"So, Dean, Sam, what brings you to town?" Greg asked as they all settled at the dining room table.

Earlier, Dean had succumbed to the routine that had been his and Sara's. The familiarity of a Sunday morning spent in her kitchen had chased away his every honorable intention. Clad in only jeans and a tee shirt, his feet bare and not a weapon in place, he chatted with Sara, Sam, and the kids, drawing a smile from her face as he joked and teased. It was moments like these that screamed heaven to him in a way that halos, pearly gates, and angels never would.

Days like this drummed up vague and misty memories from a life he barely remembered. A life when Sam had slept content in his father's arms and Dean had needed a stool to reach the countertop. Here, his memories of his mother, darting around the room her infectious laugh drawing smiles from his father as she made breakfast, were strongest.

Sam had once walked away from hunting and all it involved. His brother had found happiness in denying all he was and by forging a new life for himself. It was something Dean would never understand. How Sam could ignore his every instinct was beyond him. For Dean he never found himself wanting to deny what he was. He simply wanted acceptance for it. That's why things would have never worked with Cassie. Dean had found it impossible to deny what he was and she'd been incapable of understanding it.

Sara on the other hand understood. She'd seen the worst the world had to offer and she'd forged out a life despite it. Never again would she turn a blind eye to the evil that stalked humankind and she was okay with that. She'd found a balance that his father never had. Her kids would grow strong and capable but they would also find their place in the world of light as well as the world of shadows.

For Dean she offered the very best of both worlds. He never needed to close himself off to all he was as Sam had at Stanford. Here in this room with this woman he didn't have to pretend. For once, he could be completely honest. Missing Sara had been hard enough these last six months. Missing everything that Sara represented had been nearly every bit as hard. He'd lost not only the woman he loved, and the children he loved, but also the life he loved.

"Dean?" Sara called, drawing his attention back with a snap.

Dean met her gaze and saw the concern in her eyes. Unwilling to cause her more pain, he worked to keep his words as close to the truth as possible.

"We were working in the area and ran into car trouble. I was hoping to get in touch with Brian today," Dean answered, his gaze searching Sara's as he stuck to the basics. He could see the million questions that were running through her mind, only he couldn't find the answers for them. If he told her the truth, he risked her wrath. Sara was nothing if not self-sufficient and the idea that she couldn't handle her own life and the lives of her children would not go over well. If he lied, he risked giving her the wrong idea. He didn't want her to think he was here for her. He'd made his decision and he was going to stick with it regardless of how much it hurt.

"Brian's on vacation, hunting this week," Greg answered as he played with the food on his plate.

Dean had noticed that for all the man had quickly accepted Sara's invitation to breakfast he didn't seem particularly hungry. The thought that his presence might be the cause of Greg's lack of appetite very nearly brought a smile to Dean's face. The older man's continued proprietary attitude had rubbed Dean the wrong way to say the least. It also spoke volumes about his and Sara's relationship.

Dean knew Sara from the inside out. He had no doubt that if Sara had made any kind of commitment to Greg that the other man wouldn't be bristling at Dean's appearance. It's why Dean had never minded Brian Reed's blind affection toward Sara. She had regulated the man to the boundaries of friendship and that's where he would stay regardless of his own wants. Dean pushed down his self-satisfied emotions and reminded himself that he couldn't stay. A glance toward his brother, showed that Sam was nearly as upset as he was by the idea that Brian would be gone for the week.

"There's other mechanics in town," Greg offered as he reached out to snag Michael's juice glass from falling off the edge of the table. "Careful, Michael," he warned.

The low growl from the corner of the room, reminded Dean that Jack was in his accustomed spot hoping for handouts. "No one with a flatbed, I won't tow my baby." Dean leaned back in his seat and again noticed Sam's flushed face. He really hoped his brother wasn't too upset on his behalf.

"The Impala's that bad off?" Sara asked surprise evident in her tone.

Dean nodded and said, "Someone slashed two of her tires."

"Damn, who the hell would have done that around here?" Sara asked.

"Got me, they didn't even have the decency to puncture the tread they went straight for the walls."

Sam's coughing fit nearly drowned out the end of Dean's sentence. Whacking his brother between the shoulder blades, Sara said, "Sammy, come on, Sam breathe."

