Chapter 2

For while Michele just sat and stared at the review, then slowly began typing.

"Hi SW thanks for the review, I really appreciate it (I think,) I'm still working out how I feel about, how did you put it? "the stuff that happened in Montauk" I know Sam and Dean are fictional characters, but still, I can't help feeling I was instrumental in hurting two people I genuinely like and respect. It did indeed mess with my head! I'm actually trying to give up writing fanfic at the moment, I mean, I only wrote the one... surely, I can kick the habit. But ... I've been told there's no escape once you start. Your review was pretty much a glass of whiskey to an alcoholic. Now I have to cash in my sobriety chip again *sigh* Back to the 12-step program and my unwavering belief in a higher power.

So, let's play a game it's called "Where in the world is SW"(ever play that game where in the world is Carmen Santiago? It was designed to teach kids geography.) If I win you can write back and tell why you're lurking here in fanfic. Ok so I'm guessing you're in America, parts unknown. How did I do?

MC2"

...

Half an hour later her phone announced there was an email from fanfic informing her she had a PM from SWrocksaltandsilver.

How nice, SW was going to play!

"Hi Michele, you win. You're correct, on both actually. America and the parts unknown (we are currently driving between places and it's too dark to see where we are. So, I'll give that to you as a correct guess.)

Yes, I do know what "Where in the world is Carmen Santiago" was, over here it was also a TV program on PBS when I was 8 or 9. I used to really like watching it, to be honest. Though my brother really hated it.

I'm sorry if I messed with your fan fiction writers anonymous rehab program, it wasn't my intention, honestly.

It would be wonderful if some of the writers on here had access to that 12-step program. But I think maybe, the ones that need it the most, wouldn't.

You however, forgive me for saying this, you might not escape as easily as you hope. I'm sorry about that, truly. You seem like a nice normal person.

So, I guess I better pay my dues. Why am I lurking in fanfic? The easy answer is, simple curiosity, the hard answer? I'm not entirely sure. I promise to let you know, if I work it out.

So, are you really from New Zealand? I loved Lord of The Rings, the scenery there looks amazing.

Not that America isn't pretty amazing in places, I've crossed it from "Sea to shining sea" many times for work. But actually, we very rarely see the sea. It occurs to me you might not understand the reference to "Sea to shining sea" it refers to a song called "America the Beautiful," it's an American patriotic song.

Are the other details in your authors notes real? I find I have a lot of questions, but I hesitate to ask them.

SW"

...

Well, that was a nice long PM back Michele thought with a smirk, there was every chance Peaches was right.

She might be adding another fanfic denizen to the ranks of people she talked with semi regularly.

Collecting people was probably not the best habit in the world but she thought it was sort of like methadone for ficwriters, the problem was... there was that weird feeling in the back of her head again, that had happened before she'd started writing "Thing of Beauty."

Scrolling up again she reread SW's words again.

"You however, forgive me for saying this, you may not escape as easily as you hope. I'm sorry about that, truly. You seem like a nice normal person."

SW was a tiny bit odd, but she would stand by the "kind of nice" bit of her earlier thoughts as well.

Closing her eyes, she rubbed her temples where yet another headache was beginning to gather.

Too much screen time she thought sourly. I'm as bad as the girls!

Well SW could wait, there were chores to do and two teenage daughters to prod with a stick.

"We can do some family bonding ... Washing folding time", she thought with a sigh... because she loved folding washing, about as much as her precious teenagers did, she just hid it better.

Because, after all, that's what being a mother was about, teaching by example and creating decent members of society.

Family, duty and service. Despite how different her life was from the fictional world the Winchesters inhabited, there were more than a few similarities too.

It's just the monster she was steeling herself to battle was many, many baskets of clothes that needing folding. Snarling teens and the autistic meltdown she'd -possibly- have to endure, when she informed his royal autistic highness that he would be putting his washing away and until it was put away, the iPad would be off limits.

There was actually quite a bit of bravery involved too…..sometimes it led to ducking flying objects and bruises.

Transitions between activities could be counted on to be really hard for autistic kids, there were times they just sort of flipped a switch and her otherwise gorgeous compliant 8-year-old, would go into flight or fight mode. It wasn't personal, and afterwards he'd torture himself over it.

He didn't mean it... That's what made it so hard, it was like dealing with unstable explosives... you had to became hyper aware all the time trying to predict and avoid. Or just brace for impact. It was why they said parents of autism often suffered something similar to the combat fatigue, that soldiers suffered in long term active combat. A weird fact of life she'd read about many times.

She got that, she accepted that. You rolled the dice when you had kids and if you really lucked out you got a genius kid, that gave you a side order of PTSD.

...So she'd go poke the teens into being useful members of society instead of entitled little madams.

And then go roll the autism dice, possibly, to duck the slings and arrows of outraged autistim, calmly and most definitely with a dose of humour (because it's a thing of beauty) she would insist on completion of the task set before them, because it was her responsibility, and failing wasn't an option.

Yip the monsters were different, the danger not as extreme but a Winchester philosophy sure helped. Though she reserved the right to exchange whiskey for fanfic to get through the day... Because really, what idiot wants to deal with 4 kids and a hangover.

Speaking of headaches, first, a dose of ibuprofen might be a good idea.