"My dad had just died about a year before. I don't have any memory of him. I just know he was already gone because my mother constantly talked about him. That's also how I know how he died. Money was tight and he had been working multiple jobs to keep us all afloat. He was driving to his night job, barely able to stay awake. Drove into a ditch."

Dean shut his eyes in sheer emotion. Vera placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as Samantha continued her story.

"My mother started drinking after that. I remember her getting drunk and always saying things like, 'he was always so busy, he was trying to take care of us'. She never blamed me, but I blamed myself. School was a nightmare... obviously. I had friends, at least at first. But they were usually busy and we all had different classes and different lunch periods. So I was alone when my bullies went after me. Eventually, we just stopped hanging out together. I didn't have any support. Those messages... it wasn't the first time I'd gotten those. But one day, it was just too much. And I started thinking about how much better things would be if I just wasn't around."

Samantha paused for a moment, taking a look around her. "This house has been abandoned for a long time, and already was when I was still alive. It was my getaway place. I spent most of my time here after school, only going home when it was time for my mom to get home. One time, I even fell asleep here until super late. I got home, and my mom was passed out on the couch. When she woke up, she didn't even know I'd been gone. She never checked. It just seemed right that I should do it here. I sat in this room for a long time, debating with myself."

She looked up with a small sob. "But in the end, I went up there... to the attic... and hung myself."

Vera floated over to her immediately, wrapping her arms around the far too young ghost.

"Sam..." Dean walked over after her, trying to place a hand on her shoulder, but it passed through. Samantha was too overcome with emotion to notice. Not sure what to do, Dean simply stayed close by to her.

"I'm so sorry all this happened to you," Vera whispered, holding her close.

Samantha blinked her eyes as her tears fell and dissipated on the floor. "It's okay. I'm... I'm glad I remembered. Somehow, I think I needed to remember."

Vera moved away, staying close to her. Samantha's face suddenly looked quizzical as she looked up again. "I've been in the attic before, even when I wasn't completely part of this world. In 'limbo', or whatever. My gross, rotting corpse isn't up there, which means they had to have found me at some point."

"Did anyone know this was your hideout?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, my friends knew." Samantha sighed sadly. "Back when we still talked to each other. They must have told the police when I went missing. But I have no memory of that."

"I've learned a lot about my past recently, more than I ever thought possible," Vera said. "And there's still pieces of my memory that haven't returned to me."

"Yeah, but you're like... super old compared to me," Samantha said, laughing along with Dean as Vera let out an affronted gasp. "So it's more understandable!"

"Come here, you little whippersnapper..." Vera grabbed her in a playful headlock, messing up her hair with a laugh.

"Bring it on, grandma!"

Vera burst out laughing as she released the younger girl. She briefly wondered if this was how Lena felt sometimes during their more friendly moments. She suddenly felt like she wanted to go and hug her sister.

Dean smiled at the giggling Samantha. "Glad to see you laughing again."

Samantha shrugged. "I mean... it's been years, right? Not much I can do about it now. Just gotta keep moving forward."

"I wonder if you can leave this place now," Vera said suddenly. "Like I did when I found what I was looking for back home."

Samantha nodded and suddenly flew out through the ceiling. Vera quickly scooped Dean up off his feet without warning.

"V-Vera! Don't fly up!"

"I know, silly!" Vera giggled, flying out of the room and down the stairs, stopping when they got to the door and setting him down.

"Well, you can't blame me for worrying," Dean defended himself, pulling open the door and hurrying out, Vera following him.

They ran out to the overgrown front yard and looked up to see Samantha flying higher and higher, laughing as she went and flying in circles, doing loops through the air.

"Guess that answers that question," Vera said happily. "She's free of this place."

"Yeah, but... now what?"

"Well, we can't leave her here, right?"

Dean smirked, looking at her. "You wanna bring her home?"

"We do have plenty of room."

They both shared a laugh and looked up to see Samantha flying back down to the ground in front of them. "I can't believe it!" She gushed, nearly knocking Dean over wit h a big hug. "I'm not trapped here anymore."

