Hey hey hey SPN Family! Sorry I've been away so long- things are nuts right now, imma leave it at that. But I'm not abandoning this story, not by a long shot. Just taking me some time to get back to it. Please be patient, I promise I'll deliver :)Additionally, if you've messaged me or reviewed and I haven't replied, my sincere apologies. I will as soon as I can. Please know your messages are appreciated.

Two things you need to know about this story straight up. 1. It's very reminiscent of two specific SPN episodes, but what happened in those episodes is NOT what's happening behind the scenes here. I am not intending to rip those episodes off, but they are reminiscent of them, I will admit to that. 2. Some of you have speculated that there's something bigger happening in the overall arc of the series. To those of you who have gotten an inkling- here's another puzzle piece for you. Hee hee hee.

Alright. Have a lovely day, remember to tell someone that you love them. Because life is way too freaking short to not say three words that can make someone's day.

A/N- in this story, Natalie is 4. Please see profile page for disclaimers.

Sam was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. The way things finished up with the case last night left them no choice but to leave the area immediately and drive until the wee hours of the morning. Even then, once they hit daybreak, Dean seemed to get his second wind, and proceeded to just keep barreling down the highway. Sam knew it was to get away from all the awful things they had seen in the last forty-eight hours. He had been subtly watching his big brother and knew the signs. Truth be told, he felt the same way Dean did. He wanted as many miles between them and that last case as possible.

Natalie had been very good for the entire car trip, actually even sleeping a little during the very early hours, right after they got out of dodge. She quietly kept herself entertained with her coloring books and army men. She seemed to sense that both Daddy and Uncle Sam were on edge, and so was on her best behavior, even more so than normal, keeping quiet instead of asking the relentless stream of questions that popped into her mind. She held up pretty well until about nine thirty that evening, when the late night and the no-nap afternoon of an insane road trip caught up with her. Sam knew she was still trying to be good, but she was starting to get fidgety in the backseat, which usually led to trouble.

Rather than make her put a lid on it, Dean finally pulled into a roadside motel around ten. He knew the kid would be headed for meltdown city soon. He honestly couldn't blame her- she had endured a hell of a lot today for a four-year-old, especially without complaining. He could also see his baby brother starting to droop too- it was time to call it a day.

When they all saw the motel, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Sam rubbed his fingers into his tired eyes, but offered to go check them in so Dean could start warding off the bedtime fight that they both knew was coming from the kid. But to their immense surprise, once they got into the room, Natalie went down almost instantly. A lot of it had to do with Dean cuddling her while he read her a quick story, and telling her how proud he was of her for being so good today. She had smiled bashfully and nuzzled into him upon hearing that praise. She was asleep less than five minutes later.

After making sure she was well and truly out, Dean looked over at his brother. Sam had stolen the opportunity to take a quick shower and brush his teeth while Dean put Natalie to bed. He finished pulling his tee shirt down over his chest as he came out of the bathroom, careful to be quiet once he saw his niece peacefully sleeping. He grinned, watching Dean meticulously tuck her in, making sure that she wouldn't be cold at all, before he walked away. He quietly walked over to Sam, who had just sat down on the edge of his bed.

"I was thinking of going on a beer run, but I feel like I been rode hard and put up wet. Don't know that I even wanna go back outside," Dean muttered low enough not to disturb Natalie, jerking his head over his shoulder to indicate her. "Thank God she went down easy tonight. Didn't have it in me for another fight."

"I know what you mean," Sam said wearily. "Sometimes I'd give my eye teeth to sleep as much as we try to make her do." Dean just snorted a laugh, then headed towards the front of the room where the main light switches were.

"Think I'm gonna take a page outta your book, Sammy. Hot shower and a warm bed sound better than a cheap hooker tonight." Sam shook his head, but couldn't hide the snicker. Dean grinned, reaching out for the light switch and flicking it. A slice of warm, yellow light stretched across the floor from the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar. "Get some shut-eye, little brother. You earned it."

"Night, jerk," Sam said, crawling under the covers gratefully.

"Night, bitch."

The bathroom door closed, plunging the room into total darkness. Sam burrowed in, grateful that they were safe, that Natalie was okay, that they had put this case behind them…that…that….

It was that magical place between sleep and awake. That gentle lull of the world finally fading away, and all the aches, pains, and cares finally slipping into the nothing. The sweet, blessed release of all the pent-up corners and ghosts in your mind. Everything seemed to swim in colors for a moment, as if a watercolor palette had been spilled with the entire rainbow on it. And his dreams took over.

