Chapter 25
The Road so far: NOW

Dean let out a sigh as he took a quick glance at his watch, and then at the closed bathroom door. "Are you going to be ready today or what?" He called out, shoving a few things into his duffle bag. He took a glance around the motel room to make sure he had everything and then zipped the small bag shut. "Sammie! If you're late, you and I are both dead!" He shouted, once again glancing down to his watch as he started to pace. When the bathroom door finally opened, he stopped dead in his tracks. Though he was starring at a young woman, he couldn't help but still think of her as his little girl, her age would never change that. "Does it always take you this long to get ready?" He asked, grabbing his jacket from a chair nearby.

"Looks don't come easy, Dad..." Samantha replied, putting a hand out as her father tossed her her own leather jacket.

"You're beautiful just the way you are sweetheart." Dean replied with a smile.

"You're just saying that because you have to." She replied, returning the same smile as she pushed her sandy blond hair out of her piercing green eyes. She watched as he struggled to find a comeback and couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "I was just kidding, Dad." She said with a grin as she made her way past him in the open door.

"Are you like this with your Mother?" He asked, carrying his duffle bag and hers as they made their way down the long hall.

"She says I got it from you."

"Which part, the wisecracks or the looks?"

Samantha couldn't help but shake her head, though in and out of her life, her father had always managed to be there for her. He could have been half way across the country with her Godfather on a hunt, but wouldn't hesitate turning around and coming home to her if he knew that she needed him. He had even promised her that every third weekend was theirs, that it didn't matter where he was or what he was doing, every third weekend he would put his job aside to be with her. So far, he had managed to keep his promise and the weekends they spent together were some of the best. "So where are we meeting up with Mom, uncle Cas, uncle Chuck and Grandpa Bobby?" She asked, pausing as he pulled the Impala's door open for her to get in.

"A little restaurant in town." He replied before shutting her door. He dropped their bags into the back and then made his way over to the driver's side, pulling his door open and sliding in behind the wheel. "Is what's his name going to be there?" Dean asked, shoving the key into the ignition and bringing his classic car to life.

Samantha couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "His name is David and no, he's not going to be there. Not after what you did to him the last time..."

"What did I do to him the last time?" Dean asked innocently, catching her eyes for only a moment before he turned his attention back to the road ahead.

"Dad, going through police records and doing background checks on someone, isn't how you get to know them." The young woman explained.

"A background check is how your uncle Cas got to know your Mom..." Dean replied with a grin.

"You know that's not the same." Samantha was quick to reply. "Uncle Cas didn't go through police records..." There was a moment of silence as she took a deep breath, thinking of just how different her family really was. "I think you need to lay off a little, David's just a friend of hers and he's a really nice guy."

"I'm sure he is a really nice guy.... I'm just making sure he isn't a murderer or a rapist or something."

"Mom really likes spending time with him, don't ruin this for her, OK?" Samantha started, letting out a sigh as she thought of how hard it must be for her father to see her mother with someone else. It's not that he didn't love her, because it was obvious that he did, it was just that he couldn't be there for her as a husband. The excuse he had always given, was that he didn't want to leave a widow behind when his number was called; dark humor was just his way of masking a rather brash but realistic look on his life as a hunter. "By the way, what did you tell her this time?" Samantha continued. "About our weekend out?"

"That I needed to remind you that I'm the only man in your life... For now anyway." Dean started, pausing for only a moment as his eyes drifted over to the old picture of Michelle and Samantha that was wedged between the Impala's dash panel and radio. The years really did seem to fly, every time he dropped by Michelle's place in Scythe to pick up his daughter, she had grown just a bit more. Before he knew it, she had traded in her blond piggy tails for a mane of tousled loose curls, her cute little sundress's for a pair of made-to-look-worn Jeans & tank tops and her tricycle for a motocross bike she had worked and begged for. His little girl had the heart of a tomboy and she never passed up an opportunity to prove that she was just as good, if not better, than the boys she raced with.

"Dad, I'm not a kid... You don't have to lie to her about where we're going and what we're doing." Samantha said as she looked over to catch his eyes.

"Are you kidding me, Sammie?" Dean was quick to reply. "Your mom would have a fit if she knew we went to a shooting range."

"I'm going to be seventeen!" The teenager exclaimed. "She'll get over it, she got over everything else."

