Divorced Dragonslayer

"Are you two sure you don't want separate rooms, or beds at least?" June brushed through Sophia's curls tenderly as she sat on the twins' bed, the bedtime story book on her lap.

Since before they could speak, Sophia and Aidan had protested against being separated; they would cry and whine until they were sleeping next to each other. As soon as they could speak, they made it clear they wanted a joint room and a shared bed, Sophia especially.

Sam had dryly said that you better give a Hallberg girl what she wanted or it would be hell on earth – it had ended in a marital argument and the twins getting their will.

"Yes, we're sure." Aidan said.

"No, we don't want to get separated." Sophia said.

"Okay," June opened the book and started reading. It struck her again that her children were closer than siblings normally were, even for twins. Though she would never mention it to Sam, she couldn't help but notice that it was the same kind of depth of relationship Dean and Sam shared… and it wasn't that far off to assume they might take over the family business.

Sam would throw a fit at that mere thought, so June didn't bring it up. Not because she was disinclined to a huge fight and world-shattering make-up sex afterwards, but rather because she wanted to protect her children of unnecessary expectations and pressure; didn't want Sam to drill the 'don't you dare become hunters' idea into their minds.

'June Winchester, if you would have seen some years ago how you would end up here, you'd have laughed at yourself and called yourself crazy. Selfless mother, faithful wife and leading a stable life. Well, sort of, anyways.'

"Mommy, do fairy tales happen in real life?"

"Are there really dragons and princes and princesses?"

June sighed and wished she'd taken a pedagogic course in college that prepared her for these kind of questions. "Sometimes, fairy tales come true. Sometimes, people get happy endings, but not always. And dragons are real, but princes and princesses aren't."

"Then who kills the dragons?"

"Your Dad and uncle do."

"Is that why Dad is gone all the time? To kill dragons?"

"Yes," June brushed through Sophia's hair again and stroked Aidan's head. "Your Dad kills monsters."

"What if there's a monster underneath our bed? Or in the closet?"

"No monster will ever get you. Your Daddy makes sure of that. He checks your room every night, and when he's not there, I do it, and Dad's out there killing all the monsters before they can even get close to you. Nothing will ever hurt the two of you, I promise."

"Mommy? Are you the princess and Dad's the knight? Did he save you from the dragon?"

'More like from myself,' June bit her lip. "I'm not a princess, I'm way too rude for that. Plus, I don't particularly like dresses and high towers. But your Dad did save me."

"Tell us how you met Daddy!"

"Tomorrow night, sweetheart," June leaned forward and kissed each her children's head. "We have to save some stories so that you two won't get bored."

'And so that I can come up with a good Disney version of their soulless father meeting their screwed up, soul-damaged mother and banging her senseless…'

"An alpha? What kind?" June frowned and poked at the mass in the pot that didn't remotely resemble anything edible. 'Looks like take-out again today.'

"Not sure yet, it could be the skinwalker. Maybe the shapeshifter, we're not sure yet."

"Well, the grade-A monsters have been rather quiet lately, so it's not that surprising they pop up again."

"As long as it's only them…"

"What?"

"Nothing," Sam hastily said. "Look, June, I'll call you again tomorrow, okay?"

"No, wait, Sam, what did you mean with-"

"I gotta go."

June violently pushed the pot away, having reached her fill. "Are you ever going to tell me the fucking truth?"

"Are you?"

"I should have insisted on 'honesty' being added to the vows!"

"Apparently, so should have I!"

"Then why didn't you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry; I thought it was self-explicatory that when you marry someone, you don't keep secrets from them!"

"Stick to your own ideals, Sam, before you hold them over me!" June hissed, "Oh, and you know one more thing?"

"I'm sure you'll enlighten me whether I want or not!"

"Marriage is supposed to be about being there for the other, too. So how is it that I raise our children alone for six days a week on average?" There, she'd said it. The reproach she neither meant nor ever wanted to throw at him even in the worst fight.

"If that's how you feel about our marriage, then why don't you sign the divorce papers already?"

"You know what, maybe I will. God knows that every judge in his right mind will give me full custody. Not like that's any different to the status quo."

"Yeah, taking one parent away from your own children, that's what Hallbergs do, isn't it, June? You know, I never saw the resemblance between your mother and you as clear as I do now."

"We do seem to share the same taste in guys. Uncaring, neglecting, absent. Soulless."