Dean laughed, hugging her back. "That's great, Sam. We were actually wondering if you wanted to come back with us to our home. Be part of our... well, our family."

Samantha pulled away, her face thoughtful. "Sure... I'd like that. But not yet. There's somewhere I have to go first."

Lena was silent as she floated through the doors of the house, William following her. She immediately headed for the stairs as William called out to her.

"Lena! We need to talk."

"No, we don't. It's been a tiring day."

"Lena." Once again, the tone of warning in his voice caused her to stop and turn around.

"What, father?"

"I want to know what's going on between us."

"There isn't anything going on."

"Fine, I'll be more blunt. I want to know why you have been acting so cold to me."

"Seems like you're imagining things at your age, father."

William sighed. "Look, dear, I can think of any number of reasons you wouldn't be happy to see me, but I don't know for sure which it is, so can we stop the games and just address the issue?"

Lena didn't reply, crossing her arms.

"Or we can just stay here forever. Your choice."

"Since when do you care what I have to say?"

"Excuse me?"

Lena rolled her eyes. "Do you remember what I said to you before you used the machine on Jacob?"

He looked confused and thought for a moment. "No. I do not."

"I do. In fact, I always have. It's one of those memories that never faded away." Lena shut her eyes tightly. "I said... 'Father, you need to stop.' I wanted it all to stop. Stop trying to bring back the dead. Stop torturing yourself. I knew Vera would understand. But you didn't. You just had to test out your amazing new invention like always. And look where it got us! You... you and that damn machine were the reason why we died!"

William stayed silent, watching as small tears started running down Lena's cheeks. He wanted to approach, but he gave her the space she needed.

"We were tortured and laughed at by those disgusting pigs and then they just killed us! I was the first one to come back, you know? I watched them take mother away and I couldn't leave the house at first, so I couldn't help her! I was alone and sad and crying every single day. I had to be tough. I had to get angry. I needed to focus on anything else. And then you come back and just get welcomed back and hugged by Bertha and Stella like none of it ever happened. Like it wasn't your fault!"

She flew up to him now, banging her fists into his chest. "And now...and now you're gonna put Vera through that machine when all it takes is one wire out of place and then she's just gone for good! I know she wants to do it, but you're her father! Our father! You could have just said no like you always did to me! I wanted you to stop and after all this time, you never did! You never listened to me!"

As she broke down sobbing into his chest, William quickly put his arms around his firstborn daughter, kissing her on the head. "Shh... it's okay, love. I'm here."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, angel. You're safe. You can talk to me."

"I know... it's horrible... I don't want to blame you for what happened to us... what that son of a bitch did to us. It wasn't your fault. But I've been so angry at you for years. I can't just... forgive you. Not yet. But I will, father. I will..."

William nodded, sniffling. "I'd like that. Believe me. I have never forgiven myself for what happened because of that damn machine. That's why I'm going to risk myself first before Vera does."

"W-what?"

William explained the new deal he and Vera had made together. "You were right, dear. I am her father. And as such, I have to protect her. So I'll be going first."

Lena sniffled and rested her head against his chest again. "...Be careful, father." It was all she could bring herself to say.

"I plan to. Now I have to ask you a question." He took her shoulders as she looked up, looking her in the eyes. "Do you want to come back to life as well if I get the machine working right?"

"No," Lena said quickly with a small smile. "Well, you can ask Stella and Bertha for their own answers. But... when I first became a ghost, I hated it. I felt cursed. But now... even if it works... I've made my peace with being dead. I'm perfectly happy existing like this. I just couldn't go through with returning to life... a second life, knowing what came after. If anything, it'd feel cheap. Almost like I'd just be waiting for death again."

William nodded. "I see. I know how you feel. Coming back to life isn't... an ideal prospect... but I'm willing to live with it for Vera's sake."

Lena chuckled. "She always was the best of us, wasn't she?"

"I loved all of you equally," William said seriously.

"I know you did," Lena replied with a smile. "But come on, be honest. I was always causing trouble. I got Bertha and Stella into it. Vera never wanted to be a part of our... activities. She was always a perfect little angel. The ideal daughter. I actually got mad at her for that. Laughed at her for obeying your rules. I know I was a horrible sister and a horrible daughter. I know she was the favorite. She deserved to be."