"Yeah, if you think you got an ear full when she found that flip blade in your room..." Dean started, pausing for a moment as he shook his head. "Baby, I swear I could still hear her for weeks."

"You're exaggerating." Samantha replied simply.

"I'm not, that's the scary part."

There was a long pause as they listened to the sound of the Impala's engine, a sound that meant so much to them for very different reasons. To Dean, the sound of his car, meant a feeling of home, something familiar in a sea of people and places that were always changing. To his daughter, it was the sound of her childhood, staying up late at night and listening for the sound of the roaring engine that would bring her father home.

"You know, she worries about you when you're out on the road." Samantha started, breaking the moment of silence between them. "When you and uncle Cas leave for weeks at a time and I don't hear from you for days..."

"She should know by now that she has nothing to worry about, I can take care of myself and I'm always there when you need me." Dean replied, glancing over to catch her eyes.

"You can take care of yourself, huh?" Samantha continued. "What about the time uncle Cas drove you home with a slash nearly an inch deep across your back and a bullet in your thigh?"

"Your uncle Cas, tends to overreact...." Dean answered wryly.

"Dad, he had to drag you out of the car and into the house, you were off your feet for over a month." Samantha cut in.

"I was spending quality time with you." Dean replied with a smile. "Cas was complaining about needing some down time so I gave him a good reason to come home."

Samantha couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Always a reason, right Dad?"

"Damn right." Dean replied without looking over to catch her eyes.

Michelle glanced down at her watch as she leaned back against her car in the parking lot. "I see where she gets it from..." She muttered with a sigh, hoping the small restaurant would hold onto their reservations just a bit longer.

"Well, the good thing about it is that you know she'll eventually show up..." Castiel started, silencing when Michelle turned to catch his eyes. "Relax, they'll be here." He added, offering a smile as she turned her attention back to the parking lot's entrance and the cars on the street.

"Dean really has no idea just how much his daughter is like him." Michelle started, letting out a soft sigh as she shook her head. "Sometimes she'll just say something a certain way and I swear it's as if Dean was standing right there in her place..."

There was a moment of silence between them and Castiel couldn't help but smile as he thought of what Michelle had just said. Samantha and Dean really were almost interchangeable... From her actions and views right down to the way she stood and spoke, almost everything about her was a mirrored reflection of her father, just with a bit more grace.
"He worries about her alot." Castiel started softly. "He worries about you both..." He paused for a moment as Michelle once again turned to catch his eyes. "You know it's true, just because it didn't work out between you, it doesn't mean that he doesn't still love you."

Michelle's eyes drifted down to the ring on her finger as she thought of all the times Dean had drifted in and out of her life. "It's hard to fall in love with someone who's not around..." She started, well aware that the hunter would never be someone's husband. "I know he's tried, but it's hard when he drops in like this... I remember why I fell in love with him in the first place, then the two of you drive off and I remember why it wouldn't have worked out."

"All he really wants, is to see you happy." Castiel informed, swallowing the lump caught in his throat. "He knew that he would never really be able to give you all that you needed... So he did the best he could, and let you go."

There was another long pause and Michelle let out a sigh as her mind drifted back to the time Dean had spent with her in Scythe; a time when he had walked away from a life that had nearly been his death. Those first few years had brought out a side that Castiel had told her he'd never seen, a side of Dean only their daughter could have given him. "At least he's always there for Samantha, you both are and that means the world to me." She finally said with a smile as her eyes lifted to catch those of the renegade angel that had been at Dean's side since the very first time they had met at the hospital. "By the way, did Samantha tell you what she wants to be when she's done high school?" Michelle asked, watching as Castiel shook his head. "She has her mind set on being a cop... my little girl, wants to be a cop!"

"Could be worse, she could be a..."

"Don't you dare even say it." Michelle was quick to interrupt, her eyes narrowing slightly as the thought crossed her mind.

Castiel cleared his throat as he adjusted his leather jacket. "Relax, she's got her father's determination and drive... She'll make a great Police Officer." He reassured, taking a quick glance at his watch. "Besides, I'll keep an eye on her."

Michelle couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, you'd better." She replied, letting out a sigh as she watched the Impala finally pull into the parking lot. "There they are..." She muttered half under her breath as she watched the car pull to a stop behind hers; her daughter in the passenger seat busy pointing out an old muscle car parked nearby to her father. "About time the two of you showed up." Michelle started as she watched the pair step out of the Impala.

