Promise Me

by LosingMyself22

What happens if the best way to save the people you love is to leave them? Do you do it? Melody Scott struggles with the answer to that question. For the past year, her, Sam, and Dean have hunted and killed every monster they came across. Things were simple, but not anymore. Now, everything is about to change. (Sequel to 'Rescue Me' follows Season 2)

20. What Is and What Should Never Be

**Hey! I'm back! I know it's been a long time, but I hope this chapter was worth the weight in your opinions. I spent a really long time on it, but I think it came out well (I hope). Next two episodes are going to be the season finale! Hope everyone is as excited as I am! Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed to this story. It means so much to me, and it really is what keeps me writing. Please review and PM me what you think of this chapter! I'd love to hear from you!**

What Is and What Should Never Be

"Mel," I let out a small sniffle and glanced across the room at Sam from where I was laying on the bed watching television wrapped in a blanket.

"Yeah?" Yesterday, the word would've sounded more than a little stuffed up, but today it came out strong, almost healthy.

"Cop car," I stiffened, slowly rising from the bed and ditching the blanket. Sure enough, there was a cop car parked outside, it's lights flashing from red to blue. "Relax," I spoke calmly and reasonably. "It's probably just…" I trailed off when my eyes caught sight of the phone already pressed to Sam's ear.

Yeah? Dean picked up after the second ring.

"There's a cop car outside," Sam spoke in a hushed tone as if the cop could hear us from across the parking lot.

You think it's for us? Dean questioned, his voice growing tenser.

"I don't know," Sam answered truthfully, his eyes growing worried.

I don't see how. We ditched the plates, the credit cards. My muscles relaxed as the car drove away, and I rolled my eyes, annoyed at Sammy's paranoia. It wasn't the first time he'd been convinced we were being watched by the police. I took the phone from Sam's fingers, ignoring his protests.

"Another false alarm. The cop left," I informed him, sending Sammy a scathing look to which he shrugged. I put the phone on speaker as I set it down beside the books that were scattered across the table.

See? Nothing to worry about. Dean's voice held the same irked note that mine had.

"I tried that. It didn't help," Sam made a face at both me and the phone before heading over to the fridge. "You need to relax," I spoke the words again to Sam, who still looked tense.

"Yeah, cause being a fugitive is a freaking dance party," Was his sarcastic reply that made me sigh heavily.

Hey, man, chicks dig the danger vibe. I frowned at the phone as Dean spoke with a laugh in his voice.

"You know I can hear you, right?" My words were met with a brief silence that was interrupted by Sam's laugh.

I'm helping Sammy get some girls. He can use all the help he can get. Dean and I laughed while Sam glared at the phone and then at me. I returned his glare with an overstated shrug.

"So did you get anything yet?" He questioned Dean, returning our attention to the case at hand.

Are you kidding me? How could I? You guys got me sifting through fifty square miles of real estate here. A bad feeling gnawed at my stomach again, making me shift my weight and swallow hard. I'd wanted to go with him, but both boys had insisted on me staying in the motel room until I was one hundred percent better. The past few days had been a blur of me running a fever and being cooped up in the room doing research on the victims and the M.O.

"We can't help it. That's where the victims disappeared, and we don't have much else to go on," I answered, sniffling again and pulling Dean's jacket more tightly around my shivering frame.

Yeah, well, I got diddly-squat. What about you two? He sounded dejected, and I pushed the book over to Sammy, silently telling him to tell Dean. I felt as though I were going to sneeze, and I didn't want him to hear it or he'd force me to stay in the motel for another day.

"Just one thing - we're both pretty sure of it now. We're hunting a Djinn," Dean laughed in response to Sam's words, and I couldn't help but frown as the gnawing feeling returned.

A freaking genie? He sounded delighted by the news as both Sam and I made noises of agreement. You think these suckers can really grant wishes?

"From what I can make out, it depends on how powerful the Djinn is. They're not exactly friendly, though. They've been feeding off of people for centuries," I spoke up as the urge to sneeze dwindled, and I cleared my throat softly before continuing. "They're in the Koran a lot,"

Hey, how are you doing? You still sound sick? The concern in Dean's voice made me smile as my eyes flicked to the phone. He'd only been away a couple of hours.

"I'm fine and not the main concern here," I reminded him gently as my eyes returned to the books.

Right. So, where do the Djinn lair up? He questioned, returning to the case.

"Ruins, usually. Bigger the better - more places to hide," Sammy informed him, still fixed on the books laid out in front of him.

You know, I think I saw a place a couple miles back. I'm gonna check it out. He told us, and an irrational fear shot through me, making my eyes snap to the phone apprehensively.

"No," The word came out louder than I'd intended. "Pick us up first,"

You're sick. He reminded me, and I could tell he wasn't going to budge, but I tried anyway.

"Then come get Sammy," I protested as the bad feeling grew.

No, look, I'm sure it's nothing. I just want to take a look around. Dean insisted, causing me to let out a heavy sigh and bite my lip in unease. I'll pick up some soup for you on the way back, okay?

"Okay," I finally agreed, sneezing suddenly. Maybe I was still a little bit sick. "Love you," I added, not knowing why I said it, but feeling that I needed to. We'd been saying it a lot more lately, what with everything that had been happening.

You too. His voice was gentler now, and I glanced away from the phone, wishing the twisting in my stomach would disappear. My eyes happened to land on Sam's face to see he was glaring the book in front of him harshly. I'll see you soon. Dean's words were followed with a click of the line going dead, and I reached over to snap the phone shut.

-3rd Person-

Dean pushed the door open, walking through it out of the rain that had begun to fall lightly outside. He swept his flashlight around the old, abandoned interior of the building, noting the dripping sound coming from his left. He walked along the long deserted hallway, moving his flashlight around the ancient tools that hung around the room as he wondered briefly what type of soup he should pick up after he'd finished looking around. His light happened to pass over a mirror, and he caught a dark shape moving behind him. He froze, slowly drawing up the knife he had brought with him just in case. Djinn were people, which means they could be killed the same way people could. After a moment of complete silence, he whipped around the corner, brandishing the silver knife only to find an empty hallway filled with dirty windows and dark walls.

"Maybe Mel was right," He muttered lowly as he cautiously moved forward. He should have picked them up before coming to an abandoned building to look for a Djinn. He was still thinking that thought when he was abruptly grabbed and slammed into the wall next to him, the flashlight flying out of his hand to spin on the floor. He gathered his wits quickly, straining his arm to try to sink his knife into the Djinn's heart, but the thing caught his wrist, slamming it repeatedly into the wall until Dean had no choice but to drop the knife. The Djinn raised his open hand, and Dean's breathing sped up as the hand began to glow a deep blue. Dean tried to lean back, but the hand was laid firmly across his forehead despite his struggles. Darkness descended.

---

Dean shot up in the bed, breathing hard as another boom of thunder rang out. It took him a moment to realize he was in a bed and another moment to come to the conclusion he was naked. He glanced to his right to see a TV playing From Hell It Came in black and white. He didn't remember anything. Slowly, he turned to his left to see a woman lying on her stomach, her face turned sideways, and his eyes were drawn to a small scar on her right shoulder. For a moment, he panicked. No. No, he would never. He couldn't have-

The woman let out a small moan, shifting her face to the other cheek, so Dean could get a clear view of her features. He released a breath of relief, his muscles relaxing; it was Mel. Of course it was. But where were they? He slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake the sleeping figure lying beside him before he threw on jeans and a brown long-sleeved shirt. He flicked on the light revealing a cozy looking living room, but he didn't see anything except the phone on the counter.

Dean? Sam picked up after the first ring. At least something was normal.

"Sam?" He replied, more relieved than he would care to admit that his brother picked up.

"What's going on?" He questioned, his voice confused. Didn't he remember what had happened?

"I don't know. I don't know where I am," His rushed words were as confused as he felt.

"What? What happened?" Sam's voice finally grew worried.

"Well, the, uh, the Djinn - it attacked me," Dean frowned, desperately trying to think back to what had happened before he'd magically woken up next to Mel. But was it Mel?

"The gin?" Now Sammy sounded vaguely amused. Why was he freaking laughing? "You're drinking gin?" A note of pity entered the younger man's voice, and it made Dean frown at the phone.

"No, ass-hat," He snapped, annoyed at his brother's poor attempt at a joke. "The Djinn, the scare creature, remember? It put its hand on me, and then I woke up in the bed next to Mel, but she has some weird scar on her shoulder," He relayed everything he could recall to his younger brother, glancing into the hallway he'd just come out of.

"Dean, you're drunk. You're drunk-dialing me," Sam spoke as if he'd figured out the joke, and Dean frowned at the phone again in confusion and annoyance.

"I am not drunk. Quit screwing around," He snapped. Since when was Sam such an ass?

"Look, it's late. Just get some sleep, and I'll see you tomorrow, okay? And say hi to Mel for me, but don't wake her up. She has enough to deal with," Sam sounded almost… sad.

