Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. Haven't had much of a chance to write since I got back to school but finally got some free time today!

Thanks for following along! This will be the last chapter in this story (already longer than I planned lol) but I will be writing more in the Brotherhood. After writing in it Idk how I'm going to be able to write things not in lol.

Anyway, please enjoy!

~TH~

Pastor Jim had been dealing with hunters for years. His role as the Guardian put him in the position where he interacted with many different hunters from different lives. Few infuriated him more than John Winchester.

The Knight's most recent escapade made him angrier than he had been in a long time. Jim thought himself even tempered, but the Knight had ways of making even the most mild mannered men outraged.

"Pastor Jim, why did Dad leave when Dean just got back? Isn't he glad that Dean is back? I am! He was gone a really long time! I'm glad that Dad found him! Did Caleb help? I think Caleb helped. Dean came back right after I called him! Dean's okay, right? He didn't look hurt but he didn't talk to me a lot. And you wouldn't let me sleep in our room last night and most of the time when you do that it's because he's sick. But he didn't seem sick. He did seem sad. Was he sad because he was lost?"

"Yes, Samuel." Jim noticed that Sam had almost regressed to the hyperactive child of years past. He seemed to have mood swings where he would act like the teenager he was about to become and some days he acted like an over-excited eight-year-old. "Your father had to take care of a hunt but me, Mac, and Caleb are still here."

Sam frowned, "But dad wasn't around when Dean was lost either. Was he busy finding him?"

"Your father is…" Jim sighed, not wanting to lie to the child but not willing to go against John's wishes to keep Sam in the dark. "Your father has some things to take care of and thinks we would be better at helping Dean right now."

As the two entered the house, both Mac and Caleb were waiting for them. Caleb jumped up from his seat, coming forward. "You need to talk to Dean."

Jim raised his eyebrows. Mackland was now standing as well, arms crossed, looking troubled.

"Sam, why don't you run up and tell your brother that I'll be up in a moment." Sam rolled his eyes, clearly sensing that he wasn't wanted. But he was also clearly eager to see his brother so he didn't comment.

"Did something happen?" Jim asked, turning to the Scholar.

"He won't listen to us," Caleb cut in. "We've tried to tell him he didn't do anything wrong but he won't listen to us, he'll listen to you!"

"Mac?"

The doctor sighed, "I think there is some misplaced guilt. I think it would be best to hear it from Dean other than that. But, I do believe we were going about this the wrong way."

Jim frowned, but nodded. Before anything else could be said, Sam was running down the steps. "Dean's not in his room."

"What?!" Caleb exclaimed, looking panicked. He whirled on Jim, "I thought the Farm was safe!"

"It is, Caleb." The pastor assured.

"His window was open!" Sam offered.

Caleb turned to his dad, "Do you think he ran away?"

"Bring me something of his, I can track him." Mackland was quick to offer.

"No," Jim interjected, motioning for them to calm down. "I don't think he's run away. I believe I know where he is."

"You do?" Sam asked, hopeful.

"If I don't find him, I will return and Mackland can track him. If I don't return quickly then you can assume I have found him."

Caleb looked unhappy but complied with the Guardian's wishes.

Jim turned to go back outside, his heart heavy with thoughts of Dean. As he drew closer to the pond he felt more certain that Dean was there. It was clear something had happened while he was at the church. Jim wished that the others had left Dean alone to grieve on his own. The pastor sensed that in a way Dean was grieving, grieving the normalcy he'd come to find. He had not been pleased at John's actions, but he did not share Caleb and Mackland's fears that Dean had been placed in a position of abuse. That was what Mac was likely alluding to.

Dean was sitting at the lake, his back turned towards Jim. The pastor sat down beside him without a word.

They sat in silence for several minutes, staring out over the water.

"I meant to be back before they noticed." Came the quiet confession.

Jim hummed, but didn't comment.

"I just… I just needed to think. I know they mean well, I'm not actually mad at them."

"But you're mad at someone. And I have a feeling that someone is yourself."

Dean didn't answer, pulling up his knees and resting his chin on them.

"You did nothing wrong, Dean."

Dean let out a snort, "Doesn't the Bible say 'thou shalt not steal'."

"I agree it would have been more prudent to call Mackland or myself, but stealing to provide for your brother is a classic wrong thing for the right reason."

Dean didn't answer, offering his own quiet hum.

"Sonny was a really good person." He said out of nowhere, "I think you would have liked him. And the Farm was nice… I mean it wasn't here but-"

"But it was normal." Jim offered a soft smile.

Dean tensed, "Nothing about my life is normal."

"But for a couple of months it was."

"I was in a correction home, Jim," He rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't call that normal."

"Normal isn't a four letter word, son. It's okay to have enjoyed it."

Dean jerked to his feet and began pacing. "What has normal ever gotten me?! Normal people don't get it!"

"Dean," the pastor looked up at the teen, "What do you want to do with your life?"

