"When did you learn to drive a boat?" Sam asked as Dean maneuvered them slowly through the muddy swamp water.

"Not hard to figure out," Dean replied, then pointed out a bloated white form in the water, "Dead goat. Dude, that's gross."

Sam looked at the map, "We're getting close."

Dean remarked, "You would have thought Jack could get rid of the monsters for us now."

Sam replied, "You know you wouldn't have really been happy if he had." He pulled at his sticky, already sweat soaked shirt, complaining, "What he could have gotten rid of is humidity. I didn't think it was supposed be this bad in February."

"Mm," Dean considered. "Well, this is what we got. Probably best Eileen didn't come, then, though."

"She wanted to, but she's still pretty run down from whatever bug she picked up…Dean!"

About 150 yards away, a very run-down wooden swamp house covered in moss had just come into view, settled on a small patch of dirt amid the cypress trees. A hunched, pale form had darted inside and Sam could have sworn it looked like it had horns.

"I saw it," Dean responded, reaching for the machete. There was only vague lore on The Grunge with no obvious way that they needed to be killed. So, they'd decided machetes worked either way, if they turned out to be vampires or if they were deranged goat people. Looked like the later.

"Sam, duck!" Dean called out in warning, seconds after they had reached the house and stepped out of the boat. A definitively human form, but short and with stubbly, bony, horned protrusions from its forehead had just made a charge at Sam. Without missing a beat, Sam had ducked and Dean took its head off in one clean sweep.

"Thanks," Sam answered, sweeping the area more closely. "Think that's the only one?"

"Doubt it," Dean whispered and put a finger to his lips. They were hushed, but rough sounds coming from inside the house, what sounded like a cross between speech and the braying of a goat.

"There, out the back!" Sam called where three more figures had darted out.

With a grin, Dean pulled out a Katherine Wheel from his pocket and severed the rope tethering the other boat the creatures had been heading towards, watching with satisfaction as the boat drifted out of reach into the bayou.

Sam only spared a second to roll his eyes before decapitating the first creature he reached. Dean successfully dodged the charge of one of the other creatures, decapitating it as it passed.

"No!" the guttural sound called out from behind Dean, blending with Sam's defiant outcry. Dean had turned to face the creature one second too late, not quick enough to react as it lividly charged him. This one was the shortest, but had the longest horns and they had both pierced Dean square in the chest. Sam plunged his machete into the back of the beast and twisted upwards, ensuring he would do fatal damage without impaling it all the way through where he could hit his brother. With his other hand, he pulled the creature off of Dean. And froze. Dean had his hand to his chest, but blood was still rapidly spreading from beneath it. One of the horns appeared to have hit his heart.

Dean locked eyes with Sam and shook his head. "No. Don't you dare. Don't you start that," Dean implored against the gleam that had taken over Sam's eyes.

"Dean, I'm sorry. I should have been faster."

"No," Dean answered gently. "Not your fault, Sammy. It was bound to happen one day. Hell, it has happened. You'll be okay.

"No, I won't."

"Listen to me," he said emphatically. "Sam, we did it. We're finally free to make our own choices. No more following orders, no more Chuck. NO deals. You've always wanted out," his voice started to shake, "Eileen. Take it. Take care of her. Promise me."

"Dean."

"Promise me, Sam."

"I promise. I love you, Dean."

"Lll-ve," Dean slurred, before taking a deep final breath, "Sammy."

It was the picture of paradise, Dean couldn't deny that. But, as he'd told Bobby there was one very important thing-person-missing to truly make it the heaven he deserved. Because there was one thing Dean wanted that Bobby couldn't promise him right now. Sam. Without his brother, paradise didn't matter. So, Dean was clinging to the bulk of what Bobby had promised: he could have anything he wanted or dreamed and Cas was back to give him a little extra juice. No deals, he knew better than that. But, Sam didn't deserve to be left with a dead brother pinned to a nail in the middle of nowhere at night. Dean would rather be damned back to hell than leave things that way. So, yea, he was going for a drive. But not just to enjoy the scenery.

"Cas?" Dean demanded. It was uncertain, but also in no uncertain tones if the angel was really back. "Are you there? I need your help."

"Hello, Dean," Cas answered and continued without needing to ask. "You want to see Sam."

"I need to let him know I haven't just left him. That I'm still here."

Cas nodded. "That seems reasonable." He warned, "But, Dean, you do know you can't always do that. It'll make it impossible for him to…"

"I know." Dean answered shortly. "I just can't leave it like that, Cas."

"I understand," Cas answered. He placed his hand on Dean's shoulder and instructed, "It's your show."

Suddenly, Dean was back in the barn. Not as a ghost, but just a distant observer. Sam was trembling and hadn't let him go. It killed him all over again to see his little brother like that, but that was exactly why Dean was here. Still, he hesitated. He didn't want to give Sam false hope that he was still there or think he was a ghost. But, he had to do something. As gently and caring as he'd ever done, Dean put a hand on Sam's shoulder, trying to give him the strength to leave. It worked. Sam did a double take, whipping his head around, only to take a breath and steady himself in the next moment.

Dean didn't leave Sam's side as he eventually made the way to the Impala. Dean gave the dog a nudge to move into the front driver seat.

Sam looked at the dog like the world had ended, but couldn't help but find some curiosity at the sight in front of him. "What? You trying to tell me not to mess up your girl?"

The dog barked and Dean said, "You know it. Or I WILL come back and haunt your ass, little bro." The dog barked again and pulled lightly at Sam's sleeve, as if to pull him into the driver's seat.

Later, Dean would make sure the first song that came over the classic rock radio station was "Ramble On." And, Dean would call on Cas several other times down the road on important dates like birthdays and Christmas. Just small things here and there—like the pigeon that showed up one week in a row and pooped on Sam's head twice or the truck driver named Dean that showed up to help replace the tire Sam had blown while missing some tools or even daring small trinkets like the necklace or an old lost item to reappear—that Dean hoped was enough to let Sam know that he hadn't just left him completely alone.

A/N: This is ending one. Trying to be respectful to the writer's decision, but just fleshing it out more/better. So that's it's not SPOILERS... some stupid nail in the back that kills Dean and so that Eileen doesn't just seem like an afterthought after being absent several episodes. That being said, I really, truly, absolutely and strongly disliked the series finale 5x21. So, this is purely reactionary at 3am. And if you also dislike that they left Sam "alone" like that...click next for ending two.