"Wait! Sam! Sam!" He hissed the name into the phone, but Sam had already hung up on him. His eyes scanned the room, desperately searching for any clue about where he was, and they landed on the stack of envelopes resting on the table. He snatched them up, and one particular name caught his attention immediately.

Melody Winchester

53 Barker Ave

Lawrence, KS

66044

"Melody Winchester," He spoke the name aloud, tasting it on his tongue as he did. The envelope was addressed to Melody Winchester. He read the name over and over again uncomprehendingly. With difficulty, he managed to tear his eyes away from the letters to the second part of the address. Lawrence, Kansas. "Lawrence," He flipped through the pile until he came to one addressed to himself. "What the hell?" He muttered, frowning in confusion.

"Baby?" His head whipped around, and his eyes locked on the woman standing at the mouth of the hallway regarding him with concerned eyes. "What're you doing out here?" He quickly put the envelopes on the table as she approached him slowly.

"Hey, Mel," His voice was soft as he studied her intently. She had put on a robe, shielding much of her body from his view, but what he did see seemed unmarred. "I just, uh…"

"Can't sleep?" Mel guessed, a small smile tugging at her lips as she encircled his neck with her arms. His hands immediately went to her hips out of habit as his head dipped down to meet her forehead.

"Yeah," He agreed, wanting to tell her everything that was wrong, but something stopped him. He was terrified she'd react the same way Sammy had, and then he'd be alone.

"That's alright," She whispered, a smile playing at her lips. "I wasn't planning on doing much sleeping tonight anyway," She raised her chin to brush his lips teasingly with hers, making his breath hitch. He needed to figure out what was going on. With a massive effort, he pulled back, and she frowned, lowering herself to stand solidly before taking a step back. "Okay, what's wrong?"

"What?" He questioned but couldn't help smiling at how well Mel knew him, and now she just raised her eyebrows at him. "I-" He abruptly broke off as he caught sight of a photograph resting on a shelf behind her. He brushed past her, crossing to the shelf in three strides and leaving her to follow him. He picked up the frame, scrutinizing every inch of the scene that was frozen in front of him.

"It's our wedding photo," His eyes flicked to her for a brief moment before they were back on the picture of the smiling couple. Mel looked gorgeous in her long, flowing, strapless white dress. Her veil was pushed back, so it half hid her chestnut hair, which fell in curls to her mid back. The Dean in the picture had his arms around Mel's stomach, and she was leaning back on his shoulder, smiling widely while her eyes were closed and her forehead tilted up to rest against his, their noses touching and their lips inches apart.

"We're married," He whispered, his fingers lightly touching the glass protecting the photo. Mel let out a laugh in response to his surprised statement, holding up her right hand for him to see the silver wedding ring that rested on her finger. He set down the photo, taking her hand gently in his while his eyes fixed on intently on the diamond in the center. A thought struck him, making him look down at his own finger to see a simple, silver band around his ring finger. "We're married," He repeated, and this time her laugh was slightly concerned as she furrowed her eyes.

"For eight years now," His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What the hell was going on? Him and Mel had not been married since they were twenty. They'd been broken up when they were twenty. Suddenly, his eyes caught something else, and his entire body froze. He slowly walked towards the photo, picking it up gently, as if it would break under the slightest pressure. It was her. That was impossible. He was barely aware that Mel caught the photo that had slipped through his fingers and nearly shattered on the floor.

"Come on," He grabbed her arm and dragged her out the door, ignoring her loud protests. He floored the gas as they sped through the streets of Lawrence towards the place Dean once swore he would never go again.

"Dean, I am in a robe," She reminded him, and he glanced at her to see that she was, in fact, only in a robe and giving him an incredulous look. Her eyes flicked past him at the house they'd stopped in front, and her irritation vanished into a laugh. "You lasted a whole four and a half hours," He frowned in confusion at her but was too caught up in seeing the woman inside to ask what she meant. He rushed up to the door, ringing the doorbell at least twenty times before the door opened to reveal a blonde, older woman.

"Dean," She greeted him, her tired eyes amused.

"Mom?" The word came out whispered, and his eyes were wide as he took in her seemingly healthy state.

"I just put them to sleep. If you wanted to talk to them, you could've called," She took in his pale face and wide eyes and frowned again. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know," He answered truthfully, the words catching in his throat.

"Mel?" She questioned, her eyebrows furrowing as she took in the younger woman who was wearing a robe.

"Can we come in?" Mel asked, glancing concernedly at Dean and then meaningfully at Mary.

"Of course," She agreed, seeming to catch Mel's drift, for she moved aside to let them through.

"Let me ask you a question," Dean spoke up, causing the two women to shift their gazes to him. "When I was a kid, what did you always tell me when you put me to bed?"

"Dean, I don't understand-" She started, but he just shook his head.

"Just answer the question," He cut her off abruptly, making her glance worriedly at Mel.

"I told you angels were watching over you," She answered, and he let out a quiet laugh that might have been half a sob. It was her. It had to be her.

"I don't believe it," He wrapped his arms around her tightly, not having hugged her in twenty-four years. She and Mel exchanged an extremely worried look.

"Honey, you're scaring me," He pulled away from her as she implored him, "Now, just tell us what's going on," She gestured to herself and Mel as she spoke.

"You don't think that wishes can - can really-" He broke off, barely daring to hope as he glanced at Mel, his gaze dropping to the ring on her finger.

"What are you talking about, Dean?" She questioned uneasily, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Forget it," He shook his head, hugging his mom again. "Forget it. I'm just - I'm happy to see you. That's all," It could be real. The Djinn - it could have granted his wish. "You're beautiful," He laughed, taking in his mother's happy appearance before turning to Mel. "You, too," He grasped her face in his hands and kissed her before going over to the bookshelf thoughtfully. "Hey, when we were young was there ever a fire here?"

"No," Mel shook her head to answer his question, tilting her head in confusion about the way he was acting.

"I thought there was," His eyes raked over the photographs, noting his dad's presence in a lot of them. "I guess I was wrong," His eyes landed on one particular picture. His prom picture. He glanced back at Mel before looking at a younger Mel smiling up at him from where she was wrapped in his eighteen year old arms. "Dad's on a softball team," He questioned, picking up the framed picture next to their prom one. "Dad's softball team - that's - that's funny to me,"

"He loved that stupid team," Mary glanced down at the photo in her hand as she spoke quietly, and Dean's eyes snapped to her. Mel had put her hand on Mary's shoulder reassuringly, and his mom covered Mel's hand with her own, smiling gratefully at his girlfrie-wife.

"Dad's dead?" Both girl's turned their heads to look at him with the beginnings of anger. "And the thing that killed him was a…"

"Stroke," Mel supplied, her hand still on Mary's shoulder comfortingly. "He died sleeping,"

"That's great," He murmured, shaking his head.

"What?" Mel's harsh voice coupled with his mom's, "Excuse me?" made him rethink his choice of words.

"That's great that he went peacefully. I mean, it - it sure beats the alternative," He muttered, thoughts of what happened to his dad resurfacing in his mind.

"You've been drinking," Mary realized sadly, glancing at Mel for confirmation.

"No, I haven't, mom," Mel shook her head in agreement with his statement.

"He's telling the truth," She was frowning in deep concern and thought. Before anyone could say anything else, there were the sound of footsteps running down the stairs. Dean tensed, his hand immediately flicking to his pocket only to find his usual switchblade wasn't there. A little boy rounded the corner, stopping to stare at them with wide eyes. Dean stared back at the kid. He could've only been around five years old, and he was short. He regarded Dean with bright, excited green eyes that were nearly hidden behind a mop of curly brown hair.

"Daddy!" He yelled with a giant grin, running towards Dean and wrapping his arms around Dean's leg. Dean turned his head to look with wide eyes at Mel, who was smiling fondly at the child. Her smile deteriorated when she took in Dean's confused face.

"Johnny," He turned to look at her with an equally huge smile as he'd given Dean before running over to her eagerly. She lifted him up, letting out an exaggerated grunt of effort that made him laugh delightedly.

"He's… ours?" Dean stared at the child in her arms, who turned his head to look at him. "Johnny…" He realized suddenly, causing Mel to frown at him again.

"A nickname for John," She looked really worried now. "Do you not remember our child, either?" She pressed a kiss into the kid's fluffy, brown hair.

"I want to stay here tonight," Both women looked at Dean like he was crazy. "I miss the place," He made up, looking around the room. It wasn't technically a lie. "You want me to stay, right, little man?" He addressed the kid, whose face brightened at his words.

"Yeah!" Mel set the child down before sighing in resignation, and lifting her hands up in surrender.

"Fine, but I have to go," Mel told them, and the boy cheered, making Dean smile. "Do you mind if we put him back to bed?" Mary shrugged but nodded, and Johnny tugged on Dean's arm imploringly.

