Author's Note:

Before I start this chapter, I should warn you: not everyone will probably agree with my characterization of some of these characters. I have done my best to stay true to the characters of Supernatural while also being original and developing my own story. Anyway, all this to say that even if you don't necessarily agree with my characterization of certain characters, I hope you can still enjoy this chapter. And I promise that even the most infuriating characters will get redemption arcs...

Chapter Four: Trouble in Paradise

"But he shoved you in the lake?!" Sam cried, caught between laughter and anger.

"It's not a big deal, Sammy," Dean shrugged indifferently, looking down at the wood table between them. "It was kind of funny, actually."

"I bet it was," Julie chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "The stuff he said before it? Not so much. But seeing you floundering around in the lake, looking like a drowned rat… that would have been hysterical."

Sam chuckled as well, casting a grin in her direction. Dean scoffed in protest. "I don't look like a drowned rat. I have never looked like a drowned rat!"

"Oh, Julie, I've got this great memory I have to show you sometime!" Sam said quickly, ignoring his protesting older brother. "Dean was like eleven, and freakishly skinny, and he took me swimming at the motel we were staying at. If he ever looked like a drowned rat, it was definitely then."

"Oh, yes, you definitely have to show me that!" Julie laughed, leaning across the table in the middle of their booth towards her best friend. "You have to show me every embarrassing memory of a pre-pubescent Dean you've got." Both friends shook with laughter while Dean grumbled in his seat.

"Just try to avoid those awkward teen years," she continued. "I think if I see Dean covered with acne and struggling with voice cracks and awkward boners, I might just have to leave him."

"I hate you both," Dean said moodily, causing them both to laugh again.

"Don't worry, though, I'm perfectly happy with a middle-aged version of you," Julie soothed him with a mischievous smile.

"Middle-aged?!" Dean cried indignantly, and Sam and Julie both roared with laughter again.

Despite the fact that they were heckling him, Dean was glad that Sam and Julie were in such good moods. It was distracting him from worrying about seeing his father again in just a few minutes. John and Mary had planned to meet their sons again in the Roadhouse any minute now.

"You know I love you," Julie amended, snaking a slender arm around Dean's waist. He gave in and put his arm around her shoulder, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled even as his lips brushed across her hair. "And I…tolerate you."

She laughed and shoved his chest as she pulled away, but she didn't seem hurt. There was a sort of happiness in her eyes he hadn't seen in far too long.

"Who needs refills?" Sam asked, waving his empty beer bottle around for emphasis.

"I'll take one," Dean shrugged.

"You know, now that we can't get drunk, there's really no point in drinking," Julie pointed out.

"And?" both brothers asked in unison.

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "What the hell. I'll take one, too."

Sam got up and ordered three more beers from Ash, who was laughing behind the bar with Ellen Harvelle. Dean smiled fondly as he watched Sam laugh and joke with Ellen for a minute or so. Julie's small hand found his and he curled his long, calloused fingers around hers, holding hands under the table like a couple of awkward teenagers. Except they didn't feel the need to make awkward conversation. They just sat in comfortable silence, content to just be together, and watched as Sam approached with their beers.

He had just settled down and handed out the beers when the door to the Roadhouse. Julie noted that somewhere in the back of her head but ignored it, laughing as Sam asked self-consciously if he really needed a haircut as bad as Ellen said he did.

But her laughter died as she felt eyes on the three of them, and she looked up to see John and Mary Winchester standing a couple feet away, just staring at their sons as they sat and laughed and drank with her.

Sam and Dean's laughter died in their throats when they saw the shadow of their father fall across their table, and Julie didn't miss Dean's jaw set into a hard line. Sam's lips pursed, and there was a brief, tense moment of silence between all of them.

Then finally Sam said as warmly as he could muster, "Mom, Dad." He stood and Julie followed suit, pulling Dean up with her by their interlocked hands.

She didn't miss the way John's eyes zeroed in on her hold on his son. His jaw set in the same hard line Dean's was locked in.

"Hi, Sam," Mary said warmly, stepping forward to hug her youngest son. Then she turned towards Dean with shiny eyes. "Dean."

"Mom," he choked out, releasing Julie to step forward and hug his mom. Sam gravitated towards Julie, eying John almost protectively as he shifted closer to her. He hadn't missed Dean's brief mention of the harsh things John had said about Julie and her effect on Dean.

"Hey, Dad," Sam said carefully, trying not to seem too unhappy with his father. But he couldn't put the thought of John insulting Julie and shoving Dean into a lake out of his mind.

