Good Morning, SPN Fam! I hope you're having a wonderful day. Almost the weekend...hang in there...Here's another installment of Natalie. Inspired by one word, a classic Dean story from season ten, and y'all's insatiable need for Natalie to get in trouble :) So thank you! Special thanks to Jenmm31, as always. Best beta/friend ever.

A/N- in this story, Natalie is fifteen. Please see profile page for disclaimers.

Natalie exited the car as quickly as she could, slamming the door and proceeding straight to the bunker's entrance. However, the echoing slam of her father's door told her that he was right behind her, hot on her heels. Sam and Jody weren't far behind either.

She set her teeth, knowing this was going to be bad. Dean was furious with her. She'd already gotten the riot act from Jody on the field. Sam had been quiet during the drive home- his disappointment and anger radiating off him silently. But Dean hadn't said a word since telling her to get her ass in the car. To have Sam silent was bad enough. To have Dean silent was practically a death sentence.

The werewolves had gotten a little too close to home. A pack had starting forming an hour outside of Lebanon, clearly having no idea that the Winchesters were so close. Jody had been vacationing in Kansas City when she had heard about it, called the family, and decided to meet them there to help them take the threat out. It was supposed to be a run of the mill, clean-house operation. Until Natalie decided to go rogue.

She still wasn't sure what made her do it, other than the fact that she had seen her shot and had taken it. Or, at least, that's what she had convinced herself of on the ride home. Yeah sure, in that moment, Dean told her to fall back once he realized how near the monsters were, but she had been so freaking close to the werewolf that it just didn't make sense NOT to take the shot. It was right around the corner from where she was hiding. It hadn't known she was waiting with a loaded gun full of silver bullets. She could blow the fucker's head off before he even realized it. So instead of falling back like Dean had signaled, she stepped out to take the shot.

The werewolf, however, had been faster than she anticipated, and when she whipped around the corner to face it, expecting a solid, clean shot- well…she still wasn't sure how she ended up being crushed against the werewolf's chest, his razor sharp teeth a quarter inch from her neck, but she had. All hell had broken loose then.

Somehow, by the sheer grace of God, she hadn't been bitten. Knowing he had no other choice, Dean jumped out from his own hiding place. He managed to shoot the werewolf who was crushing Natalie to death in the forehead just as he was leaning in to bite, spattering her with blood, but leaving her safe. The fight erupted around them instantly. All four of the hunters had thrown themselves full force into the melee then, losing track of everything but the snarls and the gunshots. When the echoes of the gunfire finally overpowered everything else, they were able to breathe.

Dean had stormed over to his daughter and yanked her to him, almost spraining her neck as he examined her, determined to make sure not a fang had touched her. When he was satisfied that she was okay, Natalie actually saw the relief turn to fury in his eyes as he shoved her away angrily. Sam and Jody had seen the whole thing, from start to finish, and after rushing over to make sure she was okay for themselves, there was no guessing just how anyone felt about her decision to blow their cover before they were in the best attack position.

Jody lit into her, a combination of scolding, yelling, and guilt in the way that only a mother can. Never having had a mother, it was a rather sobering experience for the fifteen year old. After the initial shock of Jody's anger, Natalie caught herself stammering through the explanation of why she'd done what she'd done, and flushing when Jody's look of incredulity made her realize what a very stupid mistake she'd made. She submitted to the rest of the lecture with her head down, occasionally sneaking a look over at Sam and Dean to see if they registered that she was listening and respecting her elders. Their folded arms and glaring eyes didn't shift once, so maybe that was a good thing?

Once Jody had finished her verbal tirade, she had pulled Natalie in close, holding her tight. Natalie had released her breath audibly. Jody had never yelled at her like that before, and honestly- it was a little frightening. She'd thought she'd seen Jody angry before, but this was one for the damn books. The shame she felt at causing Jody to freak out like that was palpable. When she felt Jody's hot tears dropping into her hair as she held her tight, well, that was even worse. Finally, Jody had leaned back, taking Natalie's face in her warm, calloused hands. She gently forced the abashed teen to meet her gaze.

