A shocked Sam stood in the yard, unable to fully comprehend Mary's words. "What do you mean you and Dad broke up?"

"It's a long story, buddy." Mary said. "Come on, let's go inside and we'll talk about it."

Sam wanted to protest some more, demand answers form Mary, but Mary gently prodded him into the living room. Bobby followed close behind, intrigued and angry all at the same time. What in the hell, Bobby thought, could have possessed these two to make such a damn fool decision? Sam took his seat beside Mary, impatiently waiting for some form of explanation.

"Mom, what's going on?"

Mary sighed, finally realizing how much she couldn't tell Sam. She couldn't give him the details of why she and John had broken up. Sam knew the truth about the supernatural, and the truth, as far as she knew it, about the night that Dean died. But Mary was terrified that, if she told Sam the entire truth, she'd lose him too.

"Mom, what happened?" Sam asked again.

"The details aren't important." Mary said, and was surprised when Sam didn't get angry at the lack of information. "But, basically, I liked to your dad about something important, and he doesn't feel like he can trust me anymore."

"So, what does that mean?" Sam asked. "Are you guys still hunting?"

"Yes, we're still hunting. And we're both still coming to see you. But it'll probably be separately." Mary said. When Sam didn't reply, Mary asked, "Are you okay? Do you have any questions?"

"Is Dad coming?"

"I don't know, honey." Mary said. "He promised he'd come see you after I left, but I don't know exactly when."

"But…" Sam still couldn't process what Mary was telling him. His parents were a team. Anything that could break them apart was something he didn't want to think about.

"Sam, listen. I know it's hard to think about. But this doesn't change the fact that Dad and I both love you. We're still your mom and dad. No matter what. Okay?"

"Okay." Sam said quietly.

"You have any questions for me?"

"No." Sam said. He turned to Bobby and said, "I'm going for a walk."

Bobby nodded. "Alright."

"Could I maybe go to Jack's?"

"Just call me if you do." Bobby said. "If you want to spend the night, that's okay, too. Just let me know."

"Thanks."

"Sam, wait…"

"I'll be back, Mom. I'll be back. I just…I just need some time. Okay?"

Mary didn't want him to go, but she looked at Bobby, who nodded. Trust me, he said silently. Just give him some time. Sam left, and Mary was left in an awkward silence with Bobby.

"You want to tell me what the hell happened?" Bobby asked.

"Not particularly."

"So, you just lied to John. About what?" Bobby pushed. "What the hell could you have lied about that was so bad he dumped you?"

"It was a mutual decision…"

"The hell it was." Bobby said sharply. "I can see it in your face. You didn't want this."

"Of course I didn't want this!" Mary snapped, then ran both hands through her hair and collected herself. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Now answer my question. What the hell was bad enough that John left you?"

Mary sighed. "You don't want to know, Bobby."

"Fairly sure I do."

"Fine." Mary said. "I knew the demon that killed Dean."

Bobby didn't know what exactly he'd expected, but that definitely hadn't been it. "You what?"

"I knew the demon that killed Dean." Mary repeated. "The same demon that killed Dean also killed my parents. John and I were running away that night to elope. The demon killed my parents, then caught up with me and John. He killed John too. I begged him to bring John back, and he agreed, as long as I wouldn't disturb him when he came to my house ten years later."

"The night he killed Dean."

"Yeah. The night he killed Dean."

"You think that's what he wanted? Your first born?" Bobby asked. "Demons usually go for your soul, don't they?"

"I have no idea. I really don't." Mary said. "I don't think he was after Dean, because he was in Sam's room."

"You think he was after Sam? What in the hell for?"

"I wish I knew. That's the other reason I want to find him and find out. See what he wants with my kids."

"What in the Sam hill were you thinking?" Bobby asked, pacing around the room. If Mary had been John, he was certain he would have hit her by now. "Making a deal with a demon?"

"I think I was a kid, Bobby. The man I loved, who was my ticket out of the life I hated, was dead. My parents were dead. And I felt like it was all my fault. I wanted him back. So, when the demon suggested the deal, I took it. Am I proud of it? No. But would I do it again? Yes. In a heartbeat. Because if I didn't, John would be dead and we wouldn't have had Sam or Dean."

A glass that had been on Bobby's counter in the kitchen a few feet away suddenly shattered. When Mary and Bobby got up to investigate, they found the floor covered in broken glass, and what looked like small footprints in the pattern caught Bobby's attention. When he knelt down, he muttered to himself.

"Balls."

"Bobby, what is it?" Mary asked.

Bobby pointed to the pile of glass on the floor. "I think they're footprints."

Dean had gotten better and better at hiding, but hearing his mommy say that she'd do everything all over again had made him mad. Real mad. It didn't bother him that Mary said she'd made a deal with what she called the 'demon' that killed him. Everybody made mistakes. He wasn't mad at her for that.

But, if she had the chance, she wouldn't fix it.

Did she not care that doing it all again would mean that Dean would die? Did she really care about him that little? He hadn't meant to break the glass, but when he did, he'd simply ran through the mess and up to Sammy's room to cry on the bed. He wanted to be with his brother, but Sammy had left the house without the object Dean was still attached to, so the only thing he could do was wait for Sammy to get home.

He hated being separated from his parents so much. But he couldn't reveal himself to them when they visited Sammy, or they'd really send him away this time. He understood they were just trying to make sure he could rest, that he could have a good time in Heaven waiting for them to come join him one day. But he wouldn't live there alone. He wouldn't do it. No one could tell him what would happen to him once he got to Heaven, so he wouldn't go. No matter what anyone said about it.

But, he thought, maybe now he should. If Mommy had the choice, she'd make the deal with the bad man who'd killed him all over again to save Daddy. So, maybe Daddy was more important to Mommy than he was. It didn't matter that if she could go back in time and not do it, she'd spare Dean that last moment of pain that haunted his little brain, and years of heartache and loneliness. Dean wondered for a moment if his being upset about this was silly. No one could go back in time. But, he decided, it would be cool to do it, to be able to fix mistakes, but Mommy didn't care. She only cared about having Daddy.

Not about having him.

In his eternally four-year-old mind, it made perfect sense. So, as Mary and Bobby discussed the broken glass downstairs, Dean sat on Sam's bed and cried.

Walking down the road to his friend Jack's house, Sam's mind was spinning. He felt he'd lost something, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what. Then he realized what the intangible 'it' was. His parents, despite their unusual life, belonged together. Their lives weren't all that stable, but their marriage was solid. Their love for each other was deep and unending. And it troubled Sam to his core that there was anything that could break it apart. He felt empty, hollow inside, like there'd been a death in the family.

"Sam! Wait up!"

Sam was shaken out of his thoughts by the arrival of his friend Jack. "Hey. I was just headed to see you."

"I know. Your uncle called me. Said you were headed to my house and you were pretty upset."

"He did?"

"Yeah. So, you want to tell me what happened? Did you guys get in a fight or something?"

"No. Nothing like that. My mom came to visit today. She told me she and my Dad were getting a divorce."

Suddenly Jack stopped. So suddenly, in fact, that Sam walked nearly another five feet before he realized that Jack had stopped. When Sam turned, he froze to the spot. Jack…didn't look anything like Jack. Physically, he looked the same. But his eyes were different. Reflecting the way they did in the sun, Sam was certain he was seeing things. But when he raised a hand to his eyes to see better, he gasped. Jack was smiling, an unnatural grin that almost seemed pasted on to his face. And his eyes weren't their normal brown color. They were yellow.

"Well, Sammy boy, I have to say. That's about the best news I've heard in a very long time."