"Piggy back?" Mel laughed, shaking her head at the both of them as Dean crouched down and Johnny hopped on his back. He carried the boy up the stairs, following Mel as she opened the door for them. The room that used to be their room when her dad dropped her off all those years ago. When he entered, he froze in shock as he saw a little girl sitting in one of the two beds, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She looked to be two or three and had blonde hair, like his mom, with hazel eyes, like Mel. She had Mel's eyes.

"Go back to sleep, Bels," She pressed a kiss into the girl's hair and tucked her in as Dean set the other one down in his bed.

"Story!" The boy demanded with a wide, excited grin.

"Your dad'll tell you a story. I have to leave, but I will be seeing you tomorrow," She pressed a kiss into the boy's hair again, tickling him lightly until he was giggling uncontrollably. She stepped back, but Dean caught her arm before she left, spinning her to face him.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," His eyes bore earnestly into hers; he meant every word of what he'd said. He wanted this. Jesus, did he want this. A slow smile brightened her lips, and her fingers came up to lightly trail down his cheek. "I love you," His vision grew hot and blurry, and he vaguely realized that he was on the verge of crying. He forced himself to blink the tears away, taking a shaky breath and letting it out in a soft laugh.

"I love you, too," She pressed her lips to his gently. She kissed the same. Maybe that Djinn really could grant wishes. Maybe this was really happening. For the first time since waking up in that bed, Dean allowed himself to hope.

"Ewww!" The moment was broken by two high pitched, disgusted voices. Mel pulled away, laughing lightly at the children.

"I love you both, too," She smiled lovingly at them before turning back to Dean. "In case you forgot, their favorite story you tell them is Little Red Riding Hood," With one last peck on the lips, she vanished through the doorway.

---

-1st person-

I pulled the blanket around me tightly, shivering despite the warm air around me. The only part of the cold left was a few sneezes, some sniffling, and cold flashes, which were highly annoying. I was currently wearing sweatpants along with one of Dean's t-shirts and was wrapped in a warm blanket sitting upright on the couch with a phone clutched in my hand. As soon as the voicemail came on, I snapped the phone shut, throwing it down on the coffee table in frustration.

"He should be back by now," I looked across the couch at where Sam was sitting on the other end, and I could see in Sam's eyes that he was worried as well, despite how hard he tried to pretended that he wasn't. "Sam, you know it's true. He wouldn't shut off his phone and disappear like this. Something's wrong,"

"Yeah," Sam agreed finally, snatching the remote off the coffee table and shutting the TV off. "You're right," Sam stood and headed to the table to grab his jacket off of it.

"I'm coming," I didn't phrase it as a question as I jumped off the couch, pushing the blanket off of me.

"No," Sam replied to my statement, making me glare at him hotly.

"Sam, I'm not asking," I frowned, folding my hands over my chest in front of him, so he couldn't move around me.

"Mel, you're still sick. You need rest. I'll call you if I find anything," I cocked an eyebrow at him and didn't move an inch, making him sigh irritatedly.

"I know what's best for me. I'm going with you," I tried to sound certain, but the sneeze that was trying to force its way through my throat was making it difficult.

"I'm supposed to take care of you. You're not coming," His statement threw me slightly, but I didn't let it show. Instead, I studied his face intently, searching for a sign of uncertainty.

"I'm older," I reminded him finally, and the corner of his lips quirked up in a small smile.

"I'm taller," He countered. We stared at each other for a moment longer before I finally let out a sigh of resignation.

"You are going to stay on the phone with me the whole time, and if you find where the place is, you'll give me the exact address, so I can meet you there," I laid out my terms, leaving no room for argument.

"Deal," He agreed to my requests. "But you should get some sleep,"

"I'll try," I lied. Like I could sleep while Dean was out there in trouble.

---

-3rd Person-

"Well, I don't think I've seen you in my class before," The professor peered at Dean through his thick glasses from where he was lounging behind his desk.

"What, are you kidding me? I love your lectures," Dean's voice was incredulous as he hoped the teacher would believe the story he was spinning. "My girl-wife, Melody, she-"

"Melody?" The teacher interrupted, raising his eyebrows in thought for a moment. "Melody Scott?"

"Yeah," Dean broke off unsurely, not understanding how the professor knew her.

"I remember her," The professor smiled widely, relaxing in his seat, which Dean took as a good sign. "She attended one of my lectures. Smart girl,"

"Yeah," Dean agreed, a dopy smile pulling at his lips as his mind drifted to Mel before he yanked it back into the present. He needed to figure out what was going on here.

"So, what can I do for you?" He questioned, seemingly ready to help Dean with whatever he needed.

"What can you tell me about Djinns?" The man looked at Dean funny before shrugging and pulling a few books off the bookshelf, opening them on the table.

"A lot of muslims believe the Djinn are very real. They're mentioned in the Koran-" He began telling Dean what he already knew.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get to the wish part," He hurried the professor along.

"What about it?" The professor frowned at Dean in confusion.

"Do you think they can really do it?" Dean questioned, glancing at the professor in genuine curiosity and hope. The professor stared back at him as if he'd grown a third head.

"Um… uh, no. No, I don't think they can really do it," Dean glanced back at the books in thought as the professor continued in a cautious voice. "You understand these are mythic creatures,"

"Yeah, no, I know. I know," It suddenly dawned on Dean how crazy this man must think he is. "But I mean in the stories - you know, say you had a wish, but you never even said it out loud like that a loved one never died or that something awful never happened,"

"Supposedly, yes," Dean wished desperately for his words to be true. "I mean, they have godlike power. They can alter reality however they want - past, present, future,"

"Why would the Djinn do it?" Dean found his mind being drawn to the victims of the kidnappings. "What, self-defense? Or maybe it's not really evil," Dean leaned his weight on the table, talking more to himself than to the professor.

"Son?" Dean made a noise of acknowledgement in the back of his throat without looking up from the books. "You been drinking?" The question irritated him, causing his head to snap up.

"Everybody keeps asking me that, but, uh, no," He glanced back at the books briefly before straightening. "Thank you for your time. I'll, uh, tell Mel you say 'hello'," He grinned briefly and walked out the door before the man could ask him anything else about himself. Once outside, he crossed the street to where he'd parked the Impala and popped the trunk to see an array of empty food wrappers littered around. "Who'd of though, baby? We're civilians,"

He slammed the trunk closed, glancing back across the street to see a woman standing there staring back at him eerily. She was dressed solidly in white and stood stoically, unmoving. Dean frowned as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he slowly made his way across the street. A loud blaring of a car horn distracted him, causing him to back away from the car in surprise. When he looked back at the woman, she'd vanished. Dean went back to the car and drove back to his mom's house. He tried calling Mel, but it went straight to voice sitting in the dining room while she gave him a sandwich.

"This is the best sandwich ever!" He called to her through a mouthful of bread, ham, cheese, and tomatoes.

"Thank you," She responded, a smile tugging at her lips.

"I tried to get ahold of Sam earlier," Dean began conversationally. "Where is he?"

"Uh, he'll be here soon," She went over to the fridge, opening it while she talked.

"Good, and, uh, Mel? I tried calling her too, but it went to voicemail," This time, Mary glanced at him in genuine surprise and confusion, which made Dean frown.

"She's probably in the middle of a surgery," Dean's eyebrows rose, and he nearly choked on the sandwich.

"She's having surgery?" He questioned, his heartbeat picking up. Why hadn't anyone mentioned that before? He frowned again as his mom began laughing as if he'd made a joke.

"Honey, she's a surgeon, you know that," Mel was a surgeon? He couldn't help laughing lightly at the irony in that. The number of times she'd stitched him and Sam up, it was no surprise. "She should be here soon, too. She took my car yesterday when she left,"

"Mel's a surgeon," He muttered, trying to wrap his head around it.

"She's a very good one, too," His mom added, smiling widely as she took some lettuce out of the fridge. "You are one lucky guy, you know,"

"Yeah, I do," Dean replied fondly, taking another bite of his sandwich. "Where's the kids?" Was his next question, suddenly wanting to see them.

"Next door, playing with the neighbors children," His mom answered easily. "I can call them back if you want,"

"Yeah, that'd be great," He answered, making her frown at him slightly.

"Sweetie," She began, setting her coffee down on the table as she took a seat next to him. "Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled you are hanging out here all of a sudden, but, uh, shouldn't you be at work?" The question surprised him, and he swallowed the bite of sandwich he'd been chewing.

"Work?" He repeated uncomprehendingly.

"At the garage," She reminded him as if he should already know what she was talking about.

"Right," He replied, nodding while still having only a vague notion of what she meant. "The garage. That's where I work. Yeah, no, I-I-I've got the day off. Good thing," He made up an excuse, chuckling at her confused expression. Suddenly, something outside caught his eye, making him abandon the sandwich in favor of gazing out the window. "That lawn looks like it could use some mowing,"

"You want to mow the lawn?" The disbelief in Mary's voice was apparent, but Dean ignored it.

"Are you kidding me? I'd love to mow the lawn," He grinned with boyish excitement.