"I love you," she had said in a watery, but still very firm voice. "So don't you ever do that to me again. You hear?"

All the way home, Natalie listened to the echo of those words in her head. She knew Jody loved her, but to have her so angry and upset at the idea of losing her- she didn't know what to do with that. She was a Winchester. They didn't show emotions. There were no chick flick moments in this family. It was unsettling and reassuring all at the same time. She was still trying to figure out how she felt about it when, about ten minutes into the hour-long drive home, it dawned on her that neither Dean nor Sam were speaking, nor had spoken since Jody's telling-off. Natalie's insides became a mix of ice and lava. Fear and fury.

By the time they reached the bunker, the silence had had an adverse effect on her. Instead of feeling repentant, she was just as furious as Dean was. She played the forthcoming lecture in her head over and over, anticipating his every move. She knew him too well- he was going to accuse her of being immature and not able to focus. But it was perfectly fine for him to stew in silence the whole way home, not even acknowledging the situation. Yeah, that was the epitome of maturity. Although, if she was being realistic, she'd much rather him wait to yell at her when they were home instead of letting loose on her in the car with both Sam and Jody in earshot. But, as it was with all the Winchesters, her temper was getting the better of her, and rational thought and reasoning had been left back at the last fork in the road.

As she tried to walk down the stairs casually, one hand lightly resting on the wrought iron balustrades, the echo of her father's footsteps reverberated around the room, keeping pace with her own. She wasn't going to admit that it made her nervous. Nope- she was way too mature for that. She refused to acknowledge that she sped up, just a bit, in order to get away from him, gritting her teeth when she realized he sped up to keep up with her.

Finally, they hit the floor of the bunker. Before she could even turn around, she felt Dean's large hand snatch the fabric of her jacket where her left shoulder blade met her neck. Classic Dean. Determined to show his dominance. Still completely silent, she felt his wrath wash over her as he tightened his grip and continued marching her towards her room, not even breaking his stride. She couldn't help it- she bit her lip in nervousness. He was mad. He was REALLY mad.

"Dean," Sam called out, in that calm, rational voice that she knew meant business. She knew he was trying to get Dean to calm down before dealing with her, but Dean roundly ignored him. He just kept propelling Natalie down the hallway. "Dean!" Sam tried again, the irritation and frustration clear in his voice this time. Natalie tried to turn over her right shoulder to look at her uncle, but Dean immediately yanked her back forward.

"He ain't gonna get you out of this. Move," Dean growled at her, the first words he'd spoken since before the trip home. She briefly caught a glimpse at Jody's face before Dean forced her focus ahead again. Natalie's face flushed bright red at the wide-eyed look on the sheriff's face. Jody was clearly shocked at Dean's harshness. Great. So even Jody knew she was about to get the ass-kicking of the century.

As Dean shoved her down the hallway, Natalie desperately wanted to try to wriggle out of the iron grip he had on her collar and shoulder muscle. It was really starting to hurt. She didn't try though, knowing it would only make it worse if he thought she was trying to get away from him. She gritted her teeth and tried to move fast so she could get some blood flow back into her left arm. Finally, they reached the door to her room. Before he could grip it, Natalie reached out and twisted the door knob herself. Dean was likely to rip it off its hinges in his current state, and she rather liked her door.

He continued shoving her until they got to the foot of her bed. "Sit," he commanded her, releasing her shoulder. She let out a tiny huff of pain, but that was all the weakness she was going to show. She was still plenty mad too. She rubbed the spot on her shoulder that he'd locked onto as she dropped down onto the foot of her bed nonchalantly. Once there was a vague sense of feeling back in her arm, she gripped the edge of the mattress and stared at her boots, just waiting for the lecture to start.