"So basically the only thing still missing to perfect the resemblance is you screwing some monster and letting it rip you apart."

"Oh, I did the screwing part, alright. All that's missing still is for you to rip me apart, I guess."

"What, and have my children have your messed up psyche? No, June, I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, least my own kids. See, I got my soul. Now you just still gotta prove you have yours."

"Why? For what? You seem to think me fuckable enough the way I am!"

"That's about the only advantage."

"Yeah, I figured. It's the only reason you ever hit it off with me from the start, right?"

"I didn't have a soul then, princess, unlike you."

"Then why didn't you just run off with the hippie chick? Why bother marrying me, knocking me up?"

"Sweetheart, it takes two to get pregnant! Though I'm not quite so sure that with you, I really am the counterpart responsible for the twins."

"You know what, Sam? You're not. Because a father is there for his children. You're not." June wondered if she'd ever be able to take those horrible things back. Honestly, she doubted Sam would forgive her this time. However, she wasn't able to stop herself; the words just jumped out of her mouth, forming those horrid false accusations.

"I'm actually not surprised. You never did account for those three months after which you miraculously ended up pregnant."

"I can't account for most our time together, Sam, because you're never there."

"Giving you all the time of the world to screw around."

"Exactly. I'm just regretting that I didn't make better use of that free time and instead wasted it all on raising your children while you were banging hippie chicks in backcountry bars." June felt bitter tears burning in her eyes. "Goodbye, Sam. I'm calling the lawyer."

"You go do that, I'm going to kill the freaks who are out on your head. But I'm sure you'll find a way to arrange the father days in-between my hunts. It'll only be a couple of days a year that I'm home, anyways, right?"

June flung the phone away, hurling at the wall with such force it broke.

Why did arguments spin out of control so fast, so drastic? Couldn't they have just the usual fight about who's doing the dishes? Who's got power over the remote control? Or even just a fight about an alleged affair that was based on actual proof instead of the pride-born need to hurt the other?

"Mommy?"

June put on her poker face, the one she'd trained to perfection, and smiled at Aidan: "Yes, sweetie?"

"Why were you yelling?"

June swallowed the lump in her throat; she'd broken all rules today. She'd pulled Sophia and Aidan into a dirty fight with Sam, made them the topic that got flung around between the two of them. Accused Sam of never being there when she had been the one who'd promised him she was fine with it, that she wanted him on the road and that he needed to hunt. "Um… your Dad had bad reception, I needed to talk louder."

"Oh," He just said, and June had the sneaky suspicion he could see through her mask and see what had really happened. Sam and June knew they couldn't keep a peaceful façade up forever, but they had agreed to keep the arguments away from Sophia and Aidan until they were older. Certain years of childhood shouldn't be tainted by parents having loud fights.

June just wanted to call Sam back and say sorry, say she loved him and that she hadn't meant a word of what she'd said… and she knew, or rather hoped, that he hadn't, either.

'Tough, June; if you'd wanted a smooth-sailing marriage, should have stuck to someone with less pride, less temper, less anger and just overall less issues. In short: Shouldn't have fallen madly in love with Sam Winchester.'

"Mommy." Aidan hugged her legs. "Call Daddy and say sorry?"

June swallowed hard. "I will. Promise."

Her son smiled and walked back to his sister, who sat in the living room watching TV. June took a couple of calming breaths and then went to search for her mobile, seeing as the phone hadn't survived the fight.

Through the haze of post-argument, June heard the doorbell ring, felt her insides clutch together painfully, and heard Sophia's: "I'll get it!"

"Sophia, don't!" June screeched, but it was too late – the door swung open and there Sam stood.

Or rather, the shapeshifter looking like him.

Sam clenched his fist around his phone and suppressed the urge of hauling it at the wall with full force.

He loved June, he did; he wished he'd never said one of the words he had thrown at her, but arguments with her spun out of control in a downward spiral so quickly… their prides got in the way, none of them could back down or take back things said.

Nasty things those had been this time. Sam wouldn't be surprised would June really file for divorce, even if just to prove a point.

All he wanted was to call her back immediately and say he was sorry. Unlike June, however, he didn't have his son here to push him over the edge, to kick his pride out of the way and put his children first.

So Sam didn't call her. Would he have, he'd have heard the phone ring and ring and nobody answering, and he'd have gotten into the car and drove home without stopping once.