Sam shook himself and stretched his eyes. He had totally zoned out there for a second.

"You okay?"

He turned and looked at his wife. She had decided to drive tonight, seeing as he was worn out. Jess was looking back and forth between the road and him, her blonde curls bouncing as she did so. The concern in her eyes for him was obvious.

"Yeah. Uh- yeah. I'm fine," he said, rubbing his temples. "Sorry. Court was nuts today." She reached over and took his hand consolingly. He was grateful for the support, and as she lovingly rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand, he felt his exhaustion and frustration of the day drain away.

"Well, you better buck up soon- we're almost there," Jess replied in a gentle, yet energetic voice. "And you know that Natalie is going to explode when she sees you."

Sam grinned at that. Despite the fact that they all lived in the same town and saw each other every Friday night for dinner, his four year old niece would shriek and throw herself on him like she hadn't seen him in years. It was her own unique way of saying hello. And he absolutely loved it.

They pulled into the driveway behind the Impala. Sam marveled at how well Dean had been able to keep her looking show room ready all these years. Not that there was much cause for it to get too dirty or anything, but still- it was impressive. Jess pulled in next to Baby. Once she set the car in park, Sam made it a point to exit his side quickly, so he could get around to her side and open her door for her. Her heart-melting smile at his chivalry both ignited his blood and soothed his soul, just like it always had.

Hand in hand, they walked to the front door. "What do you think is on the menu tonight?" Jess asked in a teasing voice. Sam chuckled. It was one of his favorite running jokes with his wife.

"I'm guessing either Piggly-Wiggly meatloaf or Winchester surprise," he said back, a twinkle in his eye as he tried to adopt a serious look. Jess just giggled. They ascended the porch steps. Sam reached out and gave a gentle knock on the door, before twisting the knob and walking in, as per usual.

"Hey, we're here!" he called out.

"Hi, honey!" came Mary's voice from the kitchen. But it was drowned out by a loud shrieking noise.

"UNCA SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!"

Suddenly the four-year-old torpedo of the family came flying around the corner, making a beeline straight for his legs. Jess just laughed and jumped out of the way- she'd been bowled over more than once and knew what to expect. Natalie wrapped herself around Sam's legs and held on for everything she had, screaming with delight as she did so.

Sam reached down and plucked his niece off his leg, which was a considerable feat. She had quite the death grip for a four-year-old. He tossed her up in the air once then pulled her in close. "Well, hey there, Bug," he said, grinning at her. She wiggled and laughed delightedly, as she always did when she heard her special nickname. Suddenly, the windows of the house went dark, as if someone drew the shades on every pane simultaneously. It didn't phase him- there was still plenty of light in the room. He focused back on his niece. "How have you been?"

"AWESOME!" she shrieked in delight, throwing her hands in the air before wrapping them around his neck and hugging him as hard as she could.

"Whoa there, tiger! I can't breathe!" Sam said playfully, squeezing her back. She released her arms, but started peppering his face with kisses. He just laughed. "You got a kiss for your Aunt Jess too?" At that, Natalie sat up straight in his arms. She looked over at Jess as if just suddenly realizing she was there too. Without any warning, Natalie wildly twisted in Sam's arms, heading in Jess's direction. Luckily, Sam had been around Natalie since birth, and knew her tricks. He guided her down as she fell into Jess's arms with a delighted giggle.

"Hi Aunt Jess!"

"Hi, Natalie!" Jess hugged the little girl, who in turn planted a sloppy, affectionate kiss on her cheek, before throwing her arms around Jess's neck, just like she had done a moment ago with Sam.

"Gently," Sam admonished his niece, slightly worried about how exuberant Natalie was being and if it was hurting Jess. However, Jess just gave him her one eyebrow cocked grin that told him he was being silly. He wrinkled his nose playfully back at her.

Mary came around the corner, drying her hands on a dishtowel. "Well, it seems that you stole my little helper," she said, smiling at her youngest son. "Hello sweetheart," she said to Sam, pulling his arm down so she could kiss his cheek. No matter how old he got, or how much she insisted on doing that, Sam blushed every time.

"Hey Mom," he said, smiling down on her. Mary walked over to Jess, wrapping her arms around her daughter-in-law and granddaughter at the same time.

"Hi," Mary said warmly. Natalie giggled as she was caught between the two women.

"Gramma, you're squeezing me to DEATH!" the four-year-old declared with a giggle.

Mary laughed. "Well, that's what you get for abandoning me in the kitchen, missy." Upon hearing that, Natalie leaned back so she could see Jess's face.

