December 2018

The scenery's not much. A hibernating forest on the edge of a tiny town; mottled browns and grays under a winter sun. For some reason, though, it seems to appeal to the man, sitting out on the porch steps despite the chill.

He looks tired but serene as he sits there, arms resting on his knees and hands loosely clasping a beer. At the sound of approaching footsteps, he lazily pulls another one from a six pack by his feet, and hands it over his shoulder. The newcomer wordlessly takes the bottle, long, tan fingers curling over green glass, and perches on the top step.

For a while, the two just sit there, eyes idly roaming the silent landscape.

Then, the man on the top step clears his throat.

"So, when do you want to get going?"

The other squints at the sun, eyes turning almost emerald against the cold light.

"Dunno," he answers, in a tone that would, to all the world but one, sound casual. "Maybe we should stay for a while."

His companion raises the beer to his lips, his expression also deceptively neutral. Before taking a sip, he answers quietly over the neck of the bottle.

"Yeah. Okay."

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AN: Okay guys, that's as close to a happy ending I can (grudgingly) give the Winchesters :) Well, serenity's not a bad ending (and hey, a whole 200 words of it...).

Thank you all so much for reading along. I knew this was a crazy project when I started it, but I honestly didn't anticipate just how friggin' grueling it would be. If then, nobody had read it, after all that work, I think I would have just cried... :-/ So thank you so much for taking a look, and especially if you took the time to let me know what you think. And you lovely ladies who have been coming by and reviewing regularly: you're better than Santa :)

Aside from finishing my fic Narrate (I'm working on it, I swear!), I think I'm gonna take a bit of a fanfic writing break and try to do some original fiction. I'll be around, though, and I think I'll sign up to be a beta reader. I'm probably not much use with spelling and such, but I do love brainstorming with structure and concepts, and wording in general. So, if anybody wants a second pair of eyes for their fics, or just to get in touch for any reason at all, don't hesitate.

That's all folks! Have a wondeful Christmas and an even better new year :)