"Sam," John said as warmly as he could, but his eyes kept drifting to the girl standing at Sam's side like she belonged there. And then Dean stepped back from his mother and settled at her other side, the two of them flanking her like it was perfectly natural for them.

Who was this girl, and how had she come to have such a tight hold on both of his sons?

"We were thinking we could all spend some time together today, boys," Mary told her sons. "And Julie, dear, you're welcome to stay with us."

"That's the plan," Julie said brightly, but John didn't miss the firmness in her voice. She wasn't going to leave. After what had happened when he and Dean had been alone together, Mary had decided that they should all catch up together. John had agreed, but he hadn't envisioned their family catching up while this girl sat by and watched. And yet she acted like it was her right, like she belonged here, and, worst of all, like she didn't trust John alone with his sons without her there to watch.

For some reason, it pissed him off endlessly.

Sam and Dean and this girl—Julie, that was her name—all settled in on one side of the large booth, and John and Mary sat opposite them. John tried to swallow his irritation at seeing Julie sitting between his two sons, laughing at something Sam had muttered to her and resting her hand on Dean's leg like it was her right. Like she owned him.

John had no idea why everything this pretty, skinny little blonde did angered him so much. But something about her confident, almost smug air rubbed him the wrong way. She was far too comfortable around his sons, almost possessive, and he didn't like it. He certainly didn't like the way she had changed his eldest son. And he could only imagine how she had changed his already naturally more rebellious son.

"It's so nice to finally get a chance to get to know you," Julie said sincerely to Mary. Those words were probably meant for both parents, but her eyes remained only on Mary. "Sam and Dean have talked about you both so much, but I never thought I'd get the chance to actually meet you."

"Well, it's wonderful to get to know you, too, dear," Mary said sweetly. "Really. And I have to thank you. For taking care of my sons the way you have."

"Really, it's no big deal," Julie muttered, blushing a little and looking down.

"No, it is," Mary insisted. "Sam told me about what you did for Dean. How you sold your soul for him. I couldn't ask that of anyone, and it means so much to me that you…" Her voice trailed off as Mary got a little choked up.

"Yeah, well, I loved that idiot way too much to let him stay a demon like that," Julie said, trying her best to lighten the mood.

"'That idiot'?" Dean asked, mock-offended, and Julie shoved him lightly. Her hand found his and squeezed it tightly, reassuring herself that he really was here, whole and human and hers. Dean squeezed her hand back and nuzzled his face into her hair for a moment, brushing a kiss across her forehead to comfort her.

John's eyes narrowed at that sweet, comforting little moment. That gesture was pure and gentle and loving and so out of character for his womanizing, gruff, no-strings-attached son. What had this girl done to change him this much?

Sam was talking Julie up to his parents animatedly, going on and on about how brilliant and kind and good a hunter she was. Julie rolled her eyes and blushed, stepping on his toes and trying to get him to stop bragging on her like a proud father or something. John watched as she and Sam teased each other, smirking and laughing at little inside jokes, nudging and elbowing and wiggling their eyebrows at each other almost flirtatiously.

Was she after his youngest son, too? That would explain why both boys were so close with her, hanging on her every word, standing protectively by her side, brushing up against her at every possible opportunity.

Was she cheating on Dean with Sam? If she was, he swore he would throttle this little slut.

Before he knew what he was doing, John was finally speaking for the first time as he blurted out, "So, you two seem close…" His eyes shifted back and forth between Sam and Julie almost suggestively.

"We are," Julie spoke up, as Sam's eyes widened at the insinuation. "Sam's my best friend. Your son's a good man, John." Her eyes flashed a little before she added, "And before you ask, there's nothing going on. We got over that a year ago."

John's eyes widened a little, surprised that she had called him out, but also surprised that she had admitted that something had gone on between them. Dean blinked in surprise as well, but Sam just asked, "Has it really been a year?"

"Well, I left in the middle of that mess, and then I was dead for a month, and then there were those two or three months where the Mark was taking over Dean…"

"Right," Dean chimed in. "And then I died and I was a demon for four or five months."

"And then you made your deal, which meant six more months, and then we ended up here," Sam finished. "Huh. It's been well over a year. Wow."

"I know, we're old, right?" Julie smirked, and both brothers smiled at that.

"So…what happened then?" John asked darkly. "Did you cheat on Dean?" he half-barked.

Julie's expression darkened. "Dad!" Dean snapped.

"No, I didn't," she said in a guarded voice. "I fell in love with Sam, sure, but I got over it. Because I love your son, and I was not going to hurt him or betray his trust. Is that good enough for you, John?"

