A/N: As always thanks for reviewing, following, favoriting and just reading! It means the world to me, truly. Your guys' comments are so fun to read and I love the guessing and even the criticism! So keep it coming! Things are about to get a little tense for the Winchester boys so, without further ado, here we go…


Seal my heart and break my pride,
I've nowhere to stand and now nowhere to hide.
"Dust Bowl Dance" -Mumford & Sons

The boys spent the morning on the couch watching TV with Parker until Kat came home, her arms full of groceries. Dean's appetite was back and he ate his way through two sandwiches and half a bag of chips.

"So what are you two up to today?" she asked, watching with an expression of slight disgust as Dean licked the crumbs from his fingers. Sam had only nibbled on his own sandwich and Parker was eating leftover noodles. There was butter smeared all over his face.

"Nothing," Sam said. "What about you?"

"Work. Someone's gotta do it, you know?"

"Better you than me," Sam teased. Dean tried not to gag onto his empty plate. Living with a married couple was going to take some getting used to.

"Anyway, my mom is going to come by and pick up Parker." She glanced at her watch. "She should be here in about an hour."

"Does she live nearby?" Dean asked.

"About two hours away. She's going to take Parker for a couple days."

"I told you that's not necessary," Sam said. The words were forced and weary as if the two had had this conversation several times before.

"I know you did," Kat said as Dean looked between them. "But think of it as less stress for me than anything to do with you." Sam rolled his eyes and picked at the sandwich in front of him.

"Sorry, what's going on?" Dean asked. He took the sandwich away from Sam before he could dissect it anymore and stuck half of it in his mouth.

"Sam has chemo tomorrow so my mom is going to watch Parker for a couple days."

"You didn't tell me that," Dean accused, swallowing. "When were you going to tell me?" Sam rolled his eyes.

"Sorry I didn't realize I had to clear my schedule with you. It didn't seem important."

"Chemo didn't seem important? Really?" Dean said. Before Sam could retort, Kat stepped in.

"Guys. It doesn't matter. Now you know, Dean. Things will be a little rough around here and I don't want to have to look after a toddler. And I don't want him disturbing Sam." Sam stood abruptly, pushing his chair all the way to the wall and dumped his dish in the sink.

"I'm going out," he said and the front door slammed shut a second later. Kat just stared down the hallway.

"I'm going to guess he doesn't like it when your mother comes?" Dean said.

"It's not that. He doesn't like missing time with Parker. And he doesn't like that I try to make things easier for him."

"Sounds like Sam."

"Yeah. I thought he might be different with you around but he's the same. Still dumb and stubborn when it comes to his own health."

"Hey," Dean said and she looked up at him. "Now it's two against one, right? I want him to live enough for all three of us. We've got this." It was a pep talk in every sense of the word but it seemed to do the trick. Kat squared her shoulders and picked up the dishes from the kitchen table, coming back with a cloth to wipe Parker's face. The toddler squirmed away from his mother and Dean swore he saw the kid send him a help me glance.

"Lean forward," Kat said, coming around the back of Dean's chair.

"What?"

"Forward," she said, pushing on the back of his neck where she knew he wasn't so sore to get him to move. She tugged at the hem of his shirt and lifted it up.

"They look a lot better," she commented. "I think you'll live." Dean's arms were folded on the table, his chin almost resting on them as she examined him. She prodded at the puffiness and Dean bit the inside of his cheek. "I can't believe you haven't died from all this yet," she said.

"Well," Dean said. "That's not a totally accurate statement."

"Right," she said. "You're a Winchester so I assume you've risen from the dead." He was surprised she hadn't asked about the faded white handprint on his upper shoulder.

I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.

"Guilty." She pulled his shirt back down and he leaned back. Parker waved at him from his high chair and Dean waved back. When Kat spoke again, her voice was carefully nonchalant.

"Do you think it could happen again?" Dean's stomach dropped. He'd been afraid of this from the minute he found out about Sam's cancer. He was sure Kat had just been waiting to get him alone and not high off painkillers.

"No," Dean said as gently as possible. "I don't."

"Oh," was all she said but it held the weight of utter disappointment. "Why not?" Dean did not want to have this conversation. Not when he wasn't even sure there was nothing he could do.