"What?" The question caught Dean so off guard that he stopped, looking down.

"I heard that there were baseball scouts looking at you, that's impressive for your age. Do you want to go to college?"

"No. I'm a hunter." Jim wasn't sure if Dean was trying to convince the pastor or himself. "I want to be in the Brotherhood. I'm not going to let school mess that up."

"This has nothing to do with your place in the Brotherhood. Caleb went to college even after getting his ring."

Dean sat back down beside the pastor, "Yeal, well, my dad's not Mac."

"No," Jim sighed, "I suppose he's not."

They both sat in silence, watching the water.

"Is something wrong with me?" Dean's voice was so quiet, Jim wondered if he might have imagined it. The teen's imploring eyes turned that idea away.

"There's nothing wrong with you, my boy."

"But I liked it Jim." And the boy was losing his battle with tears. "I was there and I was away from Sammy, and Caleb, and Dad, but I liked it." Even quieter, tears now silently streaming down his face. "I wanted to stay."

Jim wrapped his arms around the weeping boy and was surprised when Dean didn't pull away. "I should have wanted to come back! Sammy needs me! And I-I help save people. And I- I should have wanted to come back." Jim couldn't remember the last time that he had seen Dean so broken. So young. "I don't deserve to be in the Brotherhood."

"Dean," He stroked the boys back softly, "there is nothing wrong with you and you have done nothing wrong. You will find your place in the Brotherhood when the time comes. Your little stay away doesn't change that."

"I didn't want to come back. You should hate me."

"I could never hate you, son. I could never hate any of you boys."

Dean was clinging to him with a ferocity Jim hadn't seen since Dean was a scared little boy.

"He offered to let me stay. To fight for custody." The revelation was startling. They had truly come close to losing Dean. And while Dean wanting normal was nothing the boy should feel guilty about, the idea of losing Dean with such permanence opened a hole inside the pastor's chest. "I almost said yes." The quiet admission had the hole growing to almost unbearable proportions.

They would have lost. Despite the great reputation of Dr. Mackland Ames or the clergy position of Father Murphy, if Dean asked the court to let him stay on the farm, that's where he would have remained until he aged out. The courts would look at what Dean was stealing and call it neglect, which as much as Jim hated to admit it, it was. They'd see John's response to the situation as a forfeit of parenting rights. There would have been nothing that any of them could have done.

Jim cleared his throat, trying to shake away the emotions "Why didn't you?"

"I saw Sammy waiting in the car." He shrugged. And that was all the explanation needed. Sam would always come first no matter who he was pitted against.

Dean sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head on his drawn up knees. "Sonny wasn't like any of the people Caleb stayed with. He took care of us. He never yelled. There was food that we were allowed to eat whenever we wanted." He smiled slightly, "I guess it was kind of like staying here just…" He trailed off, the smile falling from his face.

"Without all the responsibility."

Dean's shoulders came up in a shrug. "I know Mac and Caleb are just worried. But I'm not hiding my trauma or whatever Mac thinks is going on."

"And them making a big deal about it makes you feel guilty for not wanting to leave."

Another shrug.

Jim hesitated. "Has your father said anything to you about it?"

"He asked in the car if anyone had hurt me. I said no and he dropped it. Doubt he'll ever even bring up the last two months again."

That was probably true.

"I- I should probably go apologize to Mac and Caleb. They were trying to help."

Jim nodded. He had to wonder if the intent to apologize came from the extent of the situation, or from having just come from a normal, likely well mannered, facility.

"I think they would appreciate that."

Instead of rising, Dean leaned closer to the pastor until they were touching. "Thanks, Skin Horse."

Jim laid a hand on the boy's head. "Always, young rabbit."

~TH~

Reviews

Sensue: It really was. Thank you!

Shazza19: Yeah it really hurt him in ways the others don't understand. I think Sam would be clingy if the others would let him. They're trying to give Dean space to deal with what they assume to be great abuse and trauma. It's trauma, just of a different kind.

Guest 1: Yeah I get that. I'm not a John fan normally but on occasion I like to watch him look out for Dean.

Gues 2: They really should

Kathy: Emotionally exhausted is a good work. He was thrown back into life so quickly he's not sure what to make of it. He's stressed and being accused isn't making him feel better. Thank you!

EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester: Thank you! Yeah Caleb tends to be hot-headed which can make him come of insensitive even if it's really because he just cares too much.

Long Live BRUCAS: Dean was happy and Sonny's in a way he never thought he could be. Sam's the only thing that brought him back and that makes him feel guilty. Thanks for reading!

WastedJamie: Thank you! Honestly this comment made me finish this last chapter, so thanks!

And that's the end! Hopefully that gives adequate closure. Please let me know what you think!

Also let me know if there are any Brotherhood stories you'd like to see. I can't promise they will happen but you never know what will happen once you get my wheels turning lol.

Once again, I love your comments so much they just make my day!

Stay safe and God bless,

Jamie