A/N: Another chapter already? Yeah, I'm a bit of a writing machine lately. I wanted to get this chapter out since we're all probably stoked about season 12! So without further ado, the epilogue!

"You're the worst brother ever!" Sam shouted at Dean whenever he told him the news about Jess.

Dean tried his best to console his distraught sibling, "I already told you I'm sorry, Sam. I fucked up. What more do you want from me?"

"I want you to go to hell!" Sam screamed, tears rolling down his face.

"You don't mean that, Sammy."

"And how would you know? You know nothing about me! You're a terrible person, Dean, and this just proves it! You spend so much time hunting and boning helpless women that you never even stopped to consider getting to know your own brother!" Sam shot back.

Dean's eyes darkened. "I know you just fine, Sam. I know that you are one of the smartest kids at that dumb mundane school of yours that you insisted on going to after meeting Jess. I know that you want to be a big shot lawyer some day and if you really put your mind to it, you will achieve that dream. I know that you have the most caring heart out of any fourteen year old, which is why you're saying all this now. I know you loved her, Sammy. It breaks my heart more than anything just living with the knowledge that I couldn't save her."

Sam stared at his brother for a long while after that, not saying anything, just letting the tears fall from his eyes freely. When he finally spoke, he asked, "How are you not falling apart right now? After what happened with Jimmy…"

Dean placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "I've fallen apart and put myself back together so many times that I'm pretty much immune to the pain by now."

"Plus you've got a vamp rebound in your pocket," Sam quipped humorlessly. Dean stared at Sam with a confounded look. Sam sniffled, "Don't play dumb, Dean, we all know about your little sanctuary tryst."

Dean blushed, "Nothing happened."

"I know. You're a good judge of character and would never let a vamp anywhere near the Institute if you didn't have a very good reason." Sam added.

"He's actually not a bad guy. Little bit rough around the edges, but not a monster," Dean mumbled.

"Sounds a lot like you," Sam said flatly.

Dean gave Sam a warning look which signaled the end of the conversation.

Later that afternoon, Ellen returned from the grocery store with a heavy mind. She sat in the kitchen, steeping a mug of tea, considering how she would approach the Winchester boys about what she had just learned. As she watched the steam rise up from her mug, her mind drifted to the rumors she heard floating around.

"Did you hear about the Moore girl?"

"Poor thing, she didn't deserve that."

"I heard that Winchester boy did it. He's always hanging around that warehouse anyway. He probably lured her there to be his next victim."

"Wouldn't surprise me, the younger of the two was the last to be seen with the girl alive."

"Just tragic; those boys are monsters and ought to be locked up."

"Ellen Harvelle should be ashamed of herself for taking those boys in."

"You can't blame her though, it's not like it's an easy job raising criminals."

"Ellen? Ellen?! ELLEN!" Dean snapped Ellen out of her thoughts. Sitting across from her at the table, he watched her cautiously, afraid that she might snap at any minute.

"Dean, we need to talk." she decided to just come right out with it. She had to do what was best for her children in the long run—all three of them.

...

"You're kicking me out?!" Dean shouted, enraged.

Ellen stared into her tea, which was now lukewarm. "I'm sorry; I just can't find any way around this. The whole town wants your head on a pike and I can't blame them."

"You know I'm innocent though! It was all J—Castiel. That son of a bitch killed Jess in cold blood. Why don't you believe me?" Dean barked.

Ellen sighed, "Of course I believe you, Dean, but we can't very well tell the mundanes that your parabatai was brainwashed into going rogue and used a warlock to do his bidding! We'd expose the whole Institute and possibly the rest of the Conclave!"

"You've always been good at coming up with stories. You could say it was arson, an accident. Use some of your pull, Ellen, please!" Dean pleaded.

Ellen shook her head. "There's only so much I could say, Dean. I've been over it in my head a thousand times and the safest course of action is for you to get out of town. I can say you went to find John. It wouldn't be so hard to believe with your track record."

Dean clenched his jaw. "I can't just leave Sam. He's my brother and he's hurting."

"I can take care of Sam," Ellen reached across the table and took Dean's hand in her own, "He needs stability more than anything right now and he has that here. Besides, a life on the road is no place for a fourteen year old boy."

Dean pulled his hand away swiftly. "But it is the place for a seventeen year old with serious neglect issues?"