"Kat, he's not dead yet. I've learned never to act like something is dying before it's not." Her cheeks burned red but he pretended not to notice. "If we still need to have this talk in a couple months or whenever, then I'll explain everything."

Her answer was to unbuckle Parker from his chair and walk away, leaving Dean alone.

Kat's mother was younger than Dean thought she would be. Her hair wasn't gray yet and she was as almost as in shape as her daughter. Only the wrinkles on her face and her clothes revealed her age.

"You must be Dean," she said when he opened the door.

"Yes," he said. "I'm Sam's brother."

"I'm Barbara. Kat has told me a lot about you," she said. "She says you just showed up here last week." It was obvious was prodding for the truth and Dean felt it was only fair to give it to her. If she was anything like Kat, she'd find out anyway.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "I got myself into a bit of trouble on a hunting trip and Sam patched me up." She scrutinized him with the same blue eyes Kat possessed before breaking into a warm smile. "Well, I'm glad to welcome you into the family," she said, hugging him. "Sam always said he didn't have any family but I knew that couldn't be true. He had the look of a man who'd been looked after. Kat said you were the one who raised him." Kat had said that? Sam must have told her, because Dean was pretty sure he hadn't phrased it like that.

"Partly," Dean said. "We grew up on the road, our dad was busy a lot."

"I already like you, Dean," Barbara said. "If you're anything like your brother, you're worth having around." Dean's cheeks flushed from the compliment and he took Barbara into the kitchen. Sam had come back and was finishing cleaning the kitchen while Kat got Parker ready to go.

"Hello, Sam," Barbara said, standing on tiptoes to wrap her arms around Sam. She held him for a beat longer than usual. "I'm so sorry about this." Sam managed a smile but it was unconvincing.

"Thanks," he said. "It will be fine. Thanks for taking Parker. I told Kat you didn't need to but she's not listening to me."

"Don't be silly," Kat's mother said, pulling away. "I live too far away as it is; I need to spend time with my grandson before it isn't cool to be seen with Grandma anymore!" Sam chuckled. "Besides, you adults need some alone time, I assume. You probably have a lot of catching up to do with Dean. And God knows, Kat could use a break."

"She could," Sam agreed and Kat appeared at the top of the stairs, holding Parker in one and a small duffel bag in the other. The diaper bag was already on the table.

"Nana!" Parker said.

"My favorite grandson!" Barbara replied, reaching and taking Parker from Kat. "Are you ready to come to my house?"

"Cookies?"

"You know," Barbara said, pretending to think about it. "I think I made some cookies yesterday. Just for you."

"Cookies, Mama!" Parker squealed, twisting in Barbara's arms to peer at his mother, who was double-checking that everything was in the bags.

"Yep," she said distractedly. "I heard."

"Sam, why don't you and Dean go move the car seat to my car?" Barbara said. "I can never quite figure that thing out."

"Sure," Sam said. Dean was about to protest that he'd never even touched a car seat when Sam yanked him out of the room.

Barbara waited until they were out the door before setting Parker down and turning to her daughter.

"How are you doing?" Kat refused to look up.

"I'm fine."

"Come on, Kat, really. How are you?" Kat gave a shuddering sigh and sank into a kitchen chair. She ran her fingers through her hair and kept her gaze on her son as he wandered around the room, looking for trouble.

"I don't know, Mom. Everything has been so crazy. With Sam's cancer coming back and Dean showing up. And I'm on a deadline with work. Things just keep piling onto my plate and I don't know how long I can keep it up."

"Dean seems nice enough," her mother commented. She stood behind her daughter and rubbed Kat's shoulders, which were thick with knots. Kat leaned her head back in pleasure.

"That feels good," she murmured. "Dean's fine. He's been kind of out of it so I haven't talked to him much. But…it's the happiest I've seen Sam in a long time."

"Really? Sam has always seemed perfectly satisfied whenever I'm around."

"No, it's not like he was unhappy before, I don't know. I don't know how to explain it. It's like he's more content. Now that his brother is here, I can't believe I didn't know he existed. The two of them are pretty remarkable to watch together."

"What do you mean?" Just as she had with Sam, Kat struggled to put it into words.

"They're so attuned to each other, you can just tell how much time they must have spent together."