Sam waved a hand, his face near purple in color, as he struggled to draw breath. Sara's hand still hovered over his back and Dean kept expecting the older woman to raise Sam's arms up over his head at any moment. Sam must have been worried as well because he croaked, "'M fine, really. Just down the wrong pipe."

Dean relaxed back in his seat, happy to avoid having to do the Heimlich on his baby brother. "Yeah, so anyway, we were hoping that Brian would be willing to tow it back to his place and order me a set of tires."

"It's his annual trip, he'll be gone at least until next Monday. Greoff's can tow it, they have a flatbed and I know Jeff Greoff pretty well from back when Jason had his shop. Why don't you have him tow the car here, at least then you can jack it up and pull the tires," Sara offered her gaze still focused on Sam.

As much as Dean wanted to take Sara up on her offer of hospitality he knew it would only complicate things. He was just about ready to say no when Greg spoke up.

"Sara, I'm sure these guys have places to be. They can't just spend a week waiting around till Brian gets back," Greg's voice made it clear that he expected Dean to jump on his words.

Dean very nearly did, in fact if Greg hadn't chosen that moment to reach out and brush his hand against Sara's he probably would have. Instead the gesture made him see red. "We've got no where to be. We'll call Greoff's and have them tow it here."

"Yay!!!"

Dean had just picked up his coffee for a sip when the cry echoed through the room. Jim and Mike let loose matching cries and jumped up from their seats. Mike made for Sam and Jim wrapped himself around Dean. Dean drew the older boy onto his lap, hiding his urge to cry, and hugged Jimmy tight. "We missed you guys too," Dean assured him as he held tight to the boy.

"Jim, you and Mike go get dressed. I'm sure Dean's gonna wanna be there when the truck picks up the Chevy, you guys can go with him," Sara said as she began gathering up the breakfast dishes. Though he could hear the upset in Sara's voice her eyes were dry.

Sam stood to help her and was waved down for his efforts. "You guys made breakfast, I've got the cleanup."

At her words Greg stood and began to help her clear the table. Dean had just finished his last cup of coffee when the clatter of feet alerted him to the fact that the boys were back.

"We're ready," Jim said as he took a knee next to his brother and began tying Michael's shoe.

"I ready."

Dean turned toward Jess and grinned. The little girl had insisted on sitting right next to him and Dean had found himself more than happy to humor her. "You're not even dressed yet, babe."

At his words, tears pooled in Jess's big blue eyes and proceeded to slip over the edge of her lashes. "I go, please. I go, Dee." Dean looked toward Sara before answering. She rolled her eyes at him and shrugged which he took to mean it was up to him.

"You can come if I can borrow Mom's van," Dean assured the little girl. Like magic her tears dried up and her smile threatened to split her face.

"I get dressed," she said and off she went her little legs flying.

"Let me get the number for you," Sara said as she headed into the kitchen.

888

Sara ignored the obvious anger on Greg's face and quickly got the number Dean needed. To say she was pissed with the older man was an understatement. His little attempt at herding the brothers on their way had put her back up. She wasn't used to having someone interfere in her life and she wasn't about to change. At least that's what she assured herself every time her heartbeat sped up at the thought of Dean staying for a full week.

As Dean made his phone call, Sara set about filling the dishwasher. Greg continued to clear off the table and it sounded as if Sam was helping Jessie dress. Once the table was cleared, Greg moved into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Sara, do you really think this is a good idea?" Greg asked his voice sounding a bit petulant.

"Honestly, I think it's none of your business, Greg. Sam and Dean are like family to me. They're always more than welcome here." Sara didn't allow herself to dwell on her words. She knew she was setting herself up for heartbreak but there was no way she'd admit that to Greg. It was already obvious that the handsome man hadn't been quite honest with her when he'd said he wasn't interested in her romantically.

Sara watched as Greg's expression went from annoyed to serene in a moment. "I'm sorry, Sara. You're right it's none of my business. It's just I've come to care for you and I know how upset you were when Winchester left before and I just don't want to--"

Sara raised a hand and interrupted his words, "Don't. Just don't. I owe both Dean and Sam more than you can imagine, if they need a place to stay for a couple of days it is the least that I can do for them. I'm sorry if you have a problem with that."

Greg shook his head. "No, no problem, I just want you to be happy.'

"We're going, Sara. I'm gonna meet the driver in fifteen minutes. It'll be good for the kids to learn a little about proper towing," Dean said with a look of exasperation toward his own brother.