"Excuse me, Aunt Jess. Can you let me down please? I gotta go help Gramma in the kitchen, okay?" she asked in her most polite tone. Sam could see it on her face. Jess's heart expanded at hearing that cute little declaration.

"Sure thing, kiddo," she said, setting her down, her tone and face both saying that was almost too precious to handle.

"Thank you!" Natalie said in a rush, then turned to Mary. She bunny hopped the couple steps over and grabbed her hand. "C'mon Gramma, we gotta finish dinner so we can eat!" Natalie declared excitedly. Mary laughed, shaking her head at the young couple.

"Just like her father," she said, her eyebrow arching sardonically as she commented on her granddaughter's behavior. As if on cue, Dean came around the corner, beer in one hand and a grin on his face.

"Geez, thought you guys would never get here. The kid's been asking about you two all day," he said, his face splitting into a grin at his brother. "Hey, babe," he said, throwing his free arm around Jess in a hug. "How are you doing?"

"I'm great, Dean. You?" Jess asked with an affectionate smile.

"Couldn't be better." Just then, Dean noticed his daughter still tugging away ruthlessly on his mother's hand. "Hey, take it down a notch, squirt," he said mildly. Natalie immediately stopped pulling on Mary's hand, but instead started rocking back and forth, her eyes wide with energy and excitement. "Aren't you supposed to be cooking?" he asked her, before taking another swig of beer.

"I know!" Natalie squealed back, causing all four adults to pinch their eyes shut as she attempted to shatter all the windows. "C'mon Gramma, please?"

"Alright, baby, I'm coming," Mary said, as Natalie threw her entire weight into trying to drag Mary back to the kitchen. She just rolled her eyes and sighed with a smile as she disappeared back behind the corner. Dean shook his head, then pointed at his retreating child.

"I'm telling you, Sammy- we figure out a way to harness that kid's energy, we could light up Chicago. Make a fortune. No more of this lawyer crap." Dean removed his arm from his sister-in-law's shoulders. "C'mon out back. We're just waiting for the steaks to get done. Come grab a cold one." There was a sudden metallic crash from the kitchen. Dean's face went from happy to stoic in an instant. "Natalie!" he barked out over his shoulder. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!"

Dean looked back at Sam. "It's never 'nothing'," he grumbled. Dean turned on his heel and headed into the kitchen to see for himself. Sam couldn't help the snicker that escaped his lips. Jess elbowed him gently in admonishment.

"Sorry," Sam said, not sorry in the least. She grinned. They followed Dean into the kitchen, when Natalie was attempting to pick up the large metal mixing bowl she had knocked off the counter in her exuberance. Just then, the sliding glass door to the back porch opened.

"Sorry, I lost track of the little one. I was taking more sauce outside," Jamie said, surveying the scene. Natalie held up the giant empty bowl proudly.

"Look, Mama, I'm helping!"

"I'm sure you are," Jamie said with a wry grin at Mary, who leaned down to pluck the bowl out of Natalie's hands. Natalie spun around furiously to see who had taken her bowl, but relaxed when she realized it was only Grandma.

"Why don't you go outside with your Daddy and Uncle Sam?" Mary asked the little girl gently. "We'll be okay in here. You go play outside."

Natalie's face fell. "But I wanna help," she said, her eyes growing wide. Dean set his beer down on the counter and picked his daughter up.

"You can come help cook outside. How about that?" he said, matter of factly. At that, Natalie's eyes lit up.

"Yeah! Okay! I can do that!" she replied enthusiastically. But she still turned to look at Mary. "Gramma, are you SURE you're okay without me?"

Mary smiled softly, and walked over to her son and granddaughter. She gently rubbed Natalie's back and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "We'll soldier on," she teased, before tickling the little girl. Natalie squealed in delight and batted at her hands.

"Make sure you don't touch the grill, baby," Jamie said anxiously as she tossed a salad, knowing her daughter's curiosity often got the best of her.

"Okay, Mama," Natalie said jovially, bouncing in Dean's arms in anticipation of going outside to play. Jess gave Sam's arm a quick squeeze.

"I'm going to help the girls in here," she said. "Go have boy time." Sam dropped a quick kiss on top of her head, and followed his brother outside.

"We picked up a twelve pack of El Sol on the way over," Dean said, heading straight for the familiar green cooler. "That should get us through…what…one? Two hours?" he asked dryly, grinning in delight as he set Natalie down and lifted the lid on the cooler. He plucked one bottle out and handed it to his brother. He then looked over his shoulder. "Hey Dad. Need another?"