Dean paced twice, his hands on his hips, his face so undeniably angry that he looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. Natalie was forcibly reminded of a year ago when she had snuck out of the house to try to deal with a ghost all on her own, too cocky and overconfident for her own good. Dean had read her the riot act once Sam had dragged her home to Bobby's. A lot had happened between then and now, but that same frisson of fear was all too familiar. She wouldn't acknowledge it, though. She focused on her anger so she wouldn't get emotional.

"You wanna tell me what the HELL that was?!" Dean finally roared at her, making her jump in surprise at the sudden burst of sound in the silent room. He stopped pacing, standing firm and a thousand feet tall in front of her. "And it better be good, because I'm about to tear you a new one. So go ahead. Let's hear it. All ears here."

Natalie desperately wanted to roll her eyes at her father's sarcasm. Barely restraining herself, she pinched her lips together for a moment, then looked him right in the eye before answering. "I thought I had the shot," she said in a quiet, yet firm tone. Dean's eyes narrowed at her answer.

"You thought you had the shot," he repeated flatly. "Even though you knew I had a better view point than you did and I had just told you to fall back." Her eyes darted to the side as she silently acknowledged Dean's point. "And don't give me any 'I didn't see the signal' crap, because I sure as hell know you saw it." He waited for a moment, giving her the chance to respond.

"I wasn't going to say I didn't see it."

"Good, 'cause lying to me right now is only gonna get you in deeper."

"I just said I wasn't going to lie to you!"

A deadly silence filled the room again as the echoes of her raised voice bounced off the walls. Her insides turned to solid ice as the fury gathered in her father's eyes and focused their deadly beam on her. DAMMIT why did she always lose her filter at the worst possible moment?!

Dean took a step towards her. One step only, but that was all that was needed. He watched as she shrank in on herself. Good. He had her attention. He leaned down into her face, making sure her eyes were locked on his.

"You watch your tone, little girl," he warned in that low, stoic, angry growl of his. "You know damn well you don't get to talk to me that way. Raise your voice to me one more time, and you won't see the light of day for two months. Got it?"

Swallowing hard, Natalie fidgeted, then hated herself immediately for doing so. "Yes, sir," she said in a modified tone, gripping the edge of the bed tightly in her anger. Upon hearing her resignation, Dean stood back up and resumed his slow pace around the room. He slowly closed his eyes, trying to get a grip on himself.

"So to recap, you disobeyed orders on the field, took it upon yourself to act how you saw fit, endangered the whole team, and nearly got yourself bitten by a freakin' werewolf." He spun around, spreading his hands wide in a sarcastic gesture. "Did I get it all? Miss anything?" Before she could say anything, he interjected again. "Oh. And raising your voice to me. Almost forgot that one!" he thundered at her. "Oldie but a goodie. You really went for the gold today, kid."

She bit the inside of her mouth so hard she could taste blood. It made her furious when he did this- deliberately goading her into responding. He knew she had the same temper, the same blood flowing through her veins as he did. He knew that he was just making her more and more pissed, but still expected her to sit like a quiet little church mouse and take whatever he dished out. This was so completely unfair.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he hissed again. "You telling me that you thought you knew better than me? That it? That you thought jumping out at that freaking thing when it could easily tear your throat out was really the best plan?!"

Natalie steeled herself and went for it, making sure to modulate her voice. "I thought that if I could end the leader first, it would throw them into chaos. Not to mention the rest of the pack would have to get around his body before they could get close to us," she answered, honestly trying for a respectful tone, but there was definitely a hint of pride in her voice. She thought it was a pretty damn good plan. Or had been until everything went to shit.

Dean's eyes narrowed again so far, she was surprised he could still see through them. "So instead of listening to my orders, which you KNOW you're supposed to do, you decided to go with your own game plan." He waited, letting the echo of his words die down before continuing. "And you never stopped to think that I had told you to wait until they were PAST us, giving us clear shots at their backs and the ability to drop four of them at once, creating an even bigger barrier for the rest of those bastards to cross?"