Ellen rubbed her temples. "Why are you fighting me on this, Dean? You never liked the small-town life anyway. This could be your chance to get out. See the world. Gank some demons, as you so eloquently put it."

"Spare me the bright side talk, I know you've been waiting for something like this to happen. Now that Jimmy's gone you have an excuse to get rid of me," he pushed himself up from the table, "Well congratulations, Ellen, you got your wish. I'll leave you to lead a perfectly normal, happy, mundane life and you won't have to worry about the fuck-up ruining your plans to be Suburban Mom of the Year."

Ellen could feel tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. "You think I want this?! You think this isn't killing me inside, having to send you out on your own?! I want to help you, Dean, I really do. And this is the only way that logically works for everyone involved!"

Dean glowered down at Ellen as he said in a monotone, "Whatever helps you sleep at night." After that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Ellen to cry over her cold tea.

Dean was hastily stuffing clothes in a duffel bag when a voice spoke from the doorway, startling him into dropping the bag.

"Going somewhere?"

Dean turned around to find Sam watching him attentively. "Hey, Sam, I was just uh…" he considered his next words carefully before deciding he wasn't going to lie to his brother. "Yes, I'm leaving."

Sam glared daggers at Dean. "I'm sorry, you're leaving? Just like that? After getting my girlfriend killed, you think it's best to just ditch us all?"

Dean picked up his duffel bag and continued to fill it. "After everything that's happened, I thought you would be thrilled to see me go."

Sam snorted, "Figures. With how much you say you hate dad, is it any wonder you actually turned into him?"

Dean stopped what he was doing, dropped his duffel, and slowly turned to face Sam. "I am nothing like dad."

"Right, you're abandoning your own kin and running away from all of your problems. At least dad is chasing his." Sam said.

Dean set his jaw. He considered at that moment telling him that he was actually being forced out of the house, but then he thought of himself growing up having known and lost his mother at such a young age. Could Dean really burn the one parental relationship Sam had left for his own selfish reasons? No; he wouldn't do that to Sam, but most of all he couldn't do that to Ellen because despite everything she was still the closest thing to a mother he had and he still loved her more than anything.

"You're right. I'm a coward," Dean said gruffly. "I don't know how to be there for you right now because the truth is: I'm hurting pretty badly myself. This whole Jimmy/Castiel situation has me tied up in knots and the only way I can resolve it is if I hunt that son of a bitch Jonathan down and kill him myself."

Sam had a feeling Dean was lying to him, but there was something in his speech that inspired him to say, "I'm going with you."

Dean cracked a smile, "I'm flattered, but no, you're not."

"Yes, I am, Dean! I need to do this, for Jess. The only way I can get closure from her death is by avenging her." Sam insisted.

Dean coughed, hiding a laugh, "Now who sounds like dad?"

"I'm serious, Dean! There's nothing for me here."

"There's school," Dean argued.

Sam rolled his eyes, "I was only ever interested in school because of Jess. She had this idea that we would be a cop-lawyer crime-fighting duo. Without her, all of that seems awfully moot."

Dean put his hands on his hips, "What about Ellen and Jo? They need you. It's been a rough couple of months for all of us, but them more than anyone."

"They'll be fine. They have each other," Sam stepped a little closer to Dean, "I'd be more worried about you, out there on the road all alone. Who will you lean on for support?"

Dean scoffed. "I don't need anyone."

"That's a load of crap;" Sam said bluntly, "We both lost someone we love. We can get through our grief together."

Dean decided to take a different approach this time, "You aren't properly trained for shadowhunter combat. I won't put you in the line of fire."

Again, Sam had a rejoinder for that as well; he really would make a great lawyer some day, "I know more than you think, Dean. I've spent many summers in the library studying up on demon lore. I can tell you exactly how to send those unholy monsters back to Edom. With a few pointers from you on execution, I'll be ganking demons left and right. And with my extensive knowledge of the actual techniques, you could become an even stronger shadowhunter."

Dean only had one argument left, "Ellen won't like it."

"It's not Ellen's choice," Sam replied almost immediately after the words left Dean's mouth. "We can still keep in touch with her and Jo if she'll allow it, but if not…" Sam trailed off and Dean thought he had lost his train of thought before he added, "We're Winchesters, Dean. We're stronger together than apart."

That was all the convincing Dean needed. "Alright then, go get your stuff. We leave in the morning."

