard dogs are good to have when evil shit likes to come looking for you."
Lizzy just grins while knowing she's hooked him. "I'll talk to Bobby when he gets back from town."
Dean nods and grins at Sammy, continuing to pay attention to him as he flails around on his mat. Sammy gets bigger by the day and Dean doesn't plan to miss out on any of it… not anymore. He's going to be the boring dad, the one that goes to work and supports his family during the week then mows the lawn and goes to the park with his boy on the weekends. You know, normal stuff.
"You and me, pal," Dean says to Sammy, grabbing the little boy under his arms and picking him up while rolling onto his own back. He holds him in the air over himself. "We're gonna go find out about the good life. What do you say? You in?"
Sammy picks a wonderful time to spit up the contents of his small stomach… right onto Dean's face.
Dean immediately yells out and leans to the side, dry heaving. "Uh! No, God!"
Lizzy bursts out laughing while getting up from her seat.
"Why would you do that?" Dean asks his son, the boy innocently in his hands and Dean gags with the smell of baby throw up on his cheek and mouth.
"You're the idiot that held him over your head," she giggles and takes Sammy from him.
"Not my fault he can't hold his damn milk," Dean bitches right back as he stands up from the floor.
When he gets all the way up he sees Sam sitting on the couch while holding out a white cloth diaper with a brilliant shit-eating grin on his face.
"And you can just shut the hell up," Dean gripes while snatching the cloth from him sharply.
"Never said a word," Sam says back, his face not changing.
Dean gives him the dirtiest look he can muster before quickly wiping down his face, getting rid of the mess Sammy left on him.
"Gross, Sammy," Lizzy says with a sweet smile as she straps him into his carrier. "Funny, but gross."
"Hey, come check this out," Sam says as he's commandeered Lizzy's computer. Both walk over, Lizzy reclaiming her seat while putting Sammy's carrier by her feet and Dean looks on over Sam's shoulder. "Houses there are pretty affordable. Like, check this one." He pulls up a picture of a house for sale in Broken Bow.
"Uh, it's so cute," Lizzy says instantly. "Look at the front porch."
"And the fenced yard," Sam adds on. "Three bedroom, two bath, big kitchen…"
Lizzy sighs as she looks the house over while Sam reads the description. She could live there. She absolutely could make a nice, quiet life there. Her son could play in the back yard. They could have cookouts with neighbors and enjoy their simplicity in relative solitude from the bullshit that's always been on their tails.
When they all hear a car make its way towards the house Lizzy gins wide and gets up. "I'm gonna talk to Bobby."
She flies out of the house with excitement.
"I guess she's really into this," Sam half laughs as he watches her go.
"Aside from leaving Lou, she really is," Dean says, watching out the window as she jogs to help Bobby carry bags and explain their idea to him.
"Lou'll be fine," Sam assures his brother. "Just give Lizzy the life she deserves and I'll deal with the angry sister."
Dean huffs a laugh, knowing he'd never want to have to deal with Lou in this situation. "Good freakin' luck."
"Yeah," Sam says with a down tone. "I'm gonna need it…."
"Hey," Lou calls out as she marches quickly into the room, looking right at Sam. "I need you."
"Right now?" Sam asks with surprise to see her so insistent.
"Yes. Just need a minute," she tells him and waves for him to come with her.
"Oh, I think you'll more than a minute," Dean says jokingly. "He is a Winchester after all."
Sam looks at Dean with an exasperated face, knowing that's not what Lou needed him for at all.
Lou just glares at him a minute. "You smell like shit all the way from over here," she tells him before raising her eyebrows once at Sam and walking back into their bedroom silently.
Sam sighs heavily and stands up, looking at Dean like a man sentenced to death. Life hasn't been easy on Sam since Lou's found out about the plan Lizzy and Dean have to move and get out. He's actually been having to take the brunt of it.
Dean just pats Sam's shoulder in silent apology, knowing he's to blame for her shit attitude, and Sam just walks off while practically dragging his feet.
"Prosperity, Indiana," Lou says to Sam as he walks into their bedroom, her face buried in Sam's laptop as she sits in the middle of their bed.
"What about it?" Sam lightly asks, not looking to fuel her fire any more than it's already burning.
"There's a hunt," Lou says, her face serious as she starts to read. "Wendy Goodson, 36, resident of Prosperity, IN was burnt alive while having her hair done at her local hair dresser. Her remains indicate electrocution, yet investigators state there were no malfunctions to be found in the dryer or the electrical system of the salon. The electrical system was brand new and inspected recently by the city's building inspectors."
"Fishy," Sam admits right away, leaning back into the wall with crossed arms as he listens.
"No shit. Police are listing Goodson's death as accidental electrocution but that sounds like utter horse shit to me. Plus, the week before, some dude got boiled up in his own hot tub."
"Ok, not fishy. Witchy."
"All the hallmarks are there."
"So… what are you saying?" he questions her, obviously seeing where this is going. "You wanna check this out?"
"What are you, new? Of course I want to check this out," she says, looking right at him.