"Naw, I'm still working on this one," John said, his eyes not leaving the grill as he methodically flipped the steaks.

Always eager to be of help, Natalie piped up. "I can get you one for when you're done, Grandpa!" she said, jumping up and down before quickly reaching into the cooler. Dean, however, was expecting it. He gave her hand a light, little slap. He used his left hand so it wouldn't be too harsh. Sam noticed that Dean wasn't wearing a wedding ring, but it was more just a passing realization than some revelation. Somehow, he knew he wouldn't see one there.

Natalie withdrew her smacked hand with a pout as Dean closed the cooler. "I don't think so," her father said gruffly. "You know you're not supposed to touch beer bottles."

"I was just gonna HELP, Daddy."

"Sure you were. Why don't you go play in the yard?"

"Cause I wanna help cook! You said I could."

"Naw, squirt, I think we've got this covered. Don't you think you should practice your running for tomorrow instead?"

At that, Natalie's face lit up again. "Oh yeah! I should probably do that." She spun around on her heel to face her uncle. "Are you guys coming to my T-Ball game tomorrow?" she asked anxiously, her wide green eyes fearful that he'd say no.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Bug," Sam answered back with a grin, twisting the cap off his beer bottle. She jumped up and down, squealing with delight.

"Hey, you gotta practice running around those bases, kid. Right now," Dean reminded her seriously.

"Oh! Oh yeah!"

"Go!"

"Okay!" And she jumped off the porch, bypassing the steps completely, before landing solid on the grass and taking off running around the backyard. John grinned at his eldest.

"Nice move there, Dean-o," he said, as he put down the tongs and picked his own bottle back up. Dean shrugged modestly.

"Came up with that one about a week ago. Jamie hates it because she gets all sweaty, but it makes Nat happy. And wears her out. So, win-win." John laughed full-bodied at that, holding out his beer bottle to his boys, who both tapped theirs lightly against his.

"Well, the kid ain't lacking in the energy department, that's for sure," John chuckled amiably. He turned to his youngest. "How's the lawyer world, Sammy?"

Sam smiled patiently. He knew that John was proud of him for being a lawyer, but also knew that his father was intimidated by all the pomp and circumstance that came with being a lawyer, so he always tried to downplay it a bit. "It's good, Dad. I mean, for the most part. Today felt like a circus, but we got there in the end."

"Did you win?"

Sam couldn't help the bashful grin that crossed his face. "Yeah, yeah. We won." John slapped him on the shoulder, his grin going ninety miles an hour.

"That's my boy."

*SPN SPN SPN*

About twenty minutes later, the whole family was sitting down at the table. After a slight protest of wills, which Dean of course won, Natalie had washed her hands and her sweaty face. She was now trying to climb up into her chair. She saw that two phone books had been placed under the cushion at her spot. She pursed her lips and yanked one of the books out. "I'm getting really tall," she announced to Sam. "I don't need two books no more." She climbed up in her seat, plopped her butt down, and realized that she could only partially see over the table with one phone book. "Dammit," she grumbled.

"Natalie Grace!" Jamie scolded. Natalie's eyes darted nervously over to her mother, who was sitting on the other side of her father, giving her The Eye. She knew better than to swear around the family. She had to apologize, or she knew she was getting her mouth washed out with soap.

"Sorry, Mama."

"Don't use language like that again, or no dessert. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Jamie lightly hit Dean on the shoulder. "Stop laughing. You're encouraging her," she scolded him, trying but failing to keep the smile off her own face. Dean was staring straight down at his lap, nearly turning purple from trying to obey Jamie's command. He looked over at Natalie and winked once, causing the little girl to grin impishly. Jamie just heaved a sigh, shaking her head with a smile.

"Hey Bug, let me help you out," Sam said gently, hoping to help diffuse the situation. Natalie scrambled off the chair, and Sam made short work of adding the book and cushion back on top, then picking her up and depositing her on top.

She grinned charmingly at him. "Thank you, Unca Sam!"

Jess came up to the table, a long lighter in her hands. She reached out and lit the two tall, taper candles in their brass holders in the center. Without really thinking about it, Sam reached back out and snuffed them out with his fingers. No one said anything- no one even really seemed to notice. But suddenly, it was important that those candles weren't lit. He wasn't sure why.