"Knock yourself out," His mom shrugged, apparently giving up trying to figure out why he was acting so strange. "You'd think you've never mowed a lawn in your life," Dean's eyebrows rose while he grinned. He hadn't.

"Daddy!" As soon as he walked outside he was greeted by a voice yelling at him and he bent down to greet the young girl who flung herself at him. The little girl wrapped his short arms around Dean's neck, and Dean hugged her tightly, lifting her up into his arms.

"We saw the car was parked out front, and they wanted to see you," The middle aged woman, who was guiding a little boy over to the steps. Dean recognized him as the one he'd read to last night. His little boy. His kid. These were his kids. He pressed a kiss into the little girl's mess of blonde hair before putting her down.

"Hey, little man," He greeted the boy before an idea entered his mind. "You want to learn how to mow a lawn?" The woman frowned at him.

"Isn't that dangerous?" He shook his head as the boy clapped and nodded.

"No," The boy, Johnny, answered for Dean, making him grin widely.

"Come on," He got the lawn mower out of the shed as the two children followed him.

"I wanna," The girl pleaded, causing Dean to turn to look at her big hazel eyes that so much resembled Mel's.

"Maybe when you're a little older," He glanced at the middle aged neighbor, who seemed to get the message, for she lifted the girl up into her arms quickly.

"Let's go see grandma, huh?" They went together inside, leaving Dean to teach the six year old how to mow the lawn. What ended up happening, was the boy's hands grasped the handle while Dean's covered them, and they mowed the lawn together. After they finished, Johnny sat next to Dean on the steps as Mary brought Dean a beer.

"Can I have some?" The kid reached for it, but Dean pulled it back, laughing lightly.

"You've still got ten years or so to go," He ruffled the boy's hair despite his protests. He looked a little like Sammy had when he was younger. The thought made Dean smile brightly. "You did a good job, little man," The boy's smile could've lit up a city. "So, tell me about school," Dean wanted to know everything about this kid. His son.

"I'm learning about dinosaurs," The kid grew excited as he talked quickly. "The brontosaurus," He stumbled over the pronunciation, making Dean help him out a little. "And the triceraa-"

"Triceratops?" Dean helped him out, knowing a few dinosaurs by name, though not many.

"Yeah," The kid's eyes cleared as he nodded vigorously in agreement. "Triceratops,"

"That's pretty good," Dean was impressed. The boy had gotten Mel's mind, that was for sure. "Any girls you like in your class?"

"Girl's are okay," The boy wrinkled his nose as he spoke with a shrug. "Clary's my favorite. I go over to her house sometimes. We play with her dog,"

"Yeah?" Dean questioned as their conversation was interrupted by a distant rumbling of an engine.

"Uncle Sammy!" The kid clapped excitedly, rushing off the stairs to the car as it was put into park and two people got out.

"I don't believe it," Dean muttered in shock as he, too, stood from the steps and walked over to the couple. Sam had picked up Johnny in a tight hug, laughing at the boy's enthusiasm. Jess let out a grunt of surprise as Dean hugged her tightly, happy she hadn't met the same fate she had in the real world.

"Good to see you too, Dean," She managed to get out despite how hard he was hugging her. He chuckled at her strained voice. "Can't breathe, okay?" She choked out, causing him to release her and move on to Sammy, who put the kid down to greet his brother.

"Why don't you tell grandma that we're here, okay?" He suggested, and the boy glanced at his dad, who nodded in agreement, before he ran back inside the house.

"Sammy," Dean pushed his shoulder as if making sure his brother was real. "Look at you. You're with Jessica. I don't believe it,"

"Yeah," Sam agreed, smiling unsurely before throwing Jess a curious glance.

"Where'd you guys come from?" Dean questioned, wondering why Sam hadn't answered his call that morning. Before Sam could reply, another car pulled up in front of the house, and, this time, Mel was the one getting out of it.

"Sam!" She greeted, an excited smile pulling at her lips as she embraced his brother, who laughed and hugged her back equally as tightly. "And Jess," She hugged Jessica as well, smiling warmly.

"Mel, it's so good to see you. It's been too long," Jess commented, smiling widely as she hugged the older woman. Mel stepped away from Jess, and Dean slipped an arm around her waist comfortably, turning his head to press a kiss into her hair. This was it. This was his perfect life. He just prayed that it was real.

"When did you arrive?" Mel questioned conversationally while leaning into Dean's chest ever so slightly.

"An hour or so ago," Jess replied, frowning lightly. "The flight was a bit rough," Mel opened her mouth to reply when a confused Dean beat her to it.

"The flight?" He questioned. Where were they flying from?

"We flew in from California," Sam answered hesitantly, frowning at Dean.

"California," Dean repeated excitedly, a bright smile lighting up his face. "Stanford, huh? Law school, I bet," He grinned widely as Sam let out an uneasy chuckle, glancing down at the beer Dean was still holding.

"I see you started off mom's birthday with a bang, as usual," He gestured to the beer bottle in Dean's free hand.

"Wait, mom's birthday. That - that's today?" His eyebrows rose in surprise as Sam stared at him incredulously.

"Yeah, yeah, Dean, that's today. That's why we're here," Sam replied, frowning in disbelief. "Don't tell me you forgot,"

"He didn't forget," Dean thanked God for Mel as she cut into the conversation. Even as civilians, she was still saving his ass. "He was just making a joke," She glanced at him pointedly as she added, "A bad one,"

"Hey, I'm hilarious," He protested, making her roll her eyes and Sam snort derisively.

"Yeah, come on, Robin Williams," He laughed as she pulled him towards the house with Jess and Sam following.

---

"Wow. That looks awesome," Dean muttered sarcastically as he looked at the platter the waiter placed in front of him, and the entire table laughed at his comment. He and Mel had gotten changed and left the kids at a friend's house for the night, for today was Mary's birthday. She'd been planning this dinner for a long time, and, though she seemed to love both of the kids dearly, everyone had known it would be inappropriate to bring them to a fancy restaurant like the one they were currently dining at.

"All right. To mom," Sam raised his glass as he toasted to his mom. "Happy Birthday," The words were echoed around the table by everyone as glasses clinked together gently. Dean smiled at his brother's happiness as he saw Sam and Jess kiss lovingly.

"Hey, are you feeling better?" Dean turned his attention to the beautiful woman beside him, who was looking at him with her lips pulled down in concern. "You've been acting strange,"

"Oh, I'm good," He replied, glancing at the table before his eyes met her hazel ones. "I'm really good," This time he meant every word of what he was saying. Everything was perfect.

"Good," She smiled slightly before glancing down at his dinner. "What do you say later we pick up some cheeseburgers,"

"Oh, God, yes," He agreed wholeheartedly, having been worried about eating the vegetable meal that was placed in front of him. She laughed softly at his enthusiasm. "How'd I end up with such an amazing woman?" He asked her, and she pretended to ponder the question for a moment.

"I guess I just have low standards," She shook her head as if it were a pity, making Dean chuckle before leaning in to press his lips to hers softly.

"All right," They both raised their heads as Sam spoke up from across the round table. "Jess and I actually have another surprise for mom's birthday. Uh, you want to tell him?" He asked Jess, who shook her head.

"They're you're family," She reminded him, grinning excitedly.

"All right," Sam agreed.

"What? Tell me what?" His mom grew excited as her eyes flicked back and forth between Sam and Jess. In answer, Sam held out Jess's fingers for everyone to see the diamond engagement ring that rested on her finger.

"Oh, my god!" She joyful exclamation echoed Mel's as they both clapped and rose from the table to hug Jess and Sam.

"Congratulations, Sammy," Dean grinned at his brother as they shook hands. "I'm really glad you're happy," It had been a long time since he'd seen Sam this happy. Suddenly, he caught sight of a woman standing in front of the door. The same woman he'd seen before, but… different. Her white clothes had become filthy, turning the material a dark grey, and her hair was now matted and sticking up. Her face was pale and gaunt as if she hadn't eaten for days. Dean hurried towards her, ignoring everything else in the room in his determination to see her. A waiter passed in front of him, and, when he looked again, she was gone. Vanished. He turned back to his family, who were all looking at him in confusion.

"I thought I saw somebody I knew," He explained shortly, glancing back at the empty space the woman had occupied. He finished the meal without another incident, and the five of them headed back to his mom's house.

"So, Dean, what was all that back at the restaurant?" Sam questioned as they walked through the front door. Dean followed Sam as he walked a little ways away from where Mel, Jess, and Mary were deep in conversation.

"I told you, I thought I saw someone," Dean explained again, not willing to elaborate further. "I'm sure it's nothing," And, as much as he truly wanted to believe that, he couldn't bring himself to.

"Well, I had a lovely birthday," His mom spoke, causing them all to turn to her. "Thank you. Good night," There were a chorus of 'good nights' followed by his mom's departure up the stairs.

"Yeah, well, I'm beat. Ready to turn in?" Sam questioned, his eyes on Jess, who nodded with a small shrug.

"Sure," She replied, and Sammy started for her.

