Epilogue

Later, Sam told Dean about what had happened to him after he'd fallen through the rift between worlds. He'd never been able to keep secrets from his big brother, at least not for long and not when it mattered. So, in the dimness of their motel room, with the wind howling and chasing snow around the building and the old heater clanking as it tried valiantly to banish the chill that crept through the thin walls , he told Dean everything.

His brother listened with very little comment and he remained quiet for so long after Sam had finished that he wondered if Dean had fallen asleep. Then Dean's voice floated over from the other bed.

"So you're sayin' that I ... with your Jessica? And that we had a baby girl?"

"Yeah." Sam planted an arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling and remembering the shock and joy and burning jealousy he'd felt when he first saw Jess come down those stairs in their old house.

"Wow." Another minute of silence. "How the hell did that happen? I mean, she was cute and, whew, in that skimpy Smurf shirt she—"

"Dean." Sam so didn't need the memories of the last time he'd seen Jess alive dredged up.

"You know I'd never—"

"Dean!"

"All I'm sayin', you and her, you were shopping for rings, and—"

"Dean, shut the fuck up." Sam rolled over onto his stomach, punching the pillow into shape and wincing when it made the blisters on his hands throb.

"Yeah, okay, shutting up now."

Sam closed his eyes, trying to sleep. He'd nearly drifted off when Dean's voice broke the silence again.

"Damn, that son of a bitch sure knows how to screw with your mind."

Yeah, Sam thought. That's what it had been: the ultimate mind fuck. Courtesy of the yellow-eyed demon. Possibly part of his plan. Except—

Except, Dean said he'd disappeared completely through the portal, not a trace left behind. So it hadn't been a dream or a vision or something. Maybe, just maybe, it had been real. Maybe there really was another world out there somewhere. A world where Mom and Dad would soon celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary, where they were planning to move to a bungalow on the shores of Clinton Lake after Dad retired and left the workshop and the house to Dean and his family. Where his brother owned a garage and rebuilt classic American cars while Metallica thumped from the sound system. A world in which Jess lived to graduate and become the proud mother of a green-eyed little girl called Hope...

Sam slept. And for the first time in a very long time, he smiled in his dreams.

Disclaimer: This story is based on the Warner Bros. Television/Wonderland Sound and Vision/Eric Kripke/Robert Singer series Supernatural. All characters belong to their original creators. The story is meant for entertainment purposes only and no copyright infringement was intended.

Author's note: I'm immensely thankful for all the great beta-work Heather did for me on this. Also, thanks to ErinRua for her help with one little but crucial paragraph, as well as to everyone who commented on my request for suggestions over at the LiveJournal community spn-connect. Furthermore, a big thankyou! to all my readers and reviewers for their overwhelming response. I don't think I've ever received this much feedback in such a short notice. Thank you, and I'm glad you enjoyed the story so much; I'll try to get back to people individually over the next days.