"Is now the best time?" Sam wonders to her.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"I mean… look, I know you don't want to talk about this but Lizzy and Dean are leaving. Soon. I figured we should lay low until then, spends some time here as a group before…"
"They ditch us? Fuck no," Lou says determinedly and with anger as she shuts the laptop and gets up. "They made this decision, not us. I'm not about to change my life according to their plans that suck."
"Lou, come on," Sam complains a bit as he pushes off the wall to walk to her a bit. "They're doing this to protect their son. You gotta understand that at least a little bit."
"I don't have to understand anything," she rebuts, obviously in total denial, and grabs a duffel from the closet to start packing.
"Just… let's stay here. We'll send some other hunters out…"
"I'm going to Prosperity," Lou cuts in, giving him a hard look. "With or without you to back me up. What'll it be?"
Sam drops his arms to the sides with loss. "You know I'm not gonna let you go out there alone…"
"Great. Pack a bag. Be ready in an hour." She tosses him another empty duffel and walks out of the room, going to get some weapons gathered, and Sam's alone to feel the frustration of the woman that just can't let anything go that easily.
Dean searches through the real estate listings more, Lizzy by his side as she breast feeds Sammy, when they both see Lou rush through the cabin's bottom floor with a packed bag over her shoulder.
Without looking at them or stopping she bursts through the front door and leaves, making Dean and Lizzy look at each other with curiosity.
"What'd you think that was about?" Lizzy questions.
"She's your sister," Dean turns it right around as he has not a clue.
Sam comes out of the back bedroom and walks towards them. He opens his mouth to say something but shuts it quickly when he sees Lizzy feeding Sammy. His eyes drift upwards uncomfortably.
"Sorry," Lizzy says to him, grabbing a baby blanket nearby and covering herself up. "Forgot you were so scared of boobs."
"I'm not… scared… of…." He stutters out and sighs when he gives up.
Dean huffs a laugh quietly while Sam looks back down to her.
"We're heading out," Sam tells them.
"What? Why?" Lizzy asks with slight panic at the idea.
"Lou found a hunt and she's determined to look into it."
Lizzy sits without speaking for a moment. "But we're leaving soon. Why does she have to hunt now?"
"Denial," Sam shrugs. "You know how she is."
Lizzy just nods, sad that her sister would leave while in their last days together.
"I'll make sure we get back soon enough," Sam promises, ignoring the laughing of Lucifer in the back of his mind over the promise all hunters know they can't keep. "We'll be back before you guys leave. I swear."
"Sure you will…." Lucifer chides with disbelief.
Lizzy just forces a smile onto her face.
"Thanks, Sam," Dean nods and lets him know they both are grateful that he's going and keeping an eye on Lou in the process. Sam gives a sad smile, knowing that while going with Lou to back her up he's going to be missing out on some precious remaining time with his family. But, like always, a Winchester does what a Winchester has to do… especially if it's for a very stubborn woman.
One hour into the road trip to Indiana and Sam finally speaks up over the silence that descended on the Mustang from the second they left the cabin. "You know, you could probably handle this whole thing a little better than you have been."
Lou snaps her focus onto Sam immediately. "Fuck you."
"Fuck you right back," Sam counters, getting used to standing up to her sometimes childish ways of handling things. Her words are always hollow, no matter how sharp edged. She never means about ninety percent of what she says while angry. "Lou, our time with them is limited…"
"And who the fuck's fault is that?" Lou spits right back.
"Fate's!" Sam reminds her, turning slightly in his passenger seat to look at her directly. "None of what has happened to any of us can be blamed on anything but fate. We just have to deal with it in the best way we can find."
"And running away is the best way they can find?"
"Yes!" Sam near shouts at her.
Lou goes quiet for a moment, Sam watching as she clenches and unclenches her jaw over and over while considering what he tells her.
"Running is the one thing, the one move they have left on the chess board," Sam tells her.
"Or they could stay and be with the few family members they have that are still alive. Safety in numbers."
"Being near us right now is stupid," Sam reminds her. "The Leviathan still need to be dealt with…"
"And we need help with that," Lou rebuts.
"But not from them." Sam sighs when she keeps the obviousness of the situation at bay so that she can stew in her hatred over it all.
"Why not? Who's better than those two?"
"No one."
"Well now you're just not making any sense," Lou says with total frustration.
Sam sighs with frustration. "Sammy."
And this finally gets Lou to stop.
"It doesn't matter how much they matter to you or me. It doesn't matter that they're the best hunters we got… or that humanity's got. They're parents. Nothing can top that."
"But the world Sammy will live in…"
"Will be great," Sam cuts her off. "Lou, I grew up in this shit. It was awful. My life has sucked but with Sammy? There's a chance to do it right. There's a chance that Sammy can grow up and be nothing like the fucked up people Dean and I have become because of hunting. If there's a chance… even a tiny little one… we have to let his parent take it."
Lou bites her bottom lip when she gets emotional over it all.
"I know you love Sammy…."
"More than you know," Lou says quickly, never wanting her adoration for her nephew to be diminished in any way.
