Thank you sticking to it! Welcome to Chapter 3. Special thanks to Ster1, teal-lover, GotTheShining, St0pSmackinMe07, cavetrollgrl, and Poaetpainter for reviewing! Reviews are highly coveted and greatly appreciated, so if you can, please leave me a review! Thank you!!!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Sam and Dean, but I don't. Kripke, Warner Bros, etc are the rightful owners of all involved here. No profit is being made from this fic, it just helps me pass the time until Season 3 starts.

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"Why, Sam Winchester, as I live and breathe," came the husky greeting from the woman in her mid fifties standing behind the bar. Ellen threw down the dish towel she had been using and walked over to meet Sam, forcing him into a hug. "It's been too long, Sam."

Sam returned her hug only lightly, and nodded in acknowledgement as he pulled back. He looked around the bar; there was only one table filled, and it appeared to be a vacationing family with two small children. His thougths lingered briefly on the baby in the high chair with hazel eyes that reminded him of Dean's, he couldn't imagine bringing children into this world, but he was glad there was someone willing to do it.

Sam's reverie was interrupted when Ellen started talking again. "What on earth are you doin' here?" She placed a hand on his arm and pulled him toward a barstool gently, releasing her hold and walking back behind the bar only when she was satisfied he was moving in the right direction.

Sam shrugged as he sat down and propped his arms on the barfront. He looked up into Ellen's eyes as she set a bottle of beer down in front of him. He noticed a long streak of gray hair framing each side of her face that he had never seen before. "Just passin' through," he said, taking a swig of the beer. Then with a meaning he knew Ellen would pick up on, he simply said "I'm headed for Wyoming."

Immediately, the joyous smile dissappeared from Ellen's lips. Her face fell and became hard, and she took a step back from her spot in front of Sam. She glared into Sam's eyes with a look that may have been one of betrayal on anyone else, and shook her head ever so slightly. She swallowed hard, then quietly said "Sam..." The look on her face clearly showed she had something else to say, and was searching for the right words to make it work, but Sam cut her off at the pass.

"I'm not here for your approval, Ellen," he said harshly. "I have to do this."

"No, you don't." Ellen sneered. "You're being selfish. You're gonna go out there and open up a damn gate to Hell, and then you're not even gonna be here to clean up your own mess. And all just because you can't stand being alone." She threw the dish towel down again and put her hand to her forehead.

Sam sat there sulking for a moment before responding. "You're right, I can't stand being alone. But that's not what this is about--"

Ellen propped herself with one hand on the bar, and the other pointing a finger in Sam's face. "Then you tell me. What is this about?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "Oh, that's right. You're the only one who's ever lost a somebody to the Big Bad in the world. Well, newsflash, Sam. We're all alone; just look around. You, me, Bobby -- all of us. We've all lost people we love." She paused to take a breath, and started again just as Sam was about to retort. "And don't you dare tell me it's because Dean sacrificed himself for you, because every hunter who ever died doing this job sacrificed themselves for someone, whether it be someone they knew, or hundreds of people they didn't--"

"I know how to kill them, Ellen." Sam was weary of her ranting, and decided to end this moot argument. When he saw that Ellen was at a loss for words, he continued. "I found Colt's secret. Yes, I'm going to get Dean. He shouldn't have to suffer eternity in Hell for my sorry ass. But nothing at that gate or in my path lives. Nothing."

Ellen crossed her arms over her chest, swallowing hard again, and blinked away the tears welling in her eyes. She knew that 'nothing' most likely included Sam himself. "Sam...let us help you."

"No. No one else dies." Sam said sternly. He stood and cleared his throat. "Anyway. I just came by to give you these," he laid a key-laden ring on the counter. "Dean's car." Sam brushed his palm against his nose, sniffling a bit. "Just in case, y'know, I thought somebody who knew him should have it. It's at the 'U-Store-It' down in Beatrice. Small one's the key for the lock."

Ellen moved back to Sam's side of the bar, "Sam, please."

Sam ignored her plea and continued, "Rent on the space is paid up until the end of the year, but if you take it out before then, just...just treat her like she's the last living part of my family."

He pulled Ellen into a hug as a tear ran down her cheek and he blinked them away in his own eyes. They stood there holding each other for quite a while.

Eventually, Sam pulled back, sniffed, and said, "I gotta be headin' out. I mailed all my notes to Bobby, he should be able to duplicate it. Y'all 'll be demon-free in no time, and cursin' me 'cuz you're bored." He chuckled lightly, trying to bring some levity to the situation.

Ellen laughed quietly, smiled, and looked Sam in the face again. "You're stubborn, just like your daddy, you know it?"

Sam smiled and nodded as he squeezed her shoulder and turned to the door. "Good bye, Ellen."

"Bye, Sam. You take care of yourself." She watched him push the door open, and then almost as an afterthought, yelled "These keys 'll be right here when you get back!"

Without another word, the door clicked shut behind him.

"Happy birthday," she mumbled under her breath.

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Author's Note: Logical? Possibly not, but it's late. The next chapter will be a lot less talking and a lot more doing.

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