His eyes darkened with something close to rage. "It wasn't even her fault, Dad," Sam said protectively. "It was all on me. My mistake. And it's all good now."

John said nothing, instead sinking into a surly silence for the next several minutes while the rest of them eventually moved past the tense subject and chatted about lighter things.

Ash came by and handed out drinks. Everyone chatted happily with him and laughed except for John, who glowered at Julie in silence. He answered a few questions that Mary or Sam asked him directly, but he otherwise disengaged from the conversation, except for when he would glare at Julie whenever she touched either Sam or Dean.

Mary noticed, and so after a couple hours of catching up with her sons, she excused herself and John and left the bar. Sam, Dean, and Julie sat in awkward silence for a long moment, and then Julie abruptly stood up, pushed past Dean, and said, "I'll be right back."

John was in the middle of a brief but intense scolding from Mary about his behavior when the door to the Roadhouse opened, and there was that pretty, controlling girl who had changed his sons so much. She crossed her arms and called, "Mary, I hate to interrupt, but can I have a moment alone with John?"

Mary looked between the two of them, swallowed, and then nodded. "I'll see you at the house, John," she told her husband before disappearing down the road.

"What do you want?" John asked gruffly.

"You don't like me," Julie said flatly. "I get it. That's fine. But I think I at least deserve an explanation why."

John stared her down for a moment and then snorted drily. "Look, Julie. You're Dean's girlfriend. Fine. I get that. I can't change that. That doesn't mean we have to be best friends."

He turned away and started to walk after his wife, but Julie's hard voice cut him off. "You're right, John. We don't have to be best friends. Hell, we don't have to like each other. But we do have to at least get along. For Sam and Dean's sake."

John turned to face Julie, feeling anger rise in him at her borderline disrespectful tone. "You know I really don't need you telling me how to behave when it comes to my sons."

"No offense or anything, John, but you kind of do," she shot back, taking a step towards him. "Because, whether you believe it or not, I only want what's best for your sons."

"Oh, and you really think you know what that is better than I do?" he smirked darkly, advancing on her. "You think you, some girl who's known them for a couple of years knows them better than their own father?"

Julie was a smart girl. She was mature, wise, and usually had a calm head. She was the one calming Dean down, soothing him after fights and talking him down during arguments. But with John Winchester, she was different. She wasn't sure what it was. She had met plenty of hard-headed, hot-tempered men in her life, but none of them had set her off like this.

She must have seen Dean's face darken at a traumatic memory of his childhood one too many times. She must have heard a story of abuse and neglect from Sam, or seen the brothers grow cold and distant at the mention of their father, or seen Dean wake up from a nightmare of his father angry and abusive one time too many to forget and forgive.

So instead of staying calm and rational, Julie snapped, "Yeah, actually, I do. Because Sam and Dean are not the same kids you left when you died all those years ago. Not that you ever bothered to get to know them then either."

John's eyes flashed. "And how would you know? You were some high school kid goofing around and going to basketball games while we were off doing our job and saving the world. You have no idea what my sons were like then."

"You're right, I didn't know them then," she replied icily. "But I know them now. And I know how much it would hurt them to have to choose between spending time with me or their father instead of all of us being together."

John laughed bitterly. "You really think that's a choice? I am their father, Ms. Carters. And whatever kind of hold you have on them, no matter how much my son enjoys sleeping with you, you are never going to be able to compete with that. So go ahead. Make them choose. You won't win."

"I don't want to make them choose, John!" Julie cried angrily. "All I want is for those two men who have suffered so much to finally get a chance to be happy. But I can't do that if you won't work with me!"

John shook his head at her. Her words sounded great and all, but he had learned long ago not to trust anyone. And this girl, this stranger, had changed his sons, warped their minds, turned them even further against him. His sons who he loved, his sons who had been his life for the last twenty years of his life. All he had. He would not lose them to this girl.

"That sounds good and all," he said coldly. "But the fact is you turned my eldest son against me, and for all I know, you probably made Sam hate me even more. So I don't know how the hell you expect me to pretend I like you just so you can keep pretending you belong with us."

Julie stepped back and blinked, looking hurt for the first time. But before John could even feel guilty, her hurt faded away to anger. "I'm not the one pretending to belong, John. And I'm not the one who is going to lose them if you make them choose."

John laughed scornfully. "Really? You? You think you matter more to them than their own father?! You're just some girl who keeps Dean's bed warm, and Sam's for all I know." Julie's mouth opened in shock and anger, but John didn't want to hear it. "And I am not going to lose my sons to some arrogant, self-righteous slut."

And without another word, he turned and stormed down the path away from the Roadhouse until he faded out of sight.