Chapter Nine

A/N: Hey kiddos! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. My new employers are doing everything in their power to make sure I have zero energy when I get home. On the plus side, I finally sleep well, lol. Anyway, this is it. The end. Which makes me sad, but I never wanted this to drag on forever. So, it feels right. Thank you all for the love and support. I'm going to go back to work on my original stuff, some of which is posted on wattpad, if you would like to check it out. My username is chrisk0613. Hope you enjoy!

Dean drove back to the bunker that day, leaving Sam here with me to help replace the window. I tried to argue against it, knowing that he was hurting, thanks to the massive bump on his head, but he wouldn't listen. After our trip to the hardware store, where the owner expressed how happy he was that I was okay after my ordeal the night before and inquired, not so discreetly, about the details of Cotton's confession.

"I appreciate your concern, Bob, but Charlie asked me not to say anything. You know, since it's an ongoing investigation." I winked at him, throwing him a charming smile.

"Right, right. Well, I'll tell Mabel that you're alright. She heard what happened at the diner this morning, and was so worried." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Worried? That old bat was the town's biggest gossip.

"Hey, Bob, while I've got ya," I turned my charm on all the way, breaking out my sweet little small town accent. "You know anyone who might be looking for a place to rent?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Well, with Pat's being closed, and after last night, I'm finally gonna take this guy up on his offer to move in." I elbowed Sam in the ribs lightly. "I'm gonna try to rent the house instead of selling it outright."

"No, haven't heard anything, but I can keep my ears open for you." I thanked him, giving him a mega-watt smile and grabbed the bag of hardware. Sam had the new window tucked under his arm.

"Let's grab some lunch before we head back." I suggested, walking out of the store. After dropping our purchases off at the truck, we walked across the street to the diner. We walked inside, sliding into a booth, and ordered drinks from the waitress. She patted me on the shoulder, asking how I was doing, before going to make our drinks.

"Small towns, huh?" Sam asked with a small chuckle. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, there's a lot of perks to living in a town that small. But nothing is free." Mary had just come back with my sweet tea and Sam's coffee and took our order. "Hey, does Dean know that you've asked me to move in? I mean, it's his home too."

"Yeah, he's okay with it. The bunker is big enough that we won't feel crowded, even with Birdie." He moved to my side of the booth, putting his arm around me.

"Well, aren't y'all so cute?" Mary came back to the table, two club sandwiches in hand. I blushed, and thanked her. "Now Sam, when are you going to make this sweet girl an honest woman?" He coughed, choking on the sip of coffee he had just taken and I laughed.

"One step at a time, Mary. We're working on moving in together now."

"That's nice. Well, welcome to our little town, Sam."

"No, Mary, I'll be moving to Lebanon, with Sam." I rubbed his arm, just above the elbow.

"Oh, well, it's probably for the best. I'd want to move too, after what happened."

I just nodded, picking up my sandwich, hoping she would get the message. She didn't.

"So, you gonna sell your house? My daughter is getting married soon, and her and her fiancé will be moving out of their apartment."

"No, not selling. But if they want to rent from me, that's my plan."

She told me that she would ask her daughter and then left us to eat our food.

Once we got home, I grabbed my laptop and started doing some research on being a landlord while Sam went to work replacing the window. After I had downloaded a sample lease agreement and bookmarked some websites, I started taking pictures of the house to post later.

There was a knock on the door, and I put my camera down, walking over to the front door.

"Miss Cooper? Hi, I'm Marcus Anderson. May I come in for a minute?"

"Sure." I recognized him, seeing him in the bar a few times, but had never met him. I stepped aside, allowing him to enter, and apologized for the mess. Sam put the new window down, introducing himself to the man in the suit.

"It's alright. I heard about what happened. I'm happy that everyone is okay."

"Thank you. Would you like some iced tea?"

"No thank you." He knelt over from his spot on the couch and opened up a briefcase, bringing out a big manila envelope. "I'm here to handle the estate of Michael Carter. I was his attorney."

Sam looked at me, confused.

"Mickey," I explained, putting a hand on his.

"Yes, Mickey. Now, as you are probably aware, he had no surviving family." He pulled a document out of the folder, handing it to me. "He's left you the bar. All you have to do is sign where it's marked."

I looked up at him, and then at Sam, surprised.

