My alarm went off. Usually when I hear that annoying sound, it irritates me, this time I woke up with a smile on my face. Coyote, not surprisingly, had picked up when my mood shifted the night before and it had finally settled into my bones that our life together was what my life had become. As soon as she had, something had broken loose in her as well, some wall or block that she'd been holding onto. I'd never be able to describe or explain what had happened between us after she let whatever it was go; all I knew was that it had bound us closer together, I could feel her in my soul, my Spirit. I've had a lot of things paw at, rip, shred and warp my soul, but not once had something or someone fed my soul like she does.

She mumbled and nestled her face deeper into my neck, "Five more minutes," she muttered.

"You don't have to get up."

"Yeah, I do. I want to see Sam's face. You know he spent half the night figuring out a playlist to torment you with."

"You had to go and ruin my morning already?"

She chuckled and kissed my neck, "I have faith you'll survive."

"He might not though."

"Now, now. Be nice."

"Yeah, yeah." I kissed her forehead and forced myself to get out of bed. I really, really didn't want to, but she was right, Sam was going to go nuts on this hunt. In a twisted way I was looking forward to it, I'd put him through enough crap over the years, it was about time he got to get some of that back. I cleaned up, got dressed and shuffled out to the kitchen, it was too damn early to actually walk. At least until I had some coffee in my system. Here was a shocker, Sam was already up, dressed and halfway through his breakfast.

"Morning!"

He was perky, dangerously so, "Did you get your torture Dean playlist all set up?"

"Hmm?" He was trying, but his eyes gave it all away, "Have no idea what you're talking about. Just want to get on the road."

"Uh-huh, sure." I grabbed some eggs, bacon, toast and coffee and joined him at the table.

"I packed everything up already," he said, "So once you get functioning we can bail."

"That excited to get on the road?"

His poker face started to slip, "First hunt in my new car, you're by my side. What's not to be excited about?"

I decided to play along, I knew he was stoked about the car so he wasn't exactly lying, "Got a point there." I debated dragging ass through breakfast just to screw with him but we had work to do. So I chowed down and was finishing my coffee when Coyote joined us, she'd just thrown a robe on over her sleep wear.

She took one look at Sam and smiled. "Well aren't you chipper."

"Virgin hunt in the Mustang," he said, "Are you coming?"

"No, going to stay here, monitor Jacob and try to give Krissy a break. Besides, this is most definitely a Winchester family moment."

He frowned, "You are family, I mean, you are my sister-in-law after all."

That got her, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open, "I, well," Sam saying that on top of what had happened between us the night before hit her hard, in a good way. She wrapped her arms around him and lightly kissed the top of his head, "Thank you Sam. That means so much, but this is a boys trip. Next hunt or road trip, I'm coming with, trust me. I love the way she sounds."

He pressed his head into her stomach, hugged her back and nodded, "Sure thing. We're all set to go, just waiting for slow ass over there to get moving."

"All right, all right. Let me pack my shit and we can head out. Sheesh." I made it back to the room, gathered up two days worth of clothes, my shaving kit and shoved it all in my bag then went back. "Let's do this."

Coyote slipped her arm through mine as Sam walked ahead of us, headed up the stairs and opened the door. A pretty brisk breeze pushed it's way in, "I always did love pre-dawn, cold ass winds." I said. Sam stepped out, Coyote held me tight for a second then let go. I followed Sam and she came up behind me. "You should head back in," I told her, "It's cold."

"Please, you made it through a winter on the Rez, this ain't nothing. Besides, this I want to see."

Sam walked to the car, started pulling the passenger side open and stopped, "Oh wait, that's your side. I forgot."

"You realize you sound like you're ten right now?" I said as he stepped around to the driver's side with a grin on his face.

"Once again, not caring."

I looked over my shoulder at Coyote who was smirking at me, "You boys have fun and remember, you're supposed to kill the vampires, not each other."

"Spoilsport," I grumbled as I got into the car.

He set his phone up with the aux cable and plugged it in. I started wishing I'd put something alcoholic in my coffee, the car started but no music came on. I looked out the window at Coyote who winked, waved and walked back down the stairs, leaving me alone with Sam and whatever sound induced trauma he was going to subject me to. He pulled out and started down the street to the highway, still no music was playing, "Stretching out the moment?" He didn't answer. Crap.

We hit the freeway, his hand went to his phone and the most hideous mix of country, pop and a mutilated hint of rock poured out of the speakers. It started out somewhat decent with just the lyrics and clapping, then it went downhill fast.

"Nah nah honey, I'm good
I could have another but I probably should not
I got somebody at home

It's been a long night here, and a long night there
And these long long legs are damn near everywhere
(hold up now)
You look good, I will not lie
But if you ask where I'm staying tonight
I gotta be like oh, baby, no, baby, you got me all wrong, baby
My baby's already got all of my love

So nah nah honey, I'm good
I could have another but I probably should not
I got somebody at home,
And if I stay I might not leave alone
No, honey, I'm good
I could have another but I probably should not
I gotta bid you adieu
To another I will stay true
(ooh ooh I will stay true)
(ooh ooh I will stay true)"

I grit my teeth, literally, two lines into the chorus my jaw started hurting. Sam was too busy bouncing and bopping along to the beat in his seat to hear the layers of enamel I was grinding down. He even started snapping his fingers and singing like it was the best song he'd ever heard.