"Well, you said that Dean practically raised Sam, right? That's what Sam told you? So it makes sense. They haven't seen each other for three years, sweetie. It's probably a little odd for them to be together again."

"I'm sure," Kat said, wincing as her mother worked on her tight muscles.

"So you think Dean will be helpful to have around?"

"Oh, yes," Kat said. "Like I said, Sam is just so much better with him around. When we found out last week about the relapse, he was devastated. He tried to shake it off but this disease is haunting him, Mom. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Maybe he won't get as depressed with Dean around."

"Sounds like God sent you an angel." Kat snorted, thinking of the two and a half sandwiches the man had inhaled at lunch. Some angel.

"It will be nice to have an extra set of hands around the house. Dean is really good with Sam. I want to be there for him but I've got less than a month to get this book finished. If I don't, my publisher is going to drop me." Barbara wrapped her daughter in a hug from behind, holding her tight.

"You'll get it done, darling. I'm here whenever you need. And now Dean's here. You're not in this alone."

"Thanks, Mom. You might be watching Parker a lot. I think Dean's scared of him."

"Scared of our little boy?" Barbara asked, swinging Parker into her arms as he rounded the corner, holding a box of cheerios. "Who could be scared of this sweet thing?" Parker giggled as she kissed his cheek.

"Hungwy, Mama," he said and Kat caught the box of cereal just in time as it slipped from his fingers.

"You just had lunch!" she said but pulled a plastic baggie of snacks from the diaper bag and handed it to him. "Here you go. Be good for Nana, okay?" He nodded, shoving fistfuls of cereal into his mouth at once.

"Dean just has to get to know you more," Kat's mother said, holding onto Parker and putting the diaper bag over her free shoulder. Kat grabbed the duffel. "Then he will not get scared one bit. He'll be tickled pink!" Parker found this funny and laughed, spraying crumbs all over Barbara's sweater.

"Just three days," Kat said on the way to the car. "Then bring him right back. Unless there is a problem. Then bring him back sooner."

"Stop fussing," her mother said. Dean and Sam had finished up with the car seat and were waiting for the women. "We'll be fine. We're going to see the dinosaurs tomorrow."

"Daddy!" Parker said and Sam reached for the child as the women loaded the car. "Bye-bye Daddy!" Parker said.

"Can I have a hug?" Sam said and the toddler obliged, wrapping his little arms around Sam's neck. He surprised everyone by reaching for Dean next.

"Bye-bye," he said as Dean held him, trying not to look awkward. He needed no prompting to give Dean's neck a hug as well.

"See you, little man," Dean said. He wouldn't tell anyone but he was secretly delighted the kid liked him so much.

"Okay," Sam said, buckling his son in and making sure he had his toy cars and snacks within reach. "Be good, Parker."

"Okay, Daddy," he trilled, waving at the four adults.

"It was nice to meet you, Dean," Barbara said. "You'll be good for Sam, I bet."

"Thanks," Dean said, surprised. The fact that this family – Kat, Parker, Barbara – had all accepted him with so much love and respect made him feel as though he was worth something instead of just a mess-up. If he'd known Sam had a family like this, he wouldn't have waited three years to find him. Dean had a lot of lost time to make up for.

"Good luck," Barbara said, wrapping Sam in another hug. "I've got a good feeling about this one," she said. "You'll be fine."

"Thank you," Sam said. "I'm sure you're right. It'll be over before we know it."

"Maybe if you're feeling better by this winter, we can all go on that cruise I've been saving for." Dean's ears perked up. He hated planes but boats were another thing altogether. A cruise he could handle. The white, sandy beaches, the blue ocean.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Kat said, opening the driver's door. Barbara winked.

"Think of it as some motivation for quick healing." Sam laughed.

"We'll see you Friday." The three of them stood in the driveway, waving until the car had disappeared around the bend.

It was too quiet in the house without the constant chatter of the toddler. Kat took it as an opportunity to lock herself in the bedroom to do some work while Sam draped himself over the couch, ready for a nap. Realizing he had nothing to do, Dean rescued a beer from the fridge and sat down next to his brother, turning the channel to the afternoon baseball game. Sam was asleep within ten minutes but Dean had never felt so content in his life. It was if his childhood wish had come true: Sam and Dean not hunting and just enjoying a suburban life on a sunny afternoon.

It was almost as if nothing was wrong.