They began passing dishes around. Natalie sat patiently while Dean spooned food onto her plate. She tried to help pass the heavy dishes, but Dean simply held them overhead, way out of her reach, and over to Sam. It was the typical ritual any time they all sat down to a family dinner, almost becoming a game after so long.

Sam looked up to see John give Mary a quick wink. "Tastes great, darlin'," he said appreciatively. She blushed and leaned towards him, giving his knee a quick squeeze.

"Thank the girls- they did most of the work," she said humbly. Jess just shook her head with a laugh.

"What can I say? I'm a whiz at setting the table because everything else is DONE," she said teasingly, before taking another bite of broccoli. The family chuckled comfortably. Mary stood up to light the taper candles again, and just as before, Sam reached out and snuffed them.

"So Slugger- how was school today?" John asked Natalie, who was currently wrestling with her little piece of steak.

"Dumb," Natalie grumbled, before catching her mother's eye and fidgeting. "I mean," she quickly amended her statement. "Fine."

"Ah, it's school, squirt. Of course it's gonna be dumb," Dean said to her, his cheeks bulging. This time, he caught HIS mother's eye. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he focused back on his plate.

"What didn't you like, Natalie?" Jess asked. "About school?" Grateful for the opening, Natalie turned to Jess.

"It's really boring. Like, there are kids who don't even know their letters yet," she said, full of four-year-old disgust. "These people let these kids go to school and they don't know NOTHING. I mean, who even does that?" Sam had a sudden sense of déjà vu- like he had heard Natalie say that before, but in some other time and some other place.

"Well, not everyone's a genius like you," Dean said proudly, ruffling her hair. She beamed at his praise, then began attacking her steak again.

"Dean, can you please help the T-Rex with her dinner?" Jamie said, a twinkle in her eye. Dean reached over immediately and plucked the fork out of Natalie's hand. He began cutting her meat into bites that she could handle.

"So Sammy here tells me that he won his big lawyer case today," John said, changing the subject. Mary's eyes went wide with delight, and she clapped her hands together once in joy. Jamie leaned around and smiled at Sam. He had forgotten what a great smile she had.

"Congrats, Sam, that's really great!" she said enthusiastically. Sam just blushed again, tilting his head to the side, uncomfortable but grateful for the praise and support of his family. He caught his father's eye. John held up his beer bottle again in salute. A void that Sam hadn't realized he had suddenly filled to the brim at that gesture. His dad was proud of him. And had told him so with a simple gesture.

"Sweetheart, that's so wonderful," Mary said happily, before standing up and looking around the table. "Anyone need a refill?" She went off to get the water pitcher, just as John stood up and relit the candles. Sam snuffed them out, the soot of the wick feeling greasy between his fingers.

The family continued eating, chatting and catching each other up on their days and happenings of the last week. At one point, Natalie surreptitiously tapped Sam on the leg. He looked over at her, but she was pretending to be absorbed in some story John was telling. He was confused, until he looked down at her tiny fist. She opened it up to reveal a handful of broccoli that she was trying to pass off to him. Sam pinched his lips together, trying desperately not to laugh at her attempts to get out of eating her vegetables.

"Bug, you need to eat your vegetables," he whispered back, trying and failing to keep from grinning. That earned him a big bitch face from his niece. Instead, he watched as she transferred the broccoli to her other hand, and tapped Dean on the leg. Without missing a beat, Sam watched his brother reach down, take the veggies, and smoothly slide them onto his plate without anyone noticing. This was clearly a much-rehearsed practice between the two of them. Sam took a huge drink of beer to hide his amusement.

*SPN SPN SPN*

That night, Sam was sitting at the edge of the bed, peeling his socks off, while Jess was in the bathroom, getting ready for bed. "What time is Natalie's T-Ball game tomorrow?" he asked, balling up his socks and tossing them towards the hamper.

Through a mouthful of toothpaste, Jess answered. "Jamie said it starts at 10:30. If we leave here just after ten, we should make it in plenty of time," she called from the bathroom. Sam heard the water running as she finished up.

"Okay, no problem," he replied, twisting his wedding ring around his finger. "Wanna take everyone out for ice cream afterwards?"

"Oh hell, yes," Jess said excitedly. "Nat would love that, and that way I can spend some more time with Jamie. I don't get to see her that often." Jess loved ice cream almost as much as Natalie's mother and Sam knew it. She appeared at the doorway again, looking lovely in a baby blue short nightgown, while holding her toothbrush. She watched as Sam absentmindedly twisted his ring.

"I wonder how long it's going to take Dean to put a ring on Jamie's finger," she said, sardonically raising an eyebrow. Sam shook his head.