William shook his head, gently brushing away Lena's once blonde bangs from her eyes. "While I certainly don't approve of how you treated Vera, from what I hear, she's already dealt with that."

Lena chuckled. "She's definitely taught us all a lesson or two."

"Well, good. But darling, I need you to know that I never thought any less of you for your behavior. As your father, I had to reign you in, try to make you straighten up. But as myself... I always admired how strong you were. How rebellious you were." His eyes twinkled. "Where do you think you got it from?"

Lena giggled. "I can't picture you as a troublemaker."

"The stories I could tell you," William declared with a chuckle. He gently brushed her hair aside and gave her a kiss on the forehead, cupping her cheeks. "You may have caused some trouble sometimes, angel. But you were never unwanted. We never valued Vera over you. You weren't just our daughter, you were our firstborn. Back in those days, it was my duty to become a father, but I didn't want it. I loved your mother, but I never wanted the responsibility. But the day you were born... I was actually excited to finally become a father. I never wanted to be anything else. And that is an irreplacable feeling."

Lena sobbed and hugged her father tightly. William hugged her back.

Not everything had been neatly resolved between them. But it was a start. A very good start.

Dean looked at the time on his phone from his recovered backpack as he continued walking through the neighborhood. 6:45. It was starting to get dark as the Sun started getting lower in the sky. He seemingly walked alone as Vera and Samantha accompanied him while invisible.

"Here it is," he heard Samantha whisper. He stopped walking and looked up to see a small white house with a garage and a single car. He looked around instinctively in case anyone heard Samantha, but nobody seemed to be walking around outside right now but him.

"That's... my mom's car," she said softly.

"Could it be?" Vera asked.

"It wasn't too long ago that she died," Dean whispered. "It's definitely possible she's still here."

"Wait here," Samantha said suddenly. "I'll be back." Dean could feel her presence disappear.

"This is kind of crazy," Vera uttered, almost to herself than to Dean.

"I know," he replied. "But it's for a good cause."

In a few moments, Dean could feel Samantha again. "She's here," she whispered, almost in disbelief. "She's really here."

"Wow..."

"What now?" Dean asked.

"Wait here, okay?" Samantha said. "This won't take too long."

And then she was gone again.

Samantha looked down at her mother's sleeping form on the couch. She was still in formal wear, so she could tell her mom had been at work and was now napping after a long day.

Something came over Sam all of a sudden. And without realizing it, her eyes began to glow a light blue. She reached out her hand and placed it on her mother's arm as she knelt down beside her. The moment she touched her, she could almost feel the deep sadness within her mother.

"Hey, mom," she whispered, feeling like a little kid again. "I really missed you."

Suddenly, her mom began to speak, but her eyes remained closed. "Missed... you... too..."

Samantha quickly realized her mother must somehow be seeing or hearing her in a dream and she smiled. "I made some amazing new friends today."

"So... happy..."

Sam giggled. "You'd like them. Especially Dean. He's sooo cute."

Her mother giggled in her sleep.

Sam's laughs stopped and she shut her eyes as she spoke, her voice breaking. "I'm so sorry for what I did, mom. I'm so sorry I hurt you and left you alone."

Her mother stirred. A tear ran down from one closed eye. "My... fault..."

"No. No, mom. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. Just... a lot of things went wrong, and I made a bad choice."

"Should have... been there... been there... for you..."

Samantha sniffled. "Maybe so, but you were also sad and lost. Losing daddy hurt us both a lot. I don't blame you, mom. I need you to understand that. You kept me fed and kept me safe. I just didn't understand a lot of stuff at the time, and I took things too hard. I wish I could take it all back. But I can't."

She wiped her tears away with her other hand. "But I'm happy now, mom. I'm not sad anymore. I understand things now. I'm good. Better than good. And I want you to be too." She looked at the walls to her right near the front door, and saw that her pictures were still up from years ago. "You still think about me." It wasn't a question.

Her mother stirred, but didn't wake up. "Love... you..."