"All right. Night, guys," He hugged Mel briefly and smiled at Dean before he and Jess turned to go.

"Wait a second. Come on. It's not even nine o'clock yet. Let's go have a drink or something," Dean implored his brother, but Sam just turned to look at him coldly.

"Yeah, yeah, maybe some other time," He answered with a hard look.

"Come on, man. Look at us, huh? We both have beautiful women on our arms. You're engaged. Let's go celebrate," He clapped him on the back playfully.

"Guys, can you excuse us? I want to talk to my brother for a sec," Sam asked, turning to Mel and Jess. Mel's eyes flicked between the two of them, her hesitation clear. "Please, Mel," Finally, she sighed in resignation before nodding and leaving the room with Jess. "Come here,"

"What?" Dean asked, not understanding the tone in Sam's voice as he followed his brother into the kitchen.

"Okay. What's gotten into you?" Sam turned to face his brother with his hands shoved into his pockets and a stern, uncertain look on his face.

"What do you mean?" Dean was genuinely confused by Sam's cold demeanor.

"I mean this whole warm, fuzzy, ecstasy-trip thing," He elaborated, causing Dean to smile.

"I'm just happy for you, Sammy," He declared, patting his shoulder, which made Sam take a few steps away from him.

"Yeah, right. That's another thing. Since when do you call me 'Sammy'?" Dean just stared at Sam uncomprehendingly. "Dean, come on. We don't talk outside of holidays. I mean, except for when I talk to Mel,"

"We don't?" Dean raised his eyebrows, suddenly remembering how cold Sam had been to him all evening. "Well, we should. I mean, you're my brother,"

"'You're my brother'?" Sam repeated the words, his face shutting down into an irritated mask. "You know, that's what you said when you snaked my ATM card or when you bailed on my graduation. I mean, hell, Mel was still traveling with her dad, but even she managed to show up,"

"Traveling with her dad?" Dean echoed, a frown coming to his face, but his brother's expression expelled it. "Well, hey, man, I'm sorry about all that," He took a step towards Sam, but he took a step back.

"No, look, it's all right, man. I just - you know, I'm not asking you to change. I just, uh - I don't know. I guess we just don't really have anything in common, you know?" He moved around Dean, but Dean caught his arm, stopping him from leaving.

"Wait. Whoa, whoa, yes, we do. Yes, we do," He insisted, causing Sam to furrow his brow.

"What?" He asked, and for a moment, Dean's judgement lapsed.

"Hunting," He responded, instantly regretting it.

"Hunting?" Sam repeated, looking more confused then ever. "I've never been hunting in my life, Dean. The only one of us that has been hunting is Mel when her dad would take her,"

"Mel was a hunter?" Dean questioned, glancing at the opening where Mel and Jess had disappeared through.

"Yeah, you don't remember?" Sam asked incredulously, scoffing and rolling his eyes. "You know what, don't answer that," He turned, walking a short distance away before stopping to turn back. "Get some rest," He threw the small morsel of concern at Dean before turning and leaving. Dean followed after a moment's hesitation, opening the front door to see Mel and Sam standing on the walkway to the lawn arguing.

"At least, he's trying, Sammy," Dean shrunk back to press himself against the wall beside the door, so he could hear what they were saying without being seen.

"Trying? Like he tried to not crash my new car into a tree when I was sixteen? Or maybe your talking about the time he tried to get into that movie and got me fired. I'm not just going to forgive and forget, Mel,"

"And since when am I 'Sammy' to him? Did you tell him to call me that?" Mel opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "Look, Mels, I just can't go back to forgiving him for everything he does. It's just not going to happen," Sam turned and got into his car next to Jess, leaving Mel to sigh in defeat as she watched them drive off.

"Hey," Dean came up behind her, causing her to jump, and his eyes caught how her hands balled into fists immediately, half rising as if to defend herself from an attacker.

"You ready to go?" She questioned, dropping her hands quickly.

"Yeah," He agreed, nodding, and they made their way to the Impala. "Hey, did you go hunting when you were a kid?" Her entire body stiffened, her breathing hitching as her gaze dropped to her hands.

"I don't like talking about it, Dean, you know that. It's in the past," Dean studied her reaction intently, his eyebrows furrowing as a sudden thought struck him like a ton of bricks. He had wished his mom was alive, but he hadn't wished her mom was alive. If her mom had died, that meant…

"I know, but just this once. Please, Mel, I want to know," He practically begged her, and she averted her gaze to the window.

"I already told you everything there is to know," She replied softly. As much as he hated hurting her, he felt a desperate desire to know if what he feared was true.

"Tell me again," She fixed him with a hurt look that made him flick his eyes to the road, not being able to stand seeing the pain in her hazel orbs.

"Why?" Dean didn't look at her when she asked the question; he didn't have an answer she'd believe.

"Do you trust me?" Were the words he spoke instead.

"Of course," She replied without an ounce of hesitation in her voice.

"Then tell me," This time, there was hesitation, but, finally she began in a slow, pained voice.

"After my mom died when I was six months old, my dad-"

"How'd she die again?" Mel gave Dean another hurt look that made him glance away from her. "Please, Mel. I need to know," He silently begged her to say anything but 'fire'.

"Our house caught fire. My dad managed to grab me and get out, but my mom…" Mel trailed off, her eyes fixed on her hands in her lap. Dean slowly intertwined his hands with one of hers without speaking; he hated how much pain she was in. Why couldn't her mom have been included in his wish? How could he have been so selfish? "After that, my dad would leave me with John and Mary for long stretches, and take my sister with him. Sometimes he'd take me, too. As I got older, he'd do it more and more often,"

"What'd he do? When he took you?" Dean loathed himself for asking the question, but he needed to know.

"I told you this years ago," Dean made no response, so she sighed and went on. "He was a bounty hunter. It started when he went after my mom's… killer. He taught me and my sister to do it too," She was lying. It was a damn good lie. She'd told him the nearest thing to the truth that she could. "Some… hunts were rougher than others, and I'd come back with bruises and cuts. Mary and John thought… well…"

"They thought Jimmy was abusing you," Dean realized, and her hand tightened around his.

"Yeah," She set her jaw tightly, glancing at him briefly before returning her gaze to their joined hands. "But he wasn't. He would have never done that to me. He loved me and Jez as much as Mary loves you and Sam,"

"'Loved'," Dean said the word slowly, letting it slide off his tongue.

"Yeah," She agreed softly, her breathing growing shaky. "'loved'. He died when I was in college," She took a steadying breath before continuing. "You and I started dating in high school," Her voice grew more stable as she began to talk about their relationship. "Once I graduated, I decided to stay here and go to college instead of staying with my dad," She'd done what Sammy had done.

"Why?" Dean asked as he pulled up in front of their house and put the car in park.

"Wanted to be closer to Sammy…" She shrugged her shoulders, looking out the window at their house. "And you," She added, her eyes moving to find his. He was her Stanford. The realization hit Dean so hard that it made his head spin. He was to her what Stanford was for Sam. He slid across the seat to slam his lips against hers urgently, his fingers winding themselves into her hair and pulling her closer to him. He could sense her surprise, but, after a moment, her lips began moving with his, one of her hands slipping to the back of his neck while the other rested on his chest. His eyes fluttered open as she pulled away from him, glancing away before meeting his gaze again.

"We should probably go inside," She pointed out with a shaky smile, which Dean could see right through. She was shaken up from the questions he'd been asking her. A wave of self loathing crashed into him. How could he do that to her? He'd wished for his mom to be alive, but he hadn't thought to wish for hers as well.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, needing her to know just how sorry he was. "I'm so sorry," She frowned in confusion at his apology, making him cough to clear his throat before he glanced up at the house. "You're right. We should probably go in," He quickly changed the subject, opening the car door and getting out of the Impala. Once they were in the house, they both changed out of the fancy clothes they'd been wearing to the dinner, and Dean took a seat on the couch.

"Here," Dean turned to see Mel handing him a beer. It only took him a moment to read the label, and it made him chuckle lightly.

"My favorite," He commented, accepting the beer from her hand as she took a seat next to him. "Even in this world you know me better than anyone,"

"This world?" She questioned, frowning in confusion again, and Dean shook his head dismissively. "Are you sure you're okay?" Dean quietly set the beer on the counter, his mind drifting to other, more important things.

"Sammy and I - we don't get along," His lips tugged downward as he remembered his brother's actions that night.

"Well, neither of you exactly make an effort to get to know each other," She pointed out, and when his eyes flicked to her, he saw that she was looking away from him with a sad expression.

"But you two kept in touch?" She nodded in response to his question.

"Yeah, a little bit here and there. We email sometimes. Someone's got to keep an eye on the kid," She chuckled and shrugged as if it wasn't that big of a deal. "And you two never really got on all that well,"

"I can fix things with Sam," He stated, nodding as he grew surer and surer of that fact. Whatever history they had, they were brothers, and eventually, he could patch things up with Sam. "I can make it up to him…to everyone,"

"What's up with you lately?" She asked him, and he could hear the uncertainty in her voice. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that you are finally going to try to mend things with Sammy, but you've been acting strange,"

"This is probably going to sound crazy to you," He shook his head as he turned his eyes to her hazel ones.