Natalie's eyes went wide as she registered Dean's words. Well shit. No, she hadn't thought that. She stammered for a moment, opening her mouth, and then shutting it, feeling like an idiot. Dean saw that he was finally getting through to her, but waited for her to respond.

"I…I didn't think…" She tried to articulate what had happened, but suddenly, seeing it in this light, she felt so incredibly foolish. What a rookie mistake. She was better than this. As if he could read her mind, Dean echoed her thoughts.

"Yeah. You didn't think. That was an amateur move back there, kid, and you know it. You're way smarter than that, and I know it. So you wanna try this one more time? You wanna tell me what the HELL you were thinking back there?!"

Natalie rolled her bottom jaw and dropped her eyes to the ground. She knew exactly why she had done what she had done, but she didn't want to admit it. Not for all the tea in China. She knew Dean would drag it out eventually, but the part of her that hated screwing up was still stubbornly hanging on. She set her jaw and stared determinedly at her boots.

Well, that just wasn't going to fly with Daddy Winchester.

He closed the gap between them in two angry strides, planting himself in front of her like a tower of solid steel. His arms folded, his glare like a laser, he spoke in that quiet yet terrifying tone that years of experience had taught Natalie was the last chance for whomever his fury was directed at.

"Last chance, Natalie Grace. What. Were. You. Thinking."

Knowing she was well and truly out of options, Natalie swallowed the fear, looked right into his eyes, and told him. "I was thinking about what you would do."

Dean's face instantly crumpled into confusion. "What I would do? What the hell does that mean?" he asked, the sheet rock still very present in his tone.

"What you would do," she repeated. "Like…I thought about what you would do if you were in this situation by yourself. And I just…I wanted to prove…I wanted to prove to you that I could handle this. That I was brave enough to take the shot, that I could think quickly on my feet." Finally having admitted it out loud, both to herself and to her father, it left her feeling hollow inside, considering the fact that she had accomplished none of what she set out to. "Instead, I only succeeded in fucking everything up."

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You were trying to do what you think I would have done?"

"Yes, sir."

"Instead of doing what I TOLD you to do."

"Well…"

"No 'well'."

"Yes, sir."

Dean just stood there staring at her for a moment, then he shook his head and resumed his pacing. Natalie allowed herself to breathe before dropping her gaze to the floor again. Why did she always think things out after the fact? It had been a rookie mistake. She DID know better. Dean was always, always harping on her to stay focused, follow his lead, do what he said. And that was for good reason. You didn't stay alive in this field as long as Dean Winchester had without having an entire bag of tricks at your disposal, without knowing a few things. Something that a fifteen year old wasn't even going to come close to having or knowing.

At the time, she had been so determined to show that she wasn't afraid to get the job done. She wanted to prove that she was worthy to be on the Winchester Team. Sam and Dean were the stuff of legends. It wasn't easy to live in the echoes of that name, especially when all you wanted to do was create a roar that was all your own but at the same time still part of that legacy.

Meanwhile, Dean was pacing, simply because he didn't know what to say. He had driven the point home time and time again that she needed to focus and obey orders. He had trained her to think like him. And she was honestly trying to do that today- trouble was, it collided head on with the notion of obeying his orders in this particular circumstance. He could appreciate that she was actively trying. He knew that she was always going to push herself to be better, do better, hunt better. This screw up was going to gnaw away at her, and not in a good way.

Dean deliberately inhaled, then exhaled. He chose his words carefully. "So. You thought you were doing what I would have done in your situation." He waited until she acknowledged his words with a small nod. "You wanna know what I was doing when I was fifteen?" He asked, letting the question hang in the air until she looked up at him. "I was listening to my old man."