"It's only twenty minutes mom..." Samantha replied, giving her mother a smile before giving her Godfather a wink.

Dean offered a smile to Michelle and the angel at her side before taking a glance around the parking lot. "Where's everyone else?"

"They went to see if the restaurant could hold our reservations just a bit longer." Michelle replied as she tapped a finger on her watch. "You guys are late."

"Hey don't look at me." Dean was quick to reply as he pointed towards the teen. "I would have made up the lost time but I know you don't like me speeding with Sammie in the car..."

"Now there's a great excuse if I've ever heard one." Samantha replied with a chuckle.

Dean couldn't help but smile as his eyes drifted over his daughter's shoulder and focused on Sam as he stepped out of the restaurant; with him, his wife, two young sons, Bobby and Chuck. Though hunting full time with Castiel instead of Sam had been hard at first, just the sight of his younger brother happy was all it took for him to adjust to the change. They had kept in touch and were now closer than ever despite the many miles that separated them when he and Castiel were out on the road. Sam was happy, finally truly happy to have put hunting aside, gone back to school, get married and raise a family of his own with the woman of his dreams. Dean couldn't help but let out a chuckle as his younger brother let go of the child's hand and the eight year old immediately ran to him. "Hey there, tiger." He said as his youngest nephew wrapped both arms around his waist. "And hello gorgeous." He continued, pulling his sister-in-law into a hug. "Is the big shot still treating you right?" He asked as he planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You'll be the first to know if he doesn't..." Victoria replied with a chuckle as she pulled away.

"The restaurant couldn't hold our table, so we got bumped an hour." Bobby announced, watching as the Winchester boys exchanged a quick hug, Dean reaching out with one hand to tousle his older nephew's hair.

"So what are we supposed to do until then?" Michelle asked, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Uncle Dean can tell us more stories!" The boys chorused, smiles crossing their faces as they both ducked from their cousin's reach.

Dean shook his head as he cleared his throat. "No, you know what your dad thinks of my stories..."

"But uncle Dean..."

"John, Anthony." Sam cut in, instantly silencing his boys. "You guys aren't old enough for your uncle Dean's stories just yet."

"Ok, well I was going to wait until after dinner but since we're all here now and we have an hour to kill." Dean started, his eyes catching those of his daughter as he put a hand out towards the angel at his side. When Castiel pulled a set of car keys from the pocket of his leather jacket and passed them over to Dean, Samantha's face lit up. "Happy Birthday, Sweetheart." He said, dangling the car keys in one hand as he leaned back against the '71 Hemi Cuda parked behind them. "Had 'er painted Candy Red just for you."

"If you're joking, you're both dead." Samantha replied bluntly, trying to contain her excitement as her father tossed her the set of keys her Godfather had passed him only moments ago. "Oh my God!" The girl screeched, throwing her arms around both Dean and Castiel as she pulled them to her in a single hug. "Seriously? A Hemi Cuda Convertible!?"

"No joke, she's all yours." Dean replied as he reached down to open the driver's door.

"A muscle car, Dean?" Michelle started, watching as Castiel pointed out a few things to the excited teen sitting behind the wheel. "Honestly?"

"Hey, I asked you if I could get her a car.. You said yes." Dean replied, a grin to the corner of his lips as he watched Chuck, Bobby, Sam, Vicky and the boys circle his daughter's birthday present. "She's going to need a car when she goes off to school next year."

"Yeah and by car I meant something a little more reliable and safe." Michelle started, looking over as the convertible's white top started coming down, revealing its custom two tone white and red leather interior. "Something modern, practical and..."

"Boring?" Dean offered, his words cutting her short. "Relax, this car is in great shape."

"She's seventeen, Dean!" Michelle was quick to reply, looking over to catch his eyes. "How many seventeen year olds do you know with...."

"Well when I was her age, I..."

"Yeah, I suggest you not finish that sentence..." Sam cut in, reaching out to put a hand on his older brother's shoulder. "For your own sake..."

"Did you steal it?" Michelle asked point blank, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Dean couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "No, I didn't steal it..." He calmly explained. "Castiel, Chuck, Bobby and I rebuilt it, salvaged her from the scrap yard." He continued, doing his best to disarm the woman standing in front of him. There was a long pause and when the engine roared to life, he turned on the spot.