"Try me," She responded with a slight grin, and, in that moment, she looked so much like the Mel he knew, so much like the Mel he loved, that he didn't think he could stop himself from telling her everything even if he wanted to.

"I had this wish, okay? And if came true, and now I feel like I've been given a second chance," He explained in the shortest way he could. "And I don't want to waste it,"

"You're right," She laughed, studying his eyes as she did so. "That does sound-" He cut her off by pressing his lips against hers urgently, and her hand flew to his cheek.

"You know, I get it," He spoke as he pulled away from her, suddenly desperate to make her understand how much she meant to him.

"Get what?" He watched her eyebrows draw together in incomprehension.

"Why you're the one," He'd only ever said that to her once before, outside of Cassie's house. He watched her face light up just as it had then, and he pressed his lips against hers again briefly, loving how soft and warm they were. He kissed her again and again, peppering her lips with kisses until she was laughing and had to put both hands on his face to restrain him.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but I love it," She spoke the words through a bright smile before pressing her lips to his. He slowly pushed her back onto the couch, but she broke away from him groaning and tilting her head back. In response, he placed a small kiss on her pulse, causing her breath to hitch satisfyingly. "Don't do this to me right now," She moved around him to get off the couch, and he followed her curiously. "I have work,"

"Right, work. At the…" He trailed off before remembering what his mother had said. "Hospital," He finished as he watched her pull out a pair of green scrubs from her closet.

"I told you, I have the night shift yesterday and today," She replied, glancing back at him as she threw on the scrubs over her plain, white long sleeved t-shirt.

"You couldn't just call in sick?" He pleaded with her, wanting her to stay at home with him. She rolled her eyes as she slipped the green pants on and pulled on some sneakers.

"Come on, you know I can't today," She mused, pursing her lips at him in mock disappointment before smiling and kissing him gently. "Oh, yeah," Dean nodded even though he had no idea who she was talking about. She grabbed her bag, stopping to peck him on the lips before heading out the door. Dean felt himself smiling as he sat down on the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table and grabbing the remote off the counter. He flicked through the channels on the television until, suddenly, something onscreen caught his attention, making him sit bolt upright.

"And today marks the anniversary of the crash of United Britannia flight 424," The reporter spoke from the television set. "Indianapolis residents held a candlelight vigil in memory of the 108 passengers and crew who lost their lives,"

"Oh, no," Dean muttered, resting his elbows on his knees. "I stopped that crash," He shut off the television, an horrific idea coming to him. In three strides he was across the room, and he took a seat in front of the computer before opening it and beginning the research. 108 dead. Plane crash. Nine children dead. Mysterious illness. Girl drowned. Hotel swimming pool. Boy drowned. Lake. There was a picture of Lucas looking shyly at the camera. No. No, no, no, no, no. "I stopped these," He whispered, glancing up to find a woman disappearing into the hallway. He frowned, but quickly followed her into his bedroom. He stepped cautiously towards the closet before opening the door quickly. Two fully clothed skeletons hung there suspended by their bound hands.

The sound of choking got his attention, and he spun to find that same girl. The girl in white. Except now, her white garments were tattered, dirty, and bloody. She flickered and was gone, leaving Dean breathing hard. He glanced back into the closet to find nothing but clothes and shoes hanging in it. He was outside before he even really knew what he was doing, but as soon as he started the engine of the Impala, his brain caught up to the rest of his body. It was a twenty minute drive to the cemetery and then another two minute walk out to where his dad was buried.

"All of them… everyone that you saved, everyone Sammy and I saved…they're all dead…" He trailed off, jamming his hands into his pockets and shaking his head. "The only ones that were saved were the ones that Jimmy and Mel helped," He amended his earlier statement, glancing at the ground. "And there's this woman that's haunting me. I don't know why. I don't know what the connection is - not yet, anyway. It's like my old life is coming after me or something, like it doesn't want me to be happy,"

"Of course, I know what you'd say," He reflected, a small, strained smile settling on his lips. "Well, not the you that played softball, but you'd say, 'go hunt the Djinn. It put you here. It can put you back. Your happiness or all those people's lives - no contest.' Right?" He didn't get an answer. "But why? Why is it my job to save these people? Why do I have to be some kind of hero? What about us, huh? What, mom's not supposed to live her life? Sammy's not supposed to get married? Mel and I aren't supposed to have a family?" His furious voice cracked as he spoke his last question. "You should see them now. They're… they're amazing, and Mel… It's perfect," He shook his head, looking down at the gravestone as a lone tear rolled down his cheek. "I don't want to give them up. Why do we have to sacrifice everything, dad? It's-" The words abruptly died in his throat as he caught sight of the gravestone two down from John's.

Jezebel Scott

1975-1997

Loving Daughter and Sister

"No," He whispered the word, taking a small step towards the grave. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. Bel. Both his mom and Mel had called his daughter Bel. What if it wasn't short for Isabelle. What if it was short for Jezebel. He took three slow steps back, turned, and bolted away from the graveyard. As much as it pained him, he knew where he had to go, and what he had to do.

---

-1st Person-

"He's fine, alright? We'll find him," I barely heard Sammy's comforting words as I looked out the droplet splattered window of the Impala. Dean had been missing for nearly a day now, and I was finding it harder and harder to keep a level head.

"I know," I answered, but my voice sounded distant and false. I didn't know. In fact, I had no idea.

"You might want to slow down," At his comment, my gaze dropped to the speedometer that now read 90 mph. I eased off the gas, causing the needle to drop to 70.

"Sorry," I responded apathetically , returning my gaze out the window to look for any abandon buildings that Dean may have seen and decided to look into. The last conversation I had had with him was playing in a loop in my head with no signs of stopping. He'd wanted to stay with me and wait longer to search for the creature, but I insisted that he go. I'd insisted. Where the hell had my feelings been then? I'd almost always got a bad feeling when Dean, Sam, or I was in trouble, but this time there had been absolutely nothing. I'd wanted him to go look for the thing. And then, when he had called… I'd had a feeling then. I'd known he'd be in trouble, but I was powerless to stop it. What the hell was the point of having abilities if they never helped anyone?

"It's not your fault," I glanced at Sam, realizing that in my worry, I'd begun being cold to him. I let out a breath, trying to force myself to calm down.

"I'm sorry," I repeated my words, but this time they held real emotion behind them. Sammy had let me drive because my cold was entirely gone now.

"Mel, it isn't your fault," He repeated his words, but I just fixed my eyes on the road.

"I just want to find him," I murmured, my hands tightening around the steering wheel.

"I know. Me too," He agreed, something in his voice that I couldn't discern, but when I looked at him, he was looking out the passenger's window. "Hey, what about that?" I glanced up at the old, seemingly abandoned house he was pointing to.

"Worth a try," I pulled onto the grass and slowed the Impala.

---

-3rd Person-

"Dean, what are you doing here?" Dean watched Mel's eyebrows rise in obvious astonishment as he grabbed her elbow and guided her around the corner to a temporarily deserted hallway.

"I need you to come with me," He spoke hurriedly as she gave him a look as though he was crazy.

"I can't. I'm in the middle of my shift," She replied, filing the paper she'd been holding in her hand before turning to face him completely.

"Get someone to cover for you. Please, Mel. It's important," She was the only one who could help him do this. The only one who would believe him. "Mel, please. People's lives depend on it," That got her attention, and he could see she was weighing her options.

"Fine," She agreed, turning to the nurse who was sitting behind the desk. "Can you tell Dr. Dorian he can have my surgery," Dean was already halfway out the door, leaving Mel to run to after him. "What's this about, Dean?"

"I know what you do - or did," He corrected, causing her to frown.

"What?" Dean could hear the underlying note of fear in her voice as she asked the question.

"How did Jez die?" An absolute silence enveloped the car broken finally by Mel's soft, quiet voice.

"What does she have to do with any of this?" She asked, a note of steal beneath the softness.

"Just… please, Mel. how did she die?" Mel took a deep, shaky breath before beginning.

"There was this killer in Los Angeles, and Jez and I went to check out a suspect while my dad did some more research," Dean's heart squeezed as the circumstances began to sound all too familiar. "The suspect was a long shot. I didn't think…" Her voice got choked, and Dean turned away from her so she wouldn't see the tear that ran down his cheek. "He captured us. Tied us up in his basement. He told us he'd kill one of us first, and Jez-" Her voice broke, causing her to sniffle.

"It was the Aswang," Dean knew beyond a doubt that he was right, and Mel's sharp intake of breath just confirmed it.

"How do you know that name?" Dean ignored her question, keeping his eyes fixed on the road.

"That scar on your shoulder. How'd you get it?" She had her eyes fixed on him now warily.