Sara smoothed her expression and turned to face Dean, she couldn't help but wonder just how much he'd heard. Feeling better than she had in weeks, Sara smiled and said, "If you think you can handle them, they're all yours. I'm behind on my writing anyway, it'll give me a chance to get some research done."

Sam's expression perked up at the word research, but before he got a chance to say anything Dean cut in.

"No way, Sammy, if anyone needs a lesson in towing it's you," Dean said his voice brooking no argument.

Sara wasn't sure but as Dean and Sam herded the kids out of the kitchen and toward the garage she could have sworn she heard Sam mutter something like, "Never again."

Sara turned back to Greg, smiling a bit, she held the coffee pot out toward him. "How about a refill?"

888

Sam was exhausted. Between the last two hours of Dean's lectures and three kids hyperactive energy he felt as if he'd tangled with a poltergeist rather than a simple trip into town. Dean had insisted on helping the tow truck driver load up the Impala so Sam had been relegated to babysitter. Luckily for him the three kids had found the process of loading the big black Chevy to be fascinating so other than the occasional argument they'd behaved well. Once the car was on and secured to Dean's satisfaction, and really Sam should have tipped the driver more, he'd opted to drive back with the tow truck leaving Sam with the three kids and the mini-van.

The car ride back to Sara's had been nothing if not informative. Jimmy especially had let a lot slip, giving Sam a clearer picture of just how hard it was on Sara when Dean left. Sam couldn't help but worry that he'd only made things worse by ending up on Sara's front step. It really hadn't been his intention he'd simply wanted to stay in town a bit longer to ensure that everything was okay.

Once again at Sara's, Sam kept the kids out of the way while the car was rolled off the truck and he'd then helped to push it the few feet into one of the garage bays. Sam had then slipped away, anxious to avoid any more lectures and curious as to what kind of research Sara was doing. Leaving the kids with Dean, he headed into the house and into Sara's office. Though his brother wouldn't admit it, Sam knew that Dean was relieved to find Greg gone when they'd returned. Sam had to admit he was just as glad to see the older man was gone. This was their family and to see a stranger encroaching on their lives made Sam angrier than he cared to admit.

Sam stepped down the hall intent on Sara's office. As he approached he was surprised to note that he couldn't hear either typing or the music that so often accompanied Sara's writing. A glance inside the office showed that Sara wasn't in the room. Always interested in Sara's writing, she was a horror writer who specialized in the supernatural, Sam stopped to look over her notes. He was unsurprised to see her newest novel seemed to focus on a killer clown. Sam had to chuckle as he read over her research notes. Sara's fans would be surprised to learn that every one of her stories had some basis in truth. Actually, Sam thought with a shudder, they might be more than surprised.

"Sam?"

Sam turned at Dean's call and left the room. Down the hall he went and into the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, he found Dean with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Sara writing?" Dean asked as he sipped the black brew.

Sam shook his head. "No, she's not in there."

"Huh?" Dean looked surprised by the news. He turned and left the room, heading for the living room.

Sam followed curious to see what the kids were doing. They seemed overly quiet and for the Power's kids that was always bad news. Surprisingly, when he reached the living room he found the kids were all in quiet pursuits. The boys were both happily engaged in a video game and Jess lay on the floor with a coloring book spread out in front of her and a handful of crayons at her side.

"Hey, Mike, run up stairs and see if your Mom's up there," Dean said, his gaze looking a bit worried.

Like a flash Mike was off the floor and up the stairs. Sam sent his brother a quizzical look unsure of why Dean seemed nervous. Most likely Sara was upstairs folding laundry, the one chore that seemed never ending. Dropping to the ground next to Jimmy, Sam took up Mike's controller and began to play.

Mike was back down the stairs a moment later. As he dropped to the ground once more, leaning back against Sam and taking his controller back he said, "She's asleep."

Sam met his brother's gaze in surprise. Sara wasn't the type of person to take a nap, especially when she had guests. "She was up late last night, maybe she's just catching up on some sleep," Sam offered trying to ease Dean's anxiety.

"Mom falls asleep a lot now," Jim said his gaze still focused on the TV in front of them.

"I'm sure she's just tired, kiddo. We got in pretty late last night."

Dean didn't look quite as calm as his words suggested. "Sam, you gonna be in here for awhile?" Dean asked his gaze traveling toward the ceiling.

Sam nodded and settled Mike more firmly against him. "Yeah, I was gonna challenge these guys to a game."