"Can I go for a ride, mom?" Samantha asked as she gave her mother a smile. "Just around the block, please ?" She pleaded.

With the sound of the idling engine filling the air, Michelle's eyes drifted from her daughter to Dean and then to Castiel; both of them grinning like proud fathers. "Just around the block." She replied, watching as Castiel took a seat at her daughter's side and Bobby & Chuck climbed into the back. "Just around the block..." She reminded as Samantha revved the engine and gave her, her father's trademark smile.

"The next ride is ours, right babe?" Dean asked, pointing to his younger brother nearby.

"Yeah, of course it is!" Samantha shouted over the sound of the roaring engine. "I'll be right back!"

There was a moment of silence as the small group watched the classic car pull away and circle the Impala before heading out onto the street. "Well, we're going to go wait by the patio, because if our table is ready before you guys are, we're eating without you." Michelle said with a chuckle as she turned to Victoria and the boys.

"Alright, we'll be there in a bit." Sam replied with a smile as he watched Michelle and his wife start to make their way back to the small restaurant, his sons following closely. He let out a sigh as he leaned against the Impala parked behind him. "So, where are you and Cas headed next?" He started, catching his older brother's eyes. Though Dean would never admit it, choosing to hunt with the renegade angel was one of the best things he could have ever done. With Castiel there to keep him grounded and focused, Dean didn't seem quite as reckless as he used to... with Castiel there instead of him, his older brother didn't spent more time worrying about the well being and whereabouts of his partner-in-crime, than he did about his own safety or the job that needed to be done.

"Kansas." Dean replied, joining the other man by his car. "Cas picked up on a few omens he wanted to check out, thinks it has to do with some wayward demons." There was a moment of silence and Dean took a deep breath, a smile slowly creeping up from the corner of his lips as he eyed the lawyer at his side.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked, watching as his older brother passed a hand over his face.

"Nothing, I was just thinking." Dean started, pausing for only a moment as he caught the other man's eyes. "I spent half of my life pretending to be lawmen of all sorts, and you spent most of yours actually being one..."

Sam couldn't help but smile as he thought of what his older brother had just said. "Well, I spent half of my life pretending to be a hunter while you spent all of yours actually being one."

"A damn good one." Dean added with a grin.

"Yeah, that you are." Sam admitted, his eyes drifting down to the gun handle sticking out of his older brother's belt, concealed by a leather jacket he just couldn't seem to part with. Looking at Dean now was almost like looking at John; a true leader, a fearless man by experience. "You're like a legend now, you know that? " He asked, focusing on the subtle hints of gray hiding in his brother's short brown hair. "There isn't a lot of true hunters left out there and definitely none as good as you are..."

"There's no need for them now, Sammy." Dean was quick to reply. "I've got an army of angels that can do a better job than any hunter I've ever met... all they need is a bit of direction."

"Dad would be proud of you." Sam started, taking a deep breath as he thought of their late father. "In fact, I think he'd actually be jealous."

Dean couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the thought of their father being jealous. "You think so?"

"Yeah actually, I do." There was a moment of silence between them as they glanced over at each other, grateful for all they had right there in front of them. "You know, considering we never had much family to start with, I think we did pretty good." Sam remarked, his eyes drifting across the lot to his wife of twelve years, their two boys and the woman who had managed to break into his older brother's calloused heart and soul; giving him the strength he needed to carry on.

"I think you're right, Sammy." Dean replied with a smile, watching as the red Hemi Cuda pulled back into the parking lot; his daughter behind the wheel, the renegade angel he considered another brother to her right, the man that was like a father to him in the back seat and the prophet he had welcomed into the fold at Bobby's side. "We did do pretty good." He continued, thinking of the winding road that had brought him to where he was today and thankful that the night at the mill just outside of Scythe was now years and miles behind them.

~ Shugs~
That's all folks, I hope you enjoyed the ride and let me know what you think!
Many thanks for the replies, they were greatly appreciated. :)
And for those of you wondering why Lucifer survived this one... I just couldn't kill the Devil.
Pre-season five he technically didn't do anything to either of the Brothers and besides, there will always be evil in the world, no matter what.