"It's not him- it's her."

"What?"

"Oh yeah. It's not Dean- it's Jamie. He's proposed to her like five times already. Ever since Natalie was born. She keeps saying she's not ready yet."

"You never told me that."

"Sorry. I guess it never really came up before."

"I wonder what's holding her back. I mean, she and Dean have been living together since they found out she was pregnant."

"I don't know, but I guess she's probably worried that Dean's a flight risk, you know? He was never exactly 'Mr. Domestic' growing up."

"Yeah, but anyone can see that he loves Natalie more than his own life. He's not going anywhere. And if he's proposed to Jamie, he obviously wants to be with her, too."

"I do know that Dean's crazy about Jamie," Sam said, shaking her head with a smile. He had never seen his big brother so smitten before. "I know that he's not going to STOP proposing until she says yes."

"That doesn't surprise me," Jess said with a eye roll and a smile as she walked back into the bathroom to deposit her brush in its holder by the sink. Sam smiled as he heard her open the drawer on her side of the vanity. He could picture what she was doing by just the sounds. She had a typical nighttime routine of teeth brushing/moisturizing/vitamins that she never strayed from. The rattle of the pill bottle suddenly made him wonder. He looked over at the clock on the digital alarm on his side table, squinting to see the date.

"Hey," he called out. "Are you ovulating?"

She walked back out, leaning against the doorframe with a sarcastic smile on her face. "Wow," she said dryly. "Talk dirty to me, stud."

That made him laugh and blush, all at the same time. "Sorry. Wasn't the most romantic pick-up line, huh?"

"You've definitely done better."

"Oh, have I?" he said cheekily, playing with her. He could only really let his guard down with her, goofing off and trying to be flirtatious. He never felt all that sexy growing up, even though he'd never really hurt for female companionship in teen years. But something changed when he met Jess. She made him- bold. Fearless. Brave. A better man.

He tried to recall a successful pick up line that he'd used on her in college, forever and a day ago. He was drawing a blank. He remembered that she used to wear a Smurfs tee shirt to bed. She would bake him cookies to welcome him home. And the fire….

Suddenly, it was as if his lungs closed off. There was this terrible fear…a gripping sensation of panic in his chest…and loss…loss that made his veins feel like they had lead in them. He shook it off. The feeling passed. It must have been a dream…or a terrible nightmare. But she was here, now, and smiling at him in that suggestive way that made his libido pay attention. She crawled into bed, reaching for the single lamp illuminating the room and switching it off.

As her lips found his, he remembered thinking that if this was a dream, he didn't ever want to wake up.

*SPN SPN SPN*

The next day, the whole Winchester clan was sitting in the bleachers with a thousand other parents and family members, watching the 4-5 year old division county T-Ball team. Natalie had already made a good catch, scooping up the ball in her oversized mitt and hurtling it to second base. She had celebrated her 'out' by doing her own little victory dance at first, which Jamie captured on her iPhone for posterity. Now it was her turn up to bat.

The family cheered as she strode to home base, in a helmet much too big for her. "I still don't see why they have to wear helmets for freaking T-Ball," Dean said out loud for the umpteenth time.

"For safety, Dean," Sam replied. "Less chance of a lawsuit if it can be proved that the league was taking every precaution in case a player gets hurt."

Dean looked at his little brother, sitting next to him, with a look of incredulity. "Do you EVER say something that's not just ridiculously nerdy?" Sam responded by playfully shoving Dean back, who retaliated. The friendly fight escalated until Mary interrupted.

"Do I need to take you two out of here?" she said jokingly, turning over her shoulder and raising her eyebrow at them like she used to do when they were little and acting up in public. As if by instinct, Sam and Dean immediately stopped the fighting with a chuckle.

"Quit being dumb, you two. My granddaughter's up to bat," John barked over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off Natalie. "C'mon Slugger, knock it out of the park!" He grinned as Natalie stopped, gave him a thumbs up, and accepted the bat from the umpire. Suddenly, Sam realized how very exposed they were out here. Like…someone was watching them. He looked up at the sky, frowning. A cloud suddenly moved in front of the sun, giving cover. There. That was better.

Sam watched with enthusiasm as his niece planted her feet meticulously, took a good, firm grip on her T-Ball bat, and swung with all her might. She actually got some decent air on the ball too, for being as little as she was.

"Great job, baby!" Jamie hollered, keeping Natalie in the frame of her phone and capturing it all on video. Natalie immediately flung the bat behind her and took a step towards first, but stopped suddenly. She looked quizzically at the first baseman.