Natalie dropped her head again with an angry sigh. Dean held up a hand. "Hold up there, cranky, I wasn't done yet," he said roughly. With a resigned sigh, Natalie looked up again. He was looking at her fixedly. "I was listening to my old man because I wasn't smart enough to be on my own hunting. I only knew how to follow orders. Your problem is, you're too smart." Natalie scoffed and rolled her eyes. Dean snapped his fingers, still peeved at her.

"Watch the attitude. You ain't out of the woods yet," he snarled. He immediately noticed the shift back to dutiful in her, and nodded once. "That's better. Now like I was saying, you're too damn smart for your own good. You've been thinking up ways to kill all these sons of bitches since you were four. And you're good at it- you're really damn good, kid. But when it's not just you out there- when there's a team counting on you, you follow me. You do what I say. End of discussion." He walked over to her and put his hand under her chin, forcing her eyes up to make contact with his. He had to know she was getting this. "You can help me game plan any day of the week. Hell, I'd welcome it. But when we're in the trenches, it's my way or the highway. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," she said, keeping and holding eye contact so he knew that she had indeed received the message. She knew he was right. She still thought that he gave her more credit that she deserved, but at least he did acknowledge that she was legitimately trying to be a better hunter. Just as she had this comforting thought, Dean spoke again, gripping her chin just a little bit tighter.

"Now," he said, in that calm, stoic tone that fooled no one. "How am I gonna make this lesson stick?" He released her chin as she clamped her jaws together. "Puttin' you on lock down don't seem to work for long. And I know you actually like makin' salt rounds, so that's no good." He turned his back to her, casually strolling back towards the desk. He let the threat hang in the air for a moment before turning back around, a sarcastic, humorous look in his eye. "Maybe we should try Time Out. That used to work gangbusters on you."

Unable to hold it in any longer, Natalie looked up at him, aggravated. "I hate it when you do this," she complained.

"Do what?" Dean asked, knowing damn well what she was talking about.

"Drag out my punishment."

"And why do you think I do that?"

"To make me think about it," she mumbled, embarrassed and angry. "I know why you do it, but that doesn't make me like it any better." Dean bobbed his eyebrows once in response to her comment.

"Never thought you'd like it. Not the point. Not my job to be liked, kid. It's my job to raise you right."

*SPN SPN SPN*

Back at the bottom of the stairs, Sam and Jody watched as Dean drug Natalie down the hallway to her room. As the echoes of her slamming door died, Sam heaved a sigh and turned to Jody.

"Want a beer?" he asked in a weary voice.

"Or something stronger," Jody muttered. Sam scoffed a chuckle, then led the way into the bunker's kitchen. He pulled out a couple tumblers from the cabinet, setting them down onto the rough wooden surface of the table. Jody dropped down onto one of the stool seats heavily.

"Woof. What a night," she said, rubbing her fingers into her tired eyes. Sam procured a bottle of bourbon and twisted the cap off, pouring the honey colored liquid into both glasses. He held his up and Jody followed suit. They clinked their glasses together companionably. Before he could take a sip, however, Sam realized he should probably go ahead and get a glass for Dean. Walking back to the cabinet, he snatched another tumbler and turned around just in time to see Jody emptying her glass. His eyes went wide as she thunked it down on the table, empty. Her gaze met his.

"What?" she said, a touch defensively. "Like I said- rough night." Sam just chuckled, and walked back to refill her glass. A sudden roar from the direction of Natalie's room made them both freeze for a moment, before sighing in tandem.

"Well, you're not wrong about that," Sam said as he poured. He sat down at the table opposite of Jody and began working on his own drink. He was just grateful that he couldn't actually make out Dean's words as his brother ripped Natalie a new one. Jody shook her head once, before looking Sam right in the eye.

"I'm sorry I yelled at Natalie like I did," she said.

Sam tried to hide his amusement. "Are you?" he said jokingly. She grinned back.

