Wow, another delayed chapter. But I warned you, have to have it perfected before posting... This one was hard because it deals with Dean's.. well, you'll see. Very nervous about this chapter, but we'll see what you think.

Sike - Can I call you that? Or Sik? I can never remember how to spell your name, and I don't want to get it wrong. Nonetheless, it's an interesting name, what does it mean? Thanks for reading, though! I promise to be less dishearted by lack of reviews. Two's better than none, after all.

laughandlove - How right you are about Dean's determination... I think I'll leave it at that, because I don't want to ruin all the fun. But, yeah, that statement is definitely proved in this chapter... :) Thanks for the review!

By the way, can anyone tell me who keeps stealing all my symbols? It's driving me crazy they just "disappear". Someone must have abused them :(

I did nothing the rest of the day, and night, for that matter. Just some driving and a lot of thinking.

It wasn't like there was much else I could do, anyway. I had no where to go. The only decent places in town were reminders of my misery, and I couldn't go back to the motel because I couldn't face Sammy. He'd just make things worse by giving me that "I told you so" speech he'd been planning since day one. And, of course, that would be only 'after' he'd spent hours complaining about how I'd abandoned him yet again. So yeah, I avoided him like the plague.

Had to settle for a six pack and the hood of my car, which wasn't bad, but, like I said, I couldn't stop thinking. I thought about what my brother had said, again. And about what Kiersa had said too.

Maybe they were right after all. The two of them.

Maybe I was a one-night-stand kind of guy. Big deal. Right? Who was I trying to kid, anyway? So what if we couldn't settle down, fall in love, or have a family. All that Hallmark crap is overrated. I mean, Sammy and I were living proof of how 'well' it worked out for our parents. I doubt they got married thinking, "Hey, we'll have a couple of good years before some crazy shit happens and ruins our lives."

It's strange; I never really thought about it until that moment. Mom and Dad. Being in love. Being normal. And Happy.

Once upon a time, I guess.

It had honestly been so long ago, I could hardly picture it. And, now, to think that after all we've been through, after all we've seen and done, we could just pack up and go back?

Impossible.

Besides, I've seen the movies. It never works.

There is always something that happens to ruin it. That crazy shit follows you, no matter how far you run or where you hide; there's just no escaping it.

It was all for the best, though. I never pictured myself as family guy, anyway. I'm not even sure I'd know how to be one, which made me wonder where Sammy got it from. Why 'did' he want to be normal? And why didn't I?

Maybe it was something I'd thought about once or twice. After Dad died, I could have walked away easy. Should have. Probably would have, too, if I had known what was waiting just down the road. I mean, that whole demon possessing Sam thing? Worst day of my damn life, when I woke up and he was missing... Heard Dad's words ...screaming in my head. I thought it was over, and I just knew it was my fault. I'd failed.

Meg. That bitch. I swear, if I ever see that blond again. .. I don't even know what I'd do.

Still, even before that, I think I'd been ready to throw in the towel. Dad's death had been the last straw, and there's not a doubt in my mind that I'd give up hunting to keep Sam safe. That's normal, ain't it?

He's all I've got left.

I don't know, maybe I was just getting too old for all of it—I can't imagine how Dad managed all those years. But I knew one thing for sure and that was I didn't want to be like him; I think that was normal too.

That night, I'd made up my mind. I wanted to prove them all wrong. Dad. The demons. Kiersa—and Sammy too. We could be normal, or, we could at least try.