That night, Dean was awoken to a large crack on his window. He stumbled out of bed and fumbled with the latch before pushing up the pane. He was surprised to find a sullen Cajun vampire lurking outside the Institute. He motioned Benny toward the Sanctuary and crept down the stairs as quietly as he could.

"You got a death wish or something?" Dean asked.

Benny chuckled, "Harsh. I would think you'd be flattered to find a handsome immortal knocking on your window at night."

Dean flushed. "That wasn't a threat from me. Did you forget about the last time we were caught?"

Benny grinned, showing glistening white teeth. "You mean your foster mom? She's feisty. I like her."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Why are you here, Benny?"

"I thought we had plans to go shake up some demons tonight and ask about that friend of yours," Benny noticed Dean's confused expression and frowned, "Unless of course, you forgot."

Dean rubbed his eyes. "It's been a long couple of days. I actually found Jimmy, and didn't. It's a little hard to explain, but long story short, Sam and I are headed out of town tomorrow."

Benny looked hurt. "You would leave without even saying goodbye?"

Dean raised an eyebrow at the vampire. "I wasn't aware our friendship meant that much to you."

Benny sighed. "It doesn't. I just… Forget it."

"What?" Dean asked, genuinely lost.

"I just thought, wherever you're going, I could somehow be of some use to you," Benny said slowly, watching Dean carefully for a reaction.

Dean was still groggy from sleep, but eventually he caught on to Benny's meaning, "Of course! When would a vicious bloodsucker not be a useful connection in this business?"

Benny smirked, not even fazed by the use of the b-word, knowing it was used with nothing short of affection.

The next morning the boys were packing their things into their dad's old impala while Ellen and Jo stood idly by. Ellen had her arms folded in front of her chest and a permanent look of disapproval on her face while Jo watched the boys longingly, continuously begging them to take her along.

"Please, Dean! I promise I'll be good. I don't want to go back to school, it's boring there!" Jo griped.

Dean squeezed the last of his bags into the trunk and slammed it shut before turning to Jo and tousling her hair. "I'm sorry, Jo-Jo, but it was hard enough convincing your mom to let me take Sam along."

"This is so unfair," Jo pouted.

Dean knelt next to his foster sister and pulled her into a hug, whispering into her ear as he did so, "If you behave yourself I'm sure in a few years your mom will warm up to the idea of you coming along on a few hunts."

Jo pulled away from the embrace, grinning from ear to ear. "You think so?!"

Dean kissed her forehead, "Possibly. If you stop bugging her about it now," he added.

Jo jumped up and wrapped her arms around Dean's neck one last time before turning her attention to Sam. "It's gonna be really lonely without you at school."

Sam smiled, touched by her admission. "You'll just have to make some friends."

Jo snorted, "Fat chance of that. That school consists of nothing but a bunch of boring, stuck up mundies!"

Dean cut in then, "It'll be good for you and your mom to spend some one-on-one time together, Jo-Jo."

"If you say so," Jo said, but went over and gave Ellen a hug regardless.

Ellen said her goodbyes to Sam first, holding his face in her hands, her eyes filling with tears, "You don't have to do this, you know. It's not too late to change your mind."

Sam smiled sadly up at Ellen, "I know, but it'll be good for me to spend some one-on-one time with my brother."

Ellen beamed. "You're starting to sound like him already." she pulled him in for a hug then and when they separated she kissed him on the cheek and said, "If you want to come home for any reason, the Institute is always open to you…" she glanced toward Dean then before continuing, "And your brother."

Sam nodded. "We'll visit when we can."

"If we can," Dean interrupted. "I don't want to lead some nasty netherworld creature straight back here."

Ellen beamed up at her eldest foster son. "I appreciate that, Dean. I'm so sorry, for everything that's happened. I do love you though," she turned back to Sam then, "Both of you."

Dean took a moment to embrace his foster mother and then him and Sam piled into the Impala and were backing out of the drive. Ellen and Jo waved the boys off until the car was completely out of sight before heading back into the Institute to start their mundane day.

A/N: And there we have it! Phew! I can now safely call this story complete! I really enjoyed writing this and wouldn't mind continuing it at all. Once again, if you are interested in a sequel, please please please leave a review and tell me what you think! And also if you want to suggest a particular pairing (you may have noticed me leaning towards a certain pairing in particular despite the story being initially about a completely different couple) or even just to say "Hi" my inbox is always open! Thanks so much for reading guys!