"Not really. But I kinda felt like I should at least pretend to be." She took another slug before setting her glass down, toying with the lip of the tumbler. "It's not really my place to say what I said. Besides, she's getting that and more from Dean right now."

Sam bobbed his eyebrows once in acknowledgment. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean she didn't deserve it from you too. She put all of us in danger with her recklessness- you had every right to say what you said."

Jody shook her head, still focusing on her glass, unable to look Sam in the eye. "Sam, that wasn't really what I meant. We were all in danger- I mean- hello, we were infiltrating a wolves' den- literally." She ran her finger around the glass's rim once more before finding the courage to speak. "I mean- when she…" The words trailed off for a moment. "It was like being out on the field with Claire when she was first getting started. Or Alex. All over again, just reliving those moments. Like- the echoes of my girls- it was like I could hear them just screaming in my head when Natalie put herself in that position. The terror of the situation got very real, very fast. Losing her would be like…loosing one of my own girls." Jody brought the tumbler quickly to her lips to hide their quivering.

Sam took a deep breath, then looked up into Jody's warm brown eyes. "I know," he said softly. She smiled in sympathy, which gave him the courage to continue. "I mean, I can't really know, because she's not mine, but…"

"Sam, she's yours too," Jody interrupted softly. "Dean will be the first to say it. He HAS said it. You had just as much of a hand in raising her as anyone else- more even."

Sam inhaled as he searched for the words. "No, I know, I just…I feel guilty, that's all." He raised his glass to his lips and drank. Jody was taken aback by his words.

"Guilty? Why the hell do you feel guilty?"

"For being so upset at her." Sam let that dangle in the air for a moment. When he realized that he wasn't truly explaining himself, he took a deep breath and continued. "Look. I know she made a mistake. I know SHE knows she made a mistake. But…but I'm still so mad at her I can't see straight. Combined with the terror of thinking of how close she came to getting bitten tonight, then I just want to…hug her, you know? I mean- I shouldn't want to hug and strangle her all at the same time."

Jody laughed gently. "No, that's exactly what you should be feeling." Sam's eyes sought hers. "That's part of being a parent."

"I just thought it'd be easier," Sam explained in a rush, the bourbon giving him the courage to say what had been bothering him.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought…" He took another quick sip and went for it. "I thought if I ever was going to be a parent, I thought that it would be easier to separate my feelings from the situation, you know?" Sam looked away, lost in a memory. "My dad used to get so mad…like, REALLY mad. When Dean and I screwed up. God. One time, I was…eight, I think? I did something stupid- I admit it now, how freaking stupid it was- but I was a kid and didn't know any better, right? Do you think my old man took that into consideration? No. He just tore into me- and into Dean for good measure. And that was how he always reacted." Sam shook his head. "I mean, I know now that it was because I could have gotten myself killed, and that freaked him out. He was acting out of fear. But I just always thought…when the time came, I was going to be able to be better than that."

"Samuel Winchester."

Hearing his full name made Sam almost drop his glass in surprise. He looked at Jody, and was even more shocked to see the same look on her face now as when she was laying into Natalie. He didn't say anything- he just stared at the sheriff wide-eyed.

"Do you honestly think that low of yourself? That you're beating yourself up because you care so much, so very deeply about your niece that you've helped to raise since birth, that you're upset at your own emotions? That you're somehow LESS of a man because you see how truly hard it is, being a parent?"

Sam's startled eyes stayed focused on Jody's. He tried to answer once, twice, but then finally gulped. "I feel like if I say yes, that's going to piss you off even more," he said feebly. That broke the tension between the two of them, and they both laughed. This time, Jody reached for the bottle.