"Wow, I don't know what to say." He handed me a pen. I took a deep breath, putting my signature on the four lines marked with the fluorescent flags.

"Well, congratulations, you're now the proud owner of Pat's." He handed me a set of keys and a business card, and stood up. "If you have any questions, you can call my office."

I nodded, walking him to the door, and thanked him as I shut it behind him.

"Well, this is crazy." I looked at the keys in my hand, too shocked to know how I felt.

"Does this change things?" He looked at me, worried.

"No," I started. "I don't know." I threw the keys down on the coffee table in frustration.

"Do you want to run the bar?" I shrugged my shoulders. The truth was, I wasn't sure. Pat's was like home to me, but such a big part of that was Mickey. Without him, I felt like the place would be empty, a shell of its former self.

"I don't know. This is all so much, so fast." I ran my hands through my hair.

"Hey," he put his arms around me, putting my head on his chest. "You don't need to decide anything right now, okay? The bar isn't going anywhere. And neither am I."

"I thought you were leaving tomorrow."

"Well, yeah. You know what I mean." He laughed, kissing me, and then standing up. "I've got to get this window finished."

While he worked, I got changed and ran into town, stopping at the realtor's office to talk about listing the house, and while I was there, inquired about the bar. Shelley, the real estate agent knew the house would rent out quickly, and had equal hopes for the bar, if I decided to sell.

After I finished there, I went to the grocery store to pick up some food to make for dinner. When I got back, Sam had finished with the window and was in the shower. I snuck into the bathroom, removing my clothes and climbing in behind him. I put my arms around him, kissing his back.

"Hey," he turned around, kissing me. "What did the realtor say?"

"Prospects look good. The house will get picked up easily. She also says that the bar will sell quickly too, if listed."

"Well, that's good." He turned me around, so my back was against the wall of the shower, and he kissed me, pinning himself against me.

"Sam," I pulled back, putting my hands on his broad chest. "I'm going to sell Pat's. Everything that has happened," I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, then continued, "It has all shown me that the Great Bend chapter of my life is done. I'm ready to move on, with you." I laced my fingers with his. "I want to spend my life with you, Sam, wherever that takes us."

Sam left before dawn the next morning, and I started packing. It only took me a few days to get all but the essentials boxed up. By Friday, I had three offers on the house, and one serious offer on the bar. After showing the house to the prospective renters, the paperwork was signed, and Mary's daughter and her fiancé were set to move in on the first of April.

Since the guys had more furniture than we knew what to do with, I ended up selling all of mine during a very successful yard sale. Most of my small town showed up to show their support and wish me well on my new adventure.

With all of my loose ends tied, Sam, Dean, and I loaded up my moving truck with the last of my boxes. Locking the door for the final time was an emotional moment. I placed my hand on the fresh paint on the door frame, saying goodbye, and loaded Birdie up in my truck, leaving Great Bend behind. Sam held my hand, and I discretely wiped the few tears that had collected.

When we pulled up to the bunker, Sam jumped out of the truck, then let Birdie hop out.

"Come here." He gave my hand a tug, when I started to head to the bed to grab a box. "I have a surprise for you." I couldn't help but return the big smile he was giving me, as he led me through the bunker, down the hallway where the sleeping quarters were located. He stopped in front of a door at the end and put his hands over my eyes.

"Sam, what is it?"

"Open the door." I felt around for the knob, and turned it, before we stepped inside. "Keep your eyes closed." He stepped in front of me and pulled me into the center of the room. "Okay, open them."

I did as I was told and looked around the room. All four walls were covered with soundproofing and there was a new computer set up in the corner.

"You built me a studio?" There were tears in my eyes again. I threw my arms around him and squeezed him tightly.

"I know that moving in with me means giving up some of your independence, so I wanted you to have a space of your own." He kissed the top of my head, returning my hug. "And with all of the free time you have now, I thought that you could work on your music."

"Sam, how did I ever get so lucky to find you again?" I tilted my head up, standing on my toes to kiss him.

"I know just how you feel. Let's go get your equipment. You promised to play that song that you wrote for me."

"After we get the trucks unloaded." He raised an eyebrow, thinking that I was stalling. "I promise."

And for the first time in my life, I performed a Lacey Cooper original in front of someone other than Birdie.