"Alright, well then I'm gonna go raid the garage and get my baby jacked up. Call me if you need rescuing," Dean said with a chuckle as he headed out to the garage.

888

"Sam, I'm hungry," Jim said, drawing Sam's attention from the book he held.

Placing a finger in his book to hold the page he was on, Sam looked up and found Jim standing before him. "What time is it?" he asked as he glanced down at his watch, answering his own question. He was surprised to find it was after three p.m. He'd settled Jess down for a nap over two hours ago and had then proceeded to pick up one of Sara's novels. It had taken only a couple of pages for him to become completely absorbed in the book. "You're mom's not up yet?" Sam questioned shocked that Sara seemed to still be upstairs.

Jim shrugged and said, "She's still asleep, I promised Dean I wouldn't wake her."

Sam couldn't imagine just how tired Sara had to be to sleep the day away. "Well, I'm thinking at this point we'd better wake her up or there's no way she'll sleep tonight. How about you get a snack for you and Mikey and I'll go wake your Mom."

The young boy nodded and headed for the kitchen, Sam stood and stretched while he considered if he should interrupt Dean or not. He had no doubt that his brother was probably out in the garage going over the Impala with a fine-tooth comb. Sara's husband had been a mechanic and the garage was fully equipped. It was rare that Dean ended up somewhere he could really work on the car with a full array of equipment, he was probably in heaven out there. Sam started up the stairs, there really was no reason for him to interrupt Dean and he was fairly sure it would be easier for Sara if Sam was the one to wake her.

As he entered Sara's room, he was a bit surprised by how bright the room was. The blinds hadn't been pulled and the afternoon sunshine beamed through the windows. He couldn't imagine how Sara could sleep when it was so bright out. Not wanting to startle her, Sam called out, "Sara. Sara it's getting late."

"Sara,?" Sam called again as he inched his way closer to the bed. He didn't understand, Sara was always the lightest of sleeper, hell his tread into her bedroom should have been enough to wake her. She lay facedown on her bed with not even a cover draped over her. Sam couldn't see her face, it was turned toward the wall, but he could see the rise and fall of her back. A feeling of unease crept over him as he reached out and shook Sara's shoulder.

"Sara," Sam called as he shook her once more. He was just about to yell the house down for help when Sara responded.

Her eyes flickered open and she drew in a breath. She blinked a few times before she finally seemed to realize that someone else was in the room. Again, that went against everything that Sam knew about Sara. If anything he would have expected her to be awake and aware in seconds not obviously struggling to wake.

"Sara, you okay?" Sam questioned, leaving his hand on her shoulder.

"Sam?" she croaked at last, her voice sounding rusty with sleep.

"Yeah, it's me. You've been asleep for a while, I thought you might want to get up before the sun sets," Sam joked hoping his voice sounded calmer than he felt.

Sara closed her eyes again and rolled onto her back. Throwing and arm across her eyes she groaned and asked, "What time is it?"

"After three, you've been asleep close to four hours."

That got Sara moving. "Hell, I can't believe I slept that long. I don't even remember lying down," she mumbled as she slid off the bed and brushed her fingers through her hair. "What are the kids up to?"

"The kid's are fine. Jess is sleeping and the boys are playing. Are you feeling okay?" Sam couldn't help but ask. In all his time with Sara, the only 'naps' she'd taken had involved his brother.

Sara moved toward the bedroom door. Just before she crossed the threshold she stopped, swayed slightly, and said, "I'm fine, Sam. I guess I just needed to catch up on my sleep a bit."

Sam didn't bother to reply as he watched her walk out of the room. His every instinct shouted at him that something was wrong. That the Sara he had known and the one before him now were dramatically different. Problem was, after all she'd been through could Sam really say he was surprised she'd changed. Not only had she lost the man she loved but she'd been tormented and held hostage by a madman all within a two-day span. There were bound to be some changes.

Wasn't it possible that her nap had been brought on by a feeling of security. For the first time in months she could relax knowing that her children were completely safe. Sam nodded to himself sure that he'd found his answer. After all, Sara had never trusted anyone as much as she did Dean and Sam for keeping her family safe. Who was he to begrudge her a bit of sleep.

"Sam, you'd better not be rifling through my panty drawer," Sara called as she headed toward the stairs.

Sam rolled his eyes at her words certain now that Sara had spent too much time in his brother's company.