"Sam, listen to me," she said as she refreshed both glasses. "You love that girl so much, that the idea of losing her is unbearable. So when she does something that possibly endangers herself, of course you're going to have strong, mixed reactions. That's called being human. That doesn't make you less than. Feeling those feelings makes you more. A BETTER human being- a better man." Jody picked up her glass, but continued speaking. "Now, I'm not saying your father had every right to yell at you and Dean- sounds like he may have done a lot of damage," she said sympathetically. "But look at how you reacted tonight. How you both reacted. You knew that you were too upset and angry with her to talk to her right off the bat, so you didn't. Dean gave himself one hour to calm down before laying into her. Did your father ever give you two that kind of courtesy?"

"Well, no."

"I didn't think so. You handle things differently than he did, that's all. Doesn't mean you're wrong to have those emotions. Sounds to me like you learned from that experience, and you're using that to handle Natalie in the best way possible."

Sam smiled, comforted by the words. "I do want to be calm before I talk to her," he admitted, acknowledging his choice as something John never would have done. "But she and I are going to have a nice, long chat tomorrow morning," he finished, a wry grin crossing his lips.

Jody smiled and raised her glass. He met hers with his own. "I'd expect nothing less," she said. They clinked their glasses and drank, just as Dean entered the kitchen.

"Good. Beat me to it," Dean said gruffly, turning towards the cabinet to get his own glass. Sam whistled shortly, and he turned around. When he saw the clean, empty glass in his brother's hand, Dean cracked a smile for the first time that night.

"You spoil me, Sammy," he said, plopping down next to Jody and eagerly reaching for the bottle and tumbler.

"So. She on lock-down until further notice?" Sam asked casually, wanting to know his niece's fate. To his surprise, however, Dean shook his head.

"Nope. Not this time," he said evenly. The clink of the bottle touching the glass as he poured echoed around the room as Jody and Sam waited for him to finish. Dean set the bottle down and picked up his tumbler, taking a long drink, oblivious to the questioning eyes. He polished off his shot in one, with a smack of his lips and a satisfied sound. He reached for the bottle again.

Finally, Sam couldn't take it any more. "You didn't just let her off the hook, did you?" he said, a touch of an accusation in his voice. Dean just rolled his eyes and focused on his pour.

"'Course I didn't let her off the hook, you moron," Dean said condescendingly. "I just got creative." An evil smile played on his lips as he raised his glass to them a second time.

"So what does that mean?" Jody said, her own grin getting the better of her. She knew what it was like to raise teenage girls- she had never felt closer to Dean than in this moment.

In response, Dean reached into his pocket and withdrew Natalie's phone, setting it down on the table. Sam chuckled, then turned to Jody to explain. "Natalie HATES not being able to use her phone."

"Oh, she can use it," Dean butted in loftily. "She just has to ask PERMISSION to use it for the next two weeks."

"Wait- what?"

"She can use her damn phone all she wants to, but she's going to have to ask my permission," Dean answered, his self-satisfied grin going unchecked. "See, she's gonna learn one way or another that what I say, goes. And if I say she can't use her phone, then she can't. If I say she can, then she can. But she's not going to just do what she wants to with it- it's gonna drive it home that she gets to do what she wants to because I said she could."

Jody's mouth dropped open. "WOW. Wish I had thought of that when my girls were still teenagers," she muttered, before throwing back another slug of bourbon.

Sam couldn't help but laugh at his brother's genius. "Dude, she is going to HATE that," he said, shaking his head with a grin. Dean acknowledged the comment with a hand gesture indicating a bow.

"Well, like I told her, she can hate it all she wants to. She's gonna learn one way or the other," he said, before polishing off half his glass in one gulp. He cleared his throat of the bourbon burn before finishing the thought. "Ain't my job to be liked. It's my job to raise her right."

The echoes of John Winchester's favorite stand by line faded in the silence. Sam swallowed thickly. He knew that Dean was doing what was best for Natalie, and he knew that Dean was a far better father than John ever was. And in that moment, the guilt he had been feeling vanished. He raised his glass to his brother, who met it with a grateful clink of his own. The echo sounded like music in the room.