A/N: After a lot of waiting, here is next chapter finally. To tell you the truth I felt bad after not updating for so long, so I wasn't sure if I should post it. But my friend told me I have to, so here it is…

Stage three: Bargaining

You slowly wake up and open your eyes, but shut them not even a second later because the colors are just too bright. Few more minutes of sleep won't hurt, you think and cover your head with the pillow, falling asleep again.

You're woken by Sam hour and a half later, "Morning sunshine!" Sam says in cheerful voice.

"Don't talk so loud," you move the pillow from your head, only to drop it back, "my head will explode."

"Breakfast, couple of aspirins and you'll be good as new," Sam sits on your bed.

"NO! Few more hours of sleep and I'll be good as new, "you say and hit Sam with another pillow, "Now, go away. I want to sleep."

"Dean, it's 10."

"So? That means I slept three hours."

"When did you get back?"

"Little before 7," drinking somehow always seemed like fun the night you were doing it. But the next morning, you swore to never do it again. And still you do it. That's another fact in your life.

"You were out whole night?"

"Technically," you spent half the night with Lucy, since you were drinking at her and Dominic's house, but he didn't need to know that. Actually, he doesn't even know about her.

"Stop right there! I don't wanna know where you were, or who you slept with."

You smirk at that. Typical Sam. You just have to hint that you were with a girl and he'll stop questioning you. But does he have to yell? You cover your head with a pillow again.

"How many drinks you had last night?" now there's genuine concern in Sam's voice. With a hint of amusement, of course.

"Around four beers, and don't know how many shots, stopped counting after seven," yeah that sounds about right to you.

As Sam opened his mouth to probably warn you about the dangers of drinking too much alcohol, dad walked into the room, "Do you two have in plan going for breakfast or you'll sit here and talk all day?" he asked looking at Sam.

You laugh at the startled look on Sam's face, even though that makes your head hurt more, "I'll be down in ten minutes, dad," you say looking at dad, and then you look at Sam, "beat it Sam."

Mumbling something that you couldn't understand, Sam left the room, which left only dad. Dad never comments when you come home wasted, as long as you don't do anything stupid while you're drunk. Now he'll ask the same questions as Sam earlier. Three, two, one… now

"When did you come back?"

"Before 7."

"Where were you?"

"At Lucy's," you openly tell him. After all, he knows almost everything about you two.

"Hurry up," dad tells you and leaves the room.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

When you entered the diner you were surprised because it didn't have many customers, even though it was Sunday morning, and the three of you sat at the table nearest to the exit. Ayoung waitress walked to your table, she had dark hair tied in ponytail, and couldn't have been more than twenty, "Morning. Can I take your order?" she asked with a smile. You don't even look at her, which earns you worried look from Sam, but you ignore it.

"Coffee and English breakfast," that was dad's order.

"Same," was Sam's.

And now was your turn, "Coffee, English breakfast and pancakes," some people couldn't eat when they had hangover, but you didn't have that problem. As a matter of fact, you're always starving after. Both Sam and dad are looking at you.

"What?"

"Aren't you supposed to have aversion to food right now?" Sam asks, but dad just laughs, shaking his head.

The rest of the meal was quiet, each one of you caught in his thoughts and busied with the food.

"Boys, I'm leaving when we get back to the house. There's a poltergeist in Lexington," dad says when he finishes his meal. You and Sam just look at each other, calculating how long it will take him to finish it and come back. And your conclusion is not before Thursday.

"Can I go with you?" you ask and dad turns to look at you, confusion all over his face.

"You don't have to, Joshua is already there. He actually called me to come and help him," with those words you knew that the chances to go with him had disappeared.

"Don't worry son, you'll go with on the next one," dad must have seen something on your face that caused him to say that.

Any comment you had on that was postponed when you saw Nikki coming towards your table. You can't help but to smile at her.

"Hey Sam," she says looking at your brother and then looks at you with a smile "You're alive, after all."

"It takes a little more than that to kill me," you tell her with obvious amusement to which dad just rolls his eyes.

"You were drinking with him?" Sam asks her. He probably didn't know you two were good friends, he just thought you knew each other because she lived across the street from you.

"Kinda. I was drinking, he was trying to get wasted. Which he managed by the end of the night."

"I know, I saw the way he looked this morning," to your surprise it was John who answers and Nikki laughs to that. The funny thing was, dad looks like he wants to laugh too. "I bet when we get back home, he'll throw himself on the bed," he looks at you for confirmation.

The sound of your cell phone ringing saves you from answering dad assumption, even though it was true. Without looking at the caller ID, you answer it, "Hello?"

"How's your head?" You hear Dom's smug voice on the other side.

"It's been better. How about you?" he was the only one able to keep up with you, so you were both wasted last night.

"It'll be fine once I find some aspirin. Almost threw up when I saw Lucy eating," you laugh when you hear that, "Anyway, are you working tonight?"

"Yeah, around 8. Chris organized some poker tournament so he needs help. And there is a match at 2," you answer him. Usually on Sundays you would work just during the game, but Chris asked you to help him tonight with the tournament, so you'll be work from 2 till 4, and again from 8 till the tournament ends.

"6:30 at the playground?" you know what's he asking. Sunset is very nice, especially if you're watching it from one of the highest buildings in town.

"6:30. Playground. Got it," you repeat for Nikki, who just nods her head in return, "See you later," with that you hang up. You see dad searching his wallet so you pick up your jacket and get ready to leave.

"Nikki, you need a ride home?" dad asks your friend, and again you see Sam's surprised face.

"Sure, thanks," Nikki agrees.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

After watching your dad drive off, you go back into the house. Right now only thing you want is to go back to bed and catch a few more hours of sleep before you have to go to work. On your way to your room, you see that the doors of Sam's room are open, and the first thing you notice inside is a stack of envelopes on the desk. Walking inside you take them and start reading the names of colleges Sam applied to. Putting them back to their place, you go to your room and lie down. But all thoughts of sleep leave your mind, and thoughts about convincing Sam to stay replace them. Or at least how to figure out some kind of compromise, where Sam could go to the college he wants and you could have your family together. At this point you are ready to bargain and make a deal with him, offer him anything if he stays.