"What is she doing?" John asked, confused. He looked behind himself at his boys, as if they had the answers.

"Search me," Dean replied, looking at his daughter. "Nat- RUN!" he hollered. As if driven by her father's command, she did. She turned around and headed to third.

"She's going the wrong way. She's going the wrong way!" Jamie said suddenly. "Dean!" she said, looking at him with her wide, chocolate eyes. "She's running the wrong way!"

"What do you want me to do about it?!"

"Natalie! Turn around!"

"That's not the right way, sweetie! Go back to first!"

"Slugger, go back! Wrong way!"

When it became clear that Natalie was in fact tuning every single one of them out, Dean shrugged and laughed. "Ah, screw it," he said. "GO KID, GO!" he roared, his mirth evident in his voice.

Spurred on by Dean's cheering, Natalie doubled her efforts, rounding third and slid straight into second. The ball thunked into the second baseman's glove, but she had made it there first. "Uh…safe?" the outfield coach said. Natalie stood up and turned to her family, giving them a full on Blue Steele duck lips pout and a thumbs up, clearly very, very pleased with herself. The Winchester clan roared laughing and clapped as hard as they could.

*SPN SPN SPN*

"So you KNEW you went the wrong way?" Jess asked, still giggling into her hot fudge sundae. The whole family was seated around a couple of shoved-together tables at their local ice cream parlor. Natalie, who was seated in Dean's lap and whose face was covered in ice cream, nodded vigorously.

"Yup," she managed to say, before shoving another mouthful of chocolate with rainbow sprinkles in.

"So why did you go that way, baby?" Jamie asked her, grinning from ear to ear, so proud of her adorable daughter.

"Because I know the kid who was at first base," Natalie proclaimed around her mouthful of ice cream.

"Hey- swallow," Dean scolded lightly. "Quit drooling chocolate all over me." Natalie giggled and gulped, then leaned back and opened her mouth wide, sticking her tongue out so Dean could see that she'd done as he asked. "That's better," he said, nodding seriously at her, making her giggle again. "So you knowin' the kid at first meant you couldn't go there?"

Natalie shook her head. "No, because he's gross."

"What do you mean, 'gross'?" Sam asked.

"He picks his nose in class. And EATS it. I didn't want him getting his gross boogers on my baseball costume." As the Winchester clan once again roared with laughter, Sam couldn't help but revel in the moment. All the family that he loved, together, safe and happy. He felt like this should be commonplace, but for some reason, it wasn't.

Then he heard a voice that made his blood turn to ice. A voice he hadn't heard in a very, very long time. "So what I can't figure out," the voice said. "Is who the KID is."

Sam froze- as did the rest of the room. Everything stopped, suspended in time. His eyes wildly darted to Jess to make sure she was okay, but she and Jamie were both frozen mid-laugh. He looked to his other side, his protection instinct going wild. Natalie was fine too- just sitting on Dean's lap, enjoying her ice cream. Not moving. Then he looked up into the face that made his insides turn to iron. A face he hadn't seen since his time in the Cage.

"She obviously means something to Dean. It's not every day he'd let a kid sit on his lap," Lucifer said. "But, as we all know, Dean is all about the glove-before-love kind of night. So it's hard to believe that the kid is his." Lucifer walked around slowly, his eyes never leaving Natalie's face. Every nerve in Sam's body was taunt. He had no weapon, no way of protecting the ones that he loved. Suddenly- he remembered. This was a dream. In real life, he was a hunter. There was no John, no Mary. Jamie was gone with the wind. And Jess…there was no….

"But she looks so much like THIS one," Lucifer continued, either unaware or ignoring the heartbreak that was crashing over Sam. He pointed at Jamie. "Maybe- it's her kid? And Dean's playing step daddy? He's done that before. Does kind of seem like a 'Dean' thing to do."

Swinging a chair around from a nearby table, Lucifer scraped it along the floor, right up to the edge of their seating arrangement. He plopped down, as if he'd been invited there all along. He looked openly at Sam, tilting his head slightly to the side as if daring Sam to challenge him.

"You…are not real," Sam managed to choke out, in as firm and scary a voice as he could muster. Lucifer spread his hands wide, supremely unconcerned.

"Neither is any of this, Sammy boy. And yet, here we are."

"How did you get in here? In my dream?"

"Ah, so you DO know this is a dream," Lucifer said in a patronizing tone, tilting his head back. "I was beginning to wonder if you were starting to hallucinate again. Ah, the good old days. Remember that? Remember how fun it was?"

