"This is your stop," Dean said, forcing a grin as the Impala pulled up outside the Roadhouse. Ellen nodded and slid out of the car. Sighing, the hunter followed her, grabbing the keys and heading around to the trunk to get her bags. "So," he began as he popped open the trunk and started digging for her bags, "we ever gonna see you again?"
"Probably not."
"Shame. I think Jaye would really like it."
"I think you're wrong," Ellen replied, grabbing her bags and heading off toward the building.
"Bye," Dean called out as she slammed the front door.
He closed the trunk and headed around to the front of the car, sliding back in behind the wheel. He turned to look at his daughter, who had climbed over the seat and now sat beside him. "You guys have some sort of blow-out?"
Jaye shrugged. "I guess I just figured out that I haven't really been missing much."
Dean shook his head. "Whatever." He started the car. "So, twenty bucks says your uncle was lying about going back to school."
"You think he's gonna keep hunting?"
Dean shrugged. They'd said their good-byes to Sam at the motel, waving as he thanked them, promised to call, and said he'd send a postcard from Wussy State. "It's hard to ditch your heritage."
"You did an ok job of it."
He turned to her. "Did you miss the past couple of days or something?"
"Up until this week, you've done a pretty good job of it," Jaye corrected, leaning forward to turn on the radio as father and daughter headed home.
o0o0o0o0o
Ellen sat at the bar, running her hands over the scratched surface, lost in thought.
"You Promise?"
"Demons can't conjure emotion out of the blue."
"I don't want to be alone anymore."
"You love him."
"What about what I want?"
"Deep down, you love him."
"I didn't want to break your heart."
"You just don't want to admit it."
She shook her head, desperate to clear it. It wasn't possible. She'd spent almost fourteen years denying it, hating him, hating herself, so it couldn't be true.
"Mom?"
Ellen jumped, expecting to see Jaye standing behind her, but instead found Jo. "Hey."
"When did you get back?"
"Just now."
Jo slid onto a stool beside her mother. "You get the demon?"
The older woman nodded. "We did."
"That's great."
"Yeah." She paused, wondering if it was the right time, the right thing to do, if it would ever be right. "Jo, honey, I've got something I need to tell you. I've should have told you a long time ago."
"What?"
Ellen sighed. "It's about Dean's little girl. It's about Jaydin."
"What? Mom, what is it?"
She looked at her daughter, her oldest daughter, and finally told the truth.