"I love you too. I'll always love you. But you need to keep moving forward. Don't tell yourself it was your fault. It's okay to remember me. But remember the good times, and remember that Samantha still loves you and will always love you... and she wants you to be happy." She smirked. "And if you really love her, you'll start being happier too."

"O... okay... love you..."

"I have to go now, mom. If I were to stay... it would only hold you back. You have to move on. You know that, right?"

"Miss... you..."

"I know. I will too. But we'll see each other again. I know we will. I'll be waiting for you. I can feel it. It's time for me to go. Okay?"

"Okay..."

"I love you, mom."

"Love you... Samantha..."

Samantha leaned in and kissed her mother on the forehead before letting go of her arm. She floated away and out of the house. As she approached Dean and Vera, she whispered to them through her tears. But for once, they weren't sad tears.

"We're going back to that house."

"What? But-"

"Just trust me. Come on." And she was off. Quickly.

"Let's hurry," Vera said.

Dean nodded and began to run in the direction of the old, abandoned house.

When they arrived, Dean was out of breath, but didn't slow down as he hurried through the front door. Vera became visible again and floated beside him as he breathed heavily. "S... Sam?"

Samantha was floating in the middle of the living room with a peaceful smile on her face. "It's time... I can feel it."

Everything began to shake slightly and a cool wind rushed through the house.

"W-what's happening?" Dean asked fearfully as Vera stayed close to him.

As if in answer to his question, something appeared in the room beside Samantha!

Another ghost.

It appeared to be an old man in some kind of black cloak. He was bald, but with remnants of white hair on the back of his head. He had brown eyes and rigid features on his face. He had an authoritative air surrounding him as he crossed his arms, helped by the ethereal white glow surrounding him.

"Who... who are you?" Vera asked in awe.

"Judgment," the man said simply before turning to Samantha. "Are you ready?"

"Can I say goodbye?"

Judgment nodded.

Samantha flew over to Dean, throwing her arms around him. "Thanks for staying and helping me. I wouldn't have even made it out of this house without you. I'm so happy that I got to meet you." She pulled back and kissed him on the nose, giggling as he turned pink. "Keep being amazing, Dean."

She turned to Vera and hugged her as well. "I wish I got to know you a little better, but it's okay. I'm off to meet a lot more people like us. Maybe I'll see you one day." She then whispered, "Go get him, girl."

She winked at Vera and floated back besides Judgment.

"W-wait! Sam, what's going on?"

She looked at them and smiled one last time. "I've done what I needed to do in this world. I've moved past my mistake, and my mom will be okay. My unfinished business is complete."

"Unfinished business..." Dean said, amazed. Just like Katherine had always said.

"It's time for me to go now. Bye-bye!"

And then her eyes flashed a bright white, making Dean cover his eyes as Vera stared into the light in wonder. The light filled the entire house. A rich, heavenly glow.

Beams of light erupted from Samantha's body as she let out a peaceful sigh. More and more lights kept appearing until soon, her physical form was completely gone, replaced by what appeared to be a hovering blueish white orb of light.

Somehow, Vera knew that that was still Samantha, down to her very essence. Her soul.

At last, her soul slowly and peacefully dissipated into the air.

"W-where is she?" Dean asked.

"The next world," the man called Judgment said. "You will understand when it is your time. If it helps you, just know that my task is to judge souls who cross over from this world to the next. The good go to the peaceful realm... and the wicked are punished eternally for their sins."

With that, he slowly vanished from sight.

Dean and Vera were silent, staring at the middle of the room where Samantha had been in pure wonder.

Samantha's mother opened her eyes, sitting up from the couch. "Samantha!" She reached out into the air at nothing. She touched the sleeve of one of her arms, smelling it and recognizing the smell. "Sweetie..."

Somehow, she just knew her daughter was in a better place now, together with her departed husband. And one day, they would be reunited.

She buried her face in her hands and broke down crying. She was happy, relieved, and at peace for the first time in years. But although she was ready to move on and would definitely move forward in Samantha's memory... there was no denying that small twinge of sadness in her heart.