"So you know this is what's best for him," Sam tells her. "I shouldn't even need to explain it. He won't be damaged and friendless and, and paranoid with a sawed-off he made himself in his hands at the age of nine. He won't be Dean. He won't be me. He'll be a happy kid."
He watches Lou take a deep breath to keep herself together.
"And this isn't about you anyways," Sam reminds her. "Actually, this has nothing to do with you. It's selfish that you'd think otherwise."
And the anger comes flying back. "You think I'm selfish?"
"From where I've been sitting through this whole thing I'd say yeah, you've been selfish."
"Because I want my family around!?"
"No, because you've made your family feel like absolute shit over doing what's best in the situation," Sam tells her. "You really think this is an easy decision for Lizzy to make? Leaving you and not being with her sister every day like she is now? You just got her back in your life… but she just got you back too. For years all Lizzy did was try her damnedest to get past the fact that you died and she never could."
"She should want to be with me still."
"And that sounds awful selfish."
Once more Sam's words make Lou shut the hell up and listen.
"So that's what this is about," Sam figures out. "You think Lizzy is leaving you and it's easy. You think she's picking Dean over you."
"Shut up," Lou spits out uncomfortably.
"No," Sam says, finally feeling like he's getting somewhere after a week of her moping and pissy attitude. "That's it, isn't it? This is your whole grudge against Dean thing."
"No," Lou denies but it's clear that she's lying.
"You gonna try to lie to me again and make it more believable or are you going with that weak attempt?"
Lou grits her teeth. "You're a jackass."
"And you're being stupid," Sam tells her plain. "I thought you were past all this."
"I am… mostly," Lou gives up and opens up. "But you weren't there. You didn't see what he did to her."
"And that was years ago," Sam tells her.
"She was a mess. She was reckless and, and drunk all the fucking time… she wasn't eating and wasn't… she wasn't my sister anymore. She was a whole different person."
"But you weren't there for the good stuff," Sam tells her. "You weren't there when they fixed everything. You were around when I saw Lizzy do nothing but smile once Dean came back. You weren't around them in close quarters for three years straight. You didn't get to see how good they were, how happy she was when they got married and when Sammy was born. You missed the good. You've missed how good Dean is to her."
"Like I'm gonna believe you," Lou rolls her eyes.
"Why not?" Sam asks, offended.
"You'd lie like a rug for Dean any day of the week."
"And I would for Lizzy too. Maybe you haven't noticed… but I care about Lizzy just like you do. She's been… Lizzy's been good to me. We've been good to each other and sometimes… sometimes she was there when Dean wasn't. As much as she's your literal sister, she's my family too. You really think I'd let her stay with Dean all this time if it wasn't a good situation for her to be in? Because I wouldn't."
She knew they were close, but Lou didn't know they were that close. Saying Sam would go against Dean for the benefit of someone else is a loaded statement, one that she believes.
"When we get back you're gonna cut the shit," Sam tells her.
"Excuse you?" Lou asks when he gives her too much direction, like she's some wily kid.
"You heard me," Sam says without going back on his insistence. "Lizzy's only got a few days left living with you. After four years that's all she's wanted, to have you back in her life again every day. As much as you're having a hard time with this… imagine how she feels being forced away from you because she wants to be a good parent."
"You're so fucking annoying," Lou tells him, her grip on the wheel hard as she drives.
"What!?" Sam asks with the insult. "I'm annoying because I'm right?"
"Yes."
Sam huffs a laugh. "Then you might want to get used to it if you're gonna stick around."
"Fuck you."
"You already said that," Sam reminds her. "And fuck you right back."
Lou shakes her head silently and lets the view of the pavement rushing by take over for a minute. Too much to consider. And too much that she's done wrong that Sam far too easily pointed out to her.
"So, when we finish up in Indiana we're gonna head back and you're gonna put on a brave face," Sam says to her. "You're gonna enjoy the few days you have left with Lizzy and Sammy and then when they leave you're gonna wish them good luck."
"And that's just how it'll be, huh?" Lou says with an edge.
"It has to be that way."
"You sound like your brother."
Sam huffs a laugh, not hating the sound of that all that much. "Is that so bad?"
"Depends."
"On what?"
Lou glances at him out of the side of her eyes. "When Dean gets bossy it sucks because he's a fucking asshole."
"Ok…."
"But when you do it…." She takes a deep breath. "It makes me want to pull over."
Sam does an almost comical double take with that. "Pull over?"
"Yeah."
"Why would you wanna…?" Sam starts to say but then he gets it. "Oh."
"Yeah. Oh," Lou gives him a look. "So either stop telling me what to do or really start telling me what to do."
"Just get us to Prosperity first, ok?" Sam smirks a little to himself. They've been on eggs shells around each other since he found out about her killing Amy. It's been weird and very… uneventful. It's a weeklong dry spell as they figure out how to be together after the big breach of trust and with the stress of Dean and Lizzy leaving. But now he can see that they're finally heading back into their default where Lou is always horny and Sam is always happy to help when she needs it.
They might be ok after all.