A/N: I wasn't originally intending to split this chapter and the next one, but having finished the majority of my schoolwork today, I wanted to make an update to it. I was afraid if I didn't update in some way, I'd fall out of the habit of doing so. I still have a couple of small things to do for school, so it may be a few more days before another update, but I promise it will be updated. Thanks for the patience!

Mary cursed herself for crying again. She had thought the fight between her and John about Sam moving to Bobby's was the worst they'd ever had. But after seeing how happy Sam was in a safe and stable home, John had backed off and they'd never fought about it again.

But the fight two days earlier had made the one three years ago seem like nothing.

They'd been on what seemed like a normal hunt. Some poltergeist activity in an abandoned house. The new owner knew John and Mary from a previous hunt, and wanted their help getting the house free of activity before moving in. The hunt had seemed completely normal, and John and Mary had been planning to visit Sammy after it was over.

Then things went to hell.

The new owner turned out not to be the new owner at all. As soon as the two of them arrived at the house, something had seemed off. When they decided to go inside the house anyway, John was immediately thrown to one wall and Mary to the other. A deep, guttural laugh that made Mary's hair stand on end came from their friend.

"Well, well, well. Winchesters. I hear you've been looking for me."

A pit formed in Mary's stomach, and not just from dealing with the demon. Her long buried secret was bound to come out, and sure enough, it did. The demon had brought cronies with him, who had just enough strength to keep her pinned against the wall. He taunted the two of them at first, trying to convince them to not pursue him anymore. He'd forced Mary to watch as he beat up John, then grinned when he realized that he had a new way to injure them.

"Mary, I am surprised. You mean you haven't told John our secret?"

"Secret?" John asked from the wall, his eye beginning to swell shut and his mouth and nose bleeding. "What secret?"

When it was revealed, Mary could see the conflicting emotions cross John's face. The reverence, the respect, the absolute trust he once held for her had taken a huge blow. The demon had left them alone at that point, certain that he'd cracked the foundation of their relationship and hurt them enough that they would no longer be a threat. The demon had left before either Mary or John had a chance to exorcise him, and when Mary ran to John to check on him, the almost twelve hour long fight began.

"Don't touch me."

"John…"

"You knew him?" John said with gritted teeth, then spat out blood onto the ground. "You knew the bastard that killed our son and you told me nothing?!"

"John, please. Please just let me take care of you and I promise I'll explain everything."

"I can take care of myself, and you damn well better tell me what the hell's going on."

Mary had given him the whole, unabridged story, and watched as John's face stayed hard and unreadable the entire time. Some of it, like her growing up as a hunter and being taught the trade from the time she was old enough to walk, he knew. But the part he didn't know, about getting killed while they were on a date and Mary making a demon deal to save his life, deepened the scowl that now seemed a permanent part of John's face. When she finished her story, John said nothing, simply grabbed his duffel bag and started for the door.

"John? Where are you going?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean? Please, let's stay and talk about this." Mary begged. "Baby, please…"

"There's nothing to talk about."

The sound of the gas nozzle kicking off shook Mary out of her thoughts. Mary wiped her eyes and put it back where it belonged, paid for the gas, and continued on to Bobby's. Less than an hour later, she pulled into Bobby's yard and found a surprised Sam sitting on the porch.

"Mom?"

Mary parked the car, opened the door, and ran to Sam. She pulled him into a crushing hug, and Bobby came out of the house. He could tell something had happened, something relatively devastating for Mary to just show up out of nowhere. When Bobby realized John hadn't come with her, Bobby's stomach twisted in dread.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Sam asked, still caught in Mary's tight embrace. "Where's Dad?"

Mary pulled away from Sam just enough to place both hands on the side of his face and stare at him. The thought came that nearly made her sick. You look so much like your father.

"Mom?" Sam finally realized something was wrong. "Where's Dad? Is he okay?"

Mary sniffed and took a breath before answering. "As far as I know, your father's fine."

"As far as you know? What does that mean? Why isn't he with you?"

"Sam, come inside with me. I have something I need to tell you and Bobby."

"Mom, where's Dad?" Sam repeated. "If he's okay, why isn't he with you?"

"Answer him, Mary." Bobby said. "Bad news is bad news whether you're standing or sitting. Just tell him."

Mary nodded, then leaned against the car and took both of Sam's hand in hers. "Sam, your dad and I aren't together anymore."

"What?" Sam asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means we decided to break up." Mary said. "We're not a couple anymore."