"Go to hell," Sam spat at him. Lucifer sat back as if affronted.

"Well. I guess some of us remember it more fondly than others," he said dryly.

"Get out of my head!" Sam roared, standing up. Every nerve in his body turned to steel as he focused his rage on his enemy. Lucifer scoffed.

"Oh, calm down. I just wanted a look. I have to say, I have been very impressed with all the ways you were keeping me out. Drawing the shades at the house, snuffing the candles so I couldn't conjure my way in. You even drew a cloud over the SUN! Man! I had no idea you were so talented! You should audition for the X Factor."

"Lucifer, I'm warning you," Sam thundered, shaking with rage. "Get the hell out and leave us alone."

"Or what? You'll trap me in the cage?" he sneered. "News flash, Sammy. I'm still there. Like you said-" he said, pointing his fingers at his own face. "-not real."

Those words made Sam feel like he'd been winded. His lungs closed off, and he began taking short, shallow breaths, trying to catch back up. So it was true. This was really just a dream, and Lucifer was still in the cage.

The archangel shook one prissy finger at him. "Should have trusted your instincts. You said I wasn't real right off the bat. This- domestic life…" Lucifer said with derision. "It's making you rusty. Although I really enjoyed your little ménage a BLAH with your 'wife' last night. Too bad she's extra crispy in real life. You two would have made beautiful children."

Sam didn't remember closing the gap between himself and Lucifer- all he knew was that one minute he was standing on one side of the table, and the next, he was throwing the entire weight of his body behind the fist aimed at Lucifer's face.

*SPN SPN SPN*

Sam awoke with a gasp- as if he hadn't inhaled the entire time he'd been asleep. The room was still dark; the sun hadn't risen yet. But the sound he made was enough to wake Dean, who sat bolt upright.

"Sammy?" Dean called out immediately, his voice gruff from sleep and laced with the tension of knowing something was wrong with his little brother. "Sam, what is it?" Dean asked, focusing all his attention on Sam.

Sam took another moment to breathe before answering Dean. "It's…nothing, Dean. It's nothing," he said, catching his breath and rubbing the heel of his hand into his eye. He was surprised to find he was soaked in sweat. He swallowed hard, knowing that he had to get a grip before Dean freaked out even more and possibly woke Natalie up. "I'm okay, really."

"Yeah, that's why you're sweatin' like a whore in church. What's wrong? What happened?"

"It…just…bad dream."

"What kind of a dream? Did you…see something?" Dean asked cautiously. The tone in his brother's voice made Sam realize that Dean was thinking that he'd had another vision. He hadn't had a vision like that in years, but clearly, Dean still carried the memory of that terrifying time with him. He knew the only way to calm his brother down was to tell him…tell him….tell him what?

"Sam?" Dean said, a little more loudly and forceful this time.

"I can't remember," Sam said, completely puzzled. He was trying to hold onto the dream, but it was slipping away from him like sand through a sifter. "There was…we were all together and…happy, I think…"

"Okay…"

"But there was…I think there was someone there that wasn't supposed to be there," Sam said, struggling to grasp the last wisps of memory that floated through his fingers like vapor. Taking another deep breath, Sam realized that the dream was gone. Whatever it was- it was gone.

"Someone- like who? What do you mean someone who wasn't supposed to be there?" Dean said, thoroughly confused.

Sam shook his head. "I don't know, man. It's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean it's gone? Sam, you just woke up in a cold sweat! How can you not remember what happened?"

"I don't know what to tell you, Dean. It's gone."

"Sam-" Dean began, a little louder this time. Suddenly a rustle of blankets from the couch made both of their heads snap in that direction and both mouths shut instantly. Natalie fidgeted in her sleep once more, before sighing gently and relaxing again. As soon as he was convinced that his daughter wasn't about to wake up and want to start playing, Dean looked back at his brother. His panicked concern was evident.

Sam smiled, mostly to relieve Dean. "I'm okay," he whispered. "Truly." He could seen Dean was torn with indecision, but finally gave in.

"Okay," he whispered back, laying back down and turning to the side. After another moment of silence, Dean spoke again.

"It's okay, Sammy. I'm right here," he said in a hushed, thick voice. Sam had to lay down quickly upon hearing that. Dean used to say it to him when he would have a nightmare when they were kids. He hadn't heard it in so long.

"Thanks, Dean," he said back softly. Somehow, the nightmare or dream or whatever it had been was not nearly as scary now. If only he could remember what it had been.