"A serial killer in Albany, New York when I was 17," She answered him. "How did you know the term 'aswang'? Did someone tell you that name?"

"I saved you from that hunt. The New York one. It was in an abandoned apartment building, and the spirt was going for your shoulder, but I stopped it with a shot gun filled with rock salt," He spoke hurriedly as he pulled up in front of his mom's house. "I have to get some silver," He heard Mel coming after him as he made for the house. They snuck in a window, and Dean began to open the chest of silverware, but a squeak from the steps froze both him and Mel. When Sam came around the corner, Dean took him down, causing the bat to fly out of his grip, but Mel caught it deftly.

"That was so easy I'm embarrassed for you," Despite everything, Dean heard Mel give a small chuckle as she leaned the bat on the wall.

"Dean, Mel. What the hell are you two doing here?" He questioned, obvious confusion in his voice.

"Well, we were looking for beer," Dean patted Sammy on the shoulder as he made up an excuse.

"In the china cabinet?" Sam asked incredulously, raising his eyebrows while Mel flicked on the lights, illuminating the scene. "That's mom's silver,"

"Sam," Dean started, taking a step towards him.

"What, you broke into the house to steal mom's silver?" Sam's voice grew angrier as he advanced on his older brother, who put a hand out to stop him.

"It's not what it looks like, okay? I didn't have a choice," He tried desperately to get his brother to back off, but nothing worked.

"Oh really? Why? What's so damn important that you got to steal from your own mother?" Sam demanded, glaring at Dean.

"You want the truth?" Dean asked earnestly, glancing at Mel, who suddenly looked scared and alert.

"Yeah, yeah, I do," He answered determinedly.

"He owes somebody money," Both Dean's and Sam's eyes flicked to Mel in disbelief as she lied to Sam. "A bookie. He lost big on a game,"

"And the first thing you do is drag Mel into it?" Sam's face twisted with fury as he spat the words like an accusation. "I can't believe we're even related,"

"He didn't drag me into it," Mel folded her arms across her chest, her eyebrows furrowing into a look Dean knew all too well.

"Mel-" He started, turning to her as she came towards them.

"Really? So you're here because…?" Sam trailed off, raising his eyebrows.

"Sam-" Dean tried again, feeling the oncoming fight, but not entirely sure what it was about.

"Because I don't desert family," She snapped at him, making him laugh mockingly.

"That's not what you were saying ten years ago," Mel took a quick step towards him before Dean wrapped an arm around her waist, restraining her from further quarreling.

"I'm sorry, Sam," He spoke to his brother, standing between Mel and Sam. "I'm sorry that we don't get along, and I wish to hell I could stay and fix it. But I got to do this. People's lives depend on it," He picked up a knife from the array, noticing with a slight smile that there was already one missing.

"What are you talking about, Dean?" Sam asked, worry suddenly entering his voice.

"Nothing," Mel cut into the conversation, causing Dean to glance at her to see her giving him a look.

"She's right. Forget it. Just, uh… hey, tell mom I love her," Dean began heading towards the door, hearing Mel following him as she avoided Sammy's gaze. "I'll see you, Sammy,"

"Okay, will you please tell me what's going on?" Mel begged him as they got into the Impala. Dean's eyes fixed on her for a moment before, finally, he nodded slowly.

"This wold… it's a lie-" He had only just begun when the backdoor opened and Sammy sat down in the backseat. "Get out of the car," Dean demanded.

"I'm going with you both," Sam announced, refusing to back down.

"You'll just slow us down," Dean spoke angrily to him, making Sammy cross his arms over his chest.

"Tough," He replied.

"Sammy, this is dangerous, okay? You could get seriously hurt," Mel warned, but he didn't seem to care.

"Yeah, and so could the two of you," Mel let out a groan of frustration.

"Sam-" She started in annoyance.

"Look," He cut her off, only serving to make her irritation grow. "Whatever stupid thing you two are about to do, you're not doing it alone and that's that,"

"I don't understand. Why are you doing this?" Dean questioned uncomprehendingly, and Sam gave a huge sigh before looking straight out the windshield.

"Because you're still my family," He told Dean and Mel, who both gave him slight smiles.

"Bitch," Dean spoke with a small grin that disappeared when he saw Sam's look of utter confusion.

"W-what are you calling me a bitch for?" He asked hesitantly, frowning at Dean, who glanced at Mel to see she was also giving him a shocked look.

"You're supposed to say 'jerk'," The two just stared at Dean uncomprehendingly. "Never mind,"

"What's in the bag?" Sam leaned his elbows on the front seat to get a better view of it while Dean glanced at the paper bag.

"Nothing," He answered quickly, seeing that Mel was already beginning to get curious as well.

"Nothing's in the bag?" She repeated his assertion dubiously, eyeing the bulge in the brown paper.

"Yeah, nothing," Dean returned his gaze to the road but glanced at the rearview in time to see Mel and Sam exchange a doubtful and curious look.

"Fine," Mel shrugged as Sam grabbed the paper bag, taking out the jar that was inside.

"You don't want to do that," Dean told them both while neither listened to him.

"Oh, really?" He stared at the scarlet contents of the jar he was holding before staring at his brother in shock. "What the hell is this?" He demanded, and Dean could've laughed if the situation hadn't been so dire.

"Yeah, we can see that, Dean. Why do you have it?" Mel questioned, her voice shaking, and Dean glanced at her to see that she was working hard to figure everything out.

"You don't really want to know," He made one last effort to keep them out of it.

"No, we do really want to know. We really, really do," Sam spoke for both of them, and Dean's attention turned back to the road as he shrugged. Might as well. They would catch on eventually. Hell, Mel probably already had.

"Well, you're gonna find out sooner or later. I needed a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood," He explained to a concerned Sam.

"You needed a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood. Why?" He questioned, his voice betraying his fear and disbelief.

"Because he's trying to hunt a Djinn," Mel sighed, causing Dean to crack a small smile. She figured it out.

"Yeah," He agreed before glancing at Sammy in the rearview to see he was now staring at Mel incredulously. Mel ran her hand through her hair before pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.

"Okay, guys, um… stop the car," Sam began only to be cut off by Dean.

"I know how it sounds," He spoke calmly, not slowing the car at all.

"Great," Sam put a hand up as if to attempt to pacify a rabid dog. "Just stop the car,"

"Okay, Dean, you found the book in my closet, didn't you? The diary?" He frowned as his gaze snapped to hers. "It's just fiction, okay? I wrote stories about the killers my dad hunted, turned them into monsters. I was thinking about maybe writing a book about it," Whether she was explaining it to Sammy or to him, he wasn't sure. Either way, she was lying.

"No, there are things out there in the dark. There-there are bad things. There are nightmare things, and people have to be saved, and if we don't save them then nobody will,"

"I want to help you. I really, really do, but you're having some kind of psychotic breakdown. So I just-" Sam broke off fumbling for his phone.

"I wish," Dean muttered, rolling his eyes. He liked his brother better in the real world than this one. The sound of beeping filled the car, and Dean's eyes flicked to the mirror to see Sam hurriedly dialing a number. Dean's eyes met Mel's, and for a moment, no one moved. Then, he saw her give in

"Sam, give me the phone, I know someone that might be able to help," Sam obediently gave her the phone as she rolled down her window and apathetically threw it into the wind. Dean chuckled as Sam let out a squeak of protest.

"What the hell was that, Mel?" He growled at her as soon as he'd regained his voice. "That was my phone,"

"He's not crazy, Sammy," She told him, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what she was saying.

"I was just trying to help him out, Mel. I don't want him to get himself or you hurt," He protested, glaring at Mel from the back of the car.

"You protect us?" Dean questioned, grinning at the irony of the situation.

"Yeah!" He exclaimed as if it were obvious.

"Oh, that's hilarious," Dean chuckled like his words were a joke while Sam stared at him incredulously and Mel massaged her temples with her fingers. "Why don't you just sit tight and try not to get us both killed?" The trip was another eight hours, and Sam was passed out by the time they got to the abandoned building. Dean shined the flashlight directly on Sammy's face to wake him up while Mel rolled her eyes at his childish antics.

"Where are we?" Mel questioned, scanning the building curiously.

"Well, we're not in Kansas anymore," That made Mel chuckle and Sam give Dean yet another incredulous look. "Illinois," Dean confessed as he took in Sam's unamused look.

"And you think something's in there?" Sam still sounded doubtful, but maybe a little less doubtful than before.

"I know it is," Dean nodded determinedly.

"Well, let's find out," Mel pulled open the car door and got out. It started drizzling as the three of them walked into the building with flashlights that swept every inch of the ancient inventory.

"See?" Even in this world, Sam had his know-it-all voice. "There's nothing here, guys," Dean ignored him, turning a corner and beginning to walk the way he'd come when he'd first entered this building. "What about Johnny and Bels?"

"I called Mary on the way up here. She has them tonight," Mel sounded worried about the children.

"That's the third night in a row they've slept away from home," Sam pointed out, echoing Mel's worry. "I thought it was only supposed to be one?"

