Jess closed her eyes.
How would you feel about coming back with me?
She wanted to cry, to hug Sam to her and thank him over and over and over. Instead she opened her eyes, made a decision and said one word.
Her voice didn't work and nothing came out. Sam looked confused, almost crestfallen, as if he wasn't sure if this was the right question to ask. Jess tried again, this time the word came out clear and simple. Her heart started to break as she saw pain play out over his face.
"No."
Sam's eyes filled with tears. "Jess...please..."
"I can't." She shook her head and pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, choking back tears. "I don't want to."
"You don't?" Sam looked confused, heartbroken. "Why?"
"No!" Jess exclaimed. "No, I want to come back, I do. Believe me, more than anything, alright? I want to come back, I really, really do. I just...I can't Sam."
"Why?"
"It's not right," she whispered. "When I come back...it's not right."
"We've come back before," he whispered.
Jess closed her eyes against a flood of tears. "I know. But you needed to, I don't. I couldn't live with myself knowing that you could have taken a child back instead of me." Her voice broke. "I just...I can't Sam, I love you so much but I can't."
"Jess, I need you."
"You don't. You're strong, brave. You've survived without me."
"Jess." The single word, that was all it took to make the dam break and Jess to begin crying in earnest.
"Sam..."
"Please..."
She needed to say one word, one word. One syllable. Three letters. And everything would change for her. She would be alive again, with Sam. "No," she said, breaking both herself and Sam with one word.
"Jess, I know," Sam took a deep breath, "I know - I understand- why you don't want to do this. I've been there before but I always changed my mind so let me try and change yours. Is there anything that would make you reconsider?"
"I don't know," she answered honestly because she wanted to come back, she longed for it, dreamed of it.
"Then let me try," Sam whispered. "Let me try." It took Jess a moment to realize he was asking her permission on the matter.
"Alright," she said softly, gazing up at him. "Persuade me." She knew from the flash of passion and pain that he recognized the words. Their first date. Sam and asked her out and she had declined, he'd left the matter alone for a while before asking again. That time she had answered with a soft, "persuade me." It had taken all of ten minutes before he had taken convinced her to let him take her to a dog show- however odd it sounded she had always loved dogs- and treat her to a cute little restaurant afterward.
Sam closed his eyes and swallowed, feeling a sense of relief he had brought with him the means to perhaps make her reconsider. He hadn't planned for any of this, just developed the habit of keeping it on his person most of the time.
"Jessica," he began, removing a tiny leather pouch. "Would you...would you do me the honor of...of marrying me?" He knelt, pulling the simple ring from the pouch.
Jess covered her mouth, sobbing in earnest. She let out a squeak at first and that was it, taking a moment to process what was happening. After a moment of the most tense silence, broken only by muffled sobbing, she very quietly whispered, "you persuaded me."
Sam started to cry, slipping the ring on to her outstretched hand and wrapping her in his arms, taking deep, steadying breaths as together, they sank to the floor.
Dean smiled softly and squeezed Cas's hand. "He did it," he murmured.
Cas smiled faintly back and kissed the crown of Dean's head as the older Winchester felt tears rise in his eyes. "He did," Cas agreed.
"Sammy's going to be happy," Dean whispered, a tear slipping down his face. "She said she'd come back."
"I know," Cas whispered back. "Dean, I know."
Mary knew she was crying this time. Sam, her baby, her youngest, was going to get married and she couldn't process it. He was going to be happy and finally, finally, have a normal life. The life she had always wanted for them.
John squeezed her hand and leaned closer to her. "You alright?" he asked softly.
"Better than I've ever been," she answered.
"Look at Dean," he whispered.
Mary tore her gaze away from her youngest and almost laughed when she saw Dean. He and Cas were practically sharing a chair and Cas's arm was around Dean's shoulders, both of them looked at Sam and Jess with soft love. Dean was crying slightly, it looked like. His green eyes were shining with pride.
Bobby glanced between his boys. Yes, they were still 'his'. John and Mary may have been their biological parents but Bobby loved and raised them the way a parent should have. So, yeah, they were his and no on would change that.
Dean and Cas were tangled up, Cas pressing kisses to the top of Dean's head and Dean, leaning into him, fingers tangled. Dean's eyes, so much happier than Bobby had ever seen them, were shining with tears and happiness.
Sam and Jess were still hugging, curled into each other sobbing and clutching at each other. The sight made tears spring to Bobby's eyes, remembering how tore apart he was after Jess had burned.
Bobby watched in silence and joy as Sam pulled Jess to her feet and kissed her. Here, unlike Dean apparently, Bobby had the decency to look away. Very quietly, in fact, he wasn't sure he had heard it at all, Bobby thought he heard the whisper of five words drifting from Sam's lips to Jess.
"I love you so much."
And that's when Bobby finally knew for certain his boys, his boys, would be alright.