He slapped my leg, "C'mon Dean, it's catchy! Perfect song to get things rolling. Wakes you right up, and it's about hot chicks. How can you not like it?"

I had sold my soul for him, bartered with Death to bring his soul back from the Cage and stopped him from dying instead of closing the gates to Hell, but at that moment, I really wanted to strangle him.

"Now better men, than me have failed
Drinking from that unholy grail
(Now check it out)
I got her, and she got me
And you've got that ass, but I kindly
Gotta be like oh, baby, no, baby, you got me all wrong, baby
My baby's already got all of my love"

I forced myself to not choke the life out of him and closed my eyes. I had to admit the lyrics were ironically appropriate for this trip. No more picking up chicks in dive bars and strip joints for me. I didn't think I'd mind that one bit. After the bridge and the endless repetitions of the chorus the song ended, I'd managed to not kill him or say anything. I was rather proud of myself.

"So, you like it?" He asked.

I reached into my jacket pocket, pulled out the flask of Holy Water, twisted the cap off and threw water directly into his face.

He spluttered, jerked the wheel, recovered and wiped the water out of his eyes, "What the hell?"

"Just checking. If Alastair had had that song in Hell I wouldn't have lasted thirty years, probably wouldn't have lasted past the second time he played it. I figured since you liked it so much you might be possessed and torturing me for fun." I threw another splash of it at him, because I could.

"Son of a bitch!" He snarled.

"Hey, that's my line! Bad enough you're driving and picking the music, you can't steal my lines too."

He glared at me, I glared right back. Water was dripping down his face, the front of his shirt was kind of soaked and the front of his hair was damp. I faked like I was going to splash him again, he tried to bat the flask out of my hands. I held onto it but ended up splashing water all over my lap. "Son of a bitch Sam, really? C'mon!"

He tried to keep the glare going but busted out laughing instead. Eye of the Tiger came on, which brought back that stupid hunt where I got ghost sickness.

"You and that cat," he got out in between trying to breathe.

I gripped the flask close to my chest and put on my best utterly terrified look, "I'll man the flashlight."

Tears were streaming down his face, I finally gave in and lost it too.

"Oh man," he said after we about died laughing, "We did such stupid shit back then."

"Yeah, we did."

I didn't know the next song that came on but it was actually halfway decent. It was one of those songs, like anything by Tom Petty, that made for perfect cruising music. "Hey, what's this?"

"Canyon Moon, Andrew McMahon. You like this one?"

"Yeah, love the piano line." I put the flask away, leaned back and got into it a bit more. "Good road song."

"A lot of his are, Roy turned me onto this guy."

When it ended I played it again, there was something about it that stuck in my head. It wasn't catchy so much as a song that seemed too short. As soon as I got the feel for it, it ended.

"The sun ran out on a cold October
Somewhere under the canyon moon
Camera jammed in a slow exposure
California in her rear view

She couldn't handle another season
Another ocean of fiction blue
Said a prayer to a dashboard Jesus
Death Valley and worn out shoes

Then the road turned into desert everywhere
The sun ran out on a cold October
She disappeared, she disappeared

Take all your troubles, put them to bed
Burn down the mission, the maps in your head
Shot like a bullet, don't know the way
The ricochet, kind of got away from you

The leaves are falling, the church bells ringing
Marching band in a high school dream
Little town and a faded beauty
They still remember when she was queen

Then the road turned into desert everywhere
The leaves are falling, the church bells ringing
She disappeared, she disappeared"

We didn't talk as I listened to it the second time. "Yeah, I could go for hearing more of his stuff."

"Really? Cool."

"You know, I have expanded my music tastes since moving in with Coyote," I informed him.

"About damn time. I mean the 80s were great and all but it was starting to get embarrassing."

"That's my childhood you're talking about," I warned.

"Exactly. Time to move on."

I didn't think he was just referring to my music choices, "I have."

He sent a quick look my way, "I noticed. That was a pretty intense reaction from her when I said she was family. I thought she already understood that."

"We had, well..." I had no way to explain it to him that wouldn't sound lame somehow.

He turned down the music and took a longer look at me, "Oh. You asked?"

"Not in so many words, more like told her how deep this goes with me. She, us, that's my life now. Not just some dream I'm afraid I'll wake up from."

"It hit last night?"

"Yeah. Being here with her, I don't know. It just clicked finally."

I felt the car slow down, then he pulled over, "And you still want to do this?"

He left the car running and I got the distinct impression that he was more than willing to turn around, take me back and go do this without me if that's what I felt was the best option. "Yes, not because I have to, because I want to. It's a job, not my life. I'm starting to get it, how you and Roy manage to keep yourself separate from what you do. How you could quit the life and go to school or be with Amelia. I followed in Dad's footsteps way too much. You always knew that, but I never saw it. I do now. I can hunt but not be a hunter. At least not a hunter like Dad and even Bobby were."

I expected him to hug me or get all emotional but he didn't, he put the car back into gear and pulled onto the road again. "Sometimes Dean, riding shotgun gives you a lot clearer picture of what's really going on than when you're driving."

I'd heard a lot of advice and profound sounding things over the years, that pretty much topped them all.

(First song: Honey I'm Good - Andy Grammer)