"It was," Mel replied, her voice gaining a defensive, annoyed edge to it that told everyone not to press the matter any further. In the silence that followed, they heard a high pitched whimpering coming from in front of them.

"What the hell was that?" Sam hissed, glancing at Dean and then at Mel, both of whom began inching forward.

"Stay behind us and keep your mouth shut," Dean spoke to Sam sternly before continuing on. They rounded the corner to find two skeletons strung up by their bound wrists. The same skeletons he'd seen in the closet.

"What the hell?" This time it was Mel who muttered the words with a frown. "Guys," Something in her voice changed, causing both Dean and Sam to look at her as she hurried towards the young girl, who also strung up by her wrists.

"It's her," Dean murmured, coming to a stop in front of the young woman.

"Dean, what's going on?" Mel shushed him before pointing to the shadow that was creeping closer on the wall. They ducked behind a grate just as the Djinn came into sight.

"Where's my dad?" She whimpered, starting to sob slightly. "No, no, don't," She tried to move away as the Djinn came closer to her. "Where's my dad?" Her voice went hoarse as the Djinn stroked her cheek with its hand.

"Sleep," It commanded, a blue pulse coming off of its finger, and the girl passed out again. It pulled out the end of the IV tube from the bag and squirted some of the red liquid into its mouth. Sam let out a disgusted noise from the back of his throat, and the Djinn instantly whipped around to look straight at where Dean, Mel, and Sam were hiding, it's eyes flashing an electric blue. Dean pulled them behind the stairs just as the Djinn discovered there empty hiding spot. It let out a low growl before heading up the stairs and out of sight. The slam of the door echoed throughout the building.

"This is real? You're not crazy?" Sam was still trying to make sense of what had happened.

"She didn't even know where she was," Mel remembered, creeping back towards the girl. "She kept asking 'where's my dad'. She thought she was with him," Mel was already halfway to the woman by the time Sam and Dean started following her.

"What if that's what the Djinn does? It doesn't grant you a wish. It just makes you think it has," Dean began figuring it out as he stared at the unconscious woman.

"Look, guys, that thing could come back, all right?" Sam reminded them, real fear prevalent in his voice. Dean ignored him, walking slowly towards the light that was hanging in the corner. It began flickering, and he could see flashes of himself tied up there, bleeding, groaning, dying.

"Dean," A gentle hand touched his shoulder, and he turned his head to see Mel standing there, staring at him with wide, hazel eyes. "We have to go. Please,"

"What if I'm like her? What if I'm tied up in here someplace? What if all this is in my head?" He whispered, his words beginning to be rushed as he realized the truth of what was happening. "I mean, maybe it gives us some kind of supernatural acid and then just feeds on us slow,"

"No, Dean, that doesn't make sense, okay?" Sam tried as he walked back over to the woman tied up.

"What if that's why she keeps appearing to me?" Dean continued, completely disregarding Sam's protests. "She's not a spirit. It's like more and more I'm catching flashes of reality - you know, like I'm in here somewhere, I'm catatonic, and I'm taking all this stuff in, but I 'can't snap out of it,"

"Dean, we have to go, okay? Look, Sammy and I? We believe you now, okay? But just because this is real, doesn't mean that you're tied up here somewhere, okay?" Mel tried, and Sammy grabbed Dean's arm, dragging him towards the stairs as Mel quickly followed. Dean hit Sammy's hand aside hard, shoving his brother away from him, and making Mel pause beside Sammy.

"I don't think you're real," Sam let out an exasperated noise, glancing upwards as if it could come back at any moment.

"Dean," Mel was the one who took three steps towards him to cradle his face between her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Do you feel me?" She took his hand and guided it to her cheek. "This is reality. I'm real, okay? And if we don't leave soon, that Djinn is going to come down here and kill us for real. So we really need to go,"

"There's one way to be sure," He grabbed the knife out of his pocket, and Mel was yanked backwards by Sammy.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," He held out a hand, as if to attempt to calm Dean down.

"Dean, what're you doing?" Mel's eyes were wide with fear, and Dean almost put down the knife, but then his resolve hardened. This wasn't Mel. She couldn't be.

"It's an old wives' tale," He explained to them. "If you're about to die in a dream, you'll wake up,"

"No, no, no. That's crazy, all right?" Sam begged him to put down the knife. "You're gonna kill yours-" Sam started forward, but Mel pulled him back as Dean brandished the knife.

"Or I'm gonna wake up," He countered, his gaze hardening in determination. "One or the other,"

"This isn't a dream, okay?" Mel raised her hands, which Dean realized were shaking. "Sammy and I, we are here. We are real. The Djinn must've done something to you to make you forget your life. Your real life. This one. You are about to kill yourself, Dean," He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head harshly. This wasn't Mel. It wasn't his Mel. His Mel was waiting for him.

"No, I'm pretty sure… like 90% sure," He took a deep breath, turning the knife to point at his chest.

"WAIT!" Sam and Mel screamed together, and, just before Dean plunged the knife into his chest, a figure walked out of the darkness, making him freeze. Mary Winchester was wearing the white sleeping gown she'd been wearing the night she died. Her eyes held the same kindness that Dean remembered. "Why'd you have to keep digging?"

"Why couldn't you just have left well enough alone?" Mel questioned, looking sadly at him. "You were happy," He watched as different figures walked towards him. The two littlest ones crowded around Mel's feet, causing Dean's heart to ache with sorrow. Mary stepped up in front of him.

"Put the knife down, honey," She told him softly, and he struggled to hold his resolve.

"You're not real," He accused her, taking a deep breath. "None of it is," He was sure now. There was no doubt that he was in an alternate reality.

"It doesn't matter. It's still better than anything you had," His mom reminded him, making his gaze snap to her.

"What?" He whispered hoarsely.

"It's everything you want. We're a family again. Let's go home," She appealed to him, smiling kindly while he studied her face in disbelief.

"I'll die. The Djinn will drain the life out of me in a couple of days," He remembered, but he didn't take his eyes off of his mother.

"But in here, with us, it'll feel like years, like a lifetime. I promise. No more pain, no more fear," Dean looked past her at Sammy and Mel, both of whom looked hopeful and sad as well as welcoming. "Just love and comfort and safety. Dean… stay with us. Get some rest,"

"You don't have to worry about Sam anymore. You get to watch him live a full life," Dean turned to look at Jessica as she spoke. His mom moved away from him, and Johnny came running up to him with Bel in tow.

"Daddy, please stay," Tears shined in the little boys eyes as he begged, and Dean let out a choked breath.

"I can't," He whispered, taking another deep breath to calm himself.

"I don't want you to go, daddy," He frowned, his bottom lip quivering.

"I have to," He stated, trying to keep his fleeing resolve.

"Why?" Bel broke into the conversation, looking up at him as if him leaving was the worst thing that would ever happen to her. "A'en't you happy?" He looked away from her and met Mel's loving eyes. She took a step forward and kissed him softly, her hands resting gently on his cheeks. She pulled away gently, and his eyes fluttered open to fix on her.

"We have a future here. A family," He felt a tear travel down his cheek as he gazed at her earnest eyes. "I love you, Dean,"

"Why is it our job to save everyone?" Dean's eyes flicked to Sam as he spoke up. "Haven't we done enough?"

"Please, Dean," His gaze returned to Mel, and another tear fell from his eyes. "Just give me the knife. Please," For a moment, he thought he would give the knife to her. This would all be over. Then he took a step back. She wasn't Mel. She was just his mind playing tricks on him.

"I'm sorry," He whispered before plunging the silver blade into his chest.

---

-1st Person-

"Dean!" Fear coursed through my veins as Sammy echoed my shout. "Oh, my god," I whispered as I took in his pale skin tone and glassy eyes. "No, no, no, no, no," I chanted the word, hot tears beginning to blur my vision as I checked his pulse. It was there. Faint, but there.

"Come on," Sam whispered as he came to stand beside me.

"Dean, wake up," I shook him desperately, but he just hung limply by his bound hands. "Dean, please. Wake up," He moaned lightly, his eyes fixing on us. "Hey," I let out a choked laugh of relief.

"Auntie Em. There's no place like home," Another laugh, or sob, tore it's way out of my throat as I took out the needle that had been jammed into his neck.

"I thought we'd lost you for a second," Sam confessed, relieved that Dean was alive.

"You almost did," Dean's words sent chills down my back, and I swallowed hard. Sam stood on his toes to reach the ropes above Dean, sawing at them while I supported Dean as a rope snapped, making him moan in pain.

"Behind you!" He yelled at us, and I spun, knife at the ready. The Djinn blocked my jab, slamming me against the wall with a hand at my throat. He squeezed until I dropped the knife, dark spots dancing in my vision. Suddenly, he was yanked off by Sam, and I was left to slide to the floor, gasping for breath. The Djinn drove Sam into the stairs, one of his hands glowing blue. I snatched my knife off the floor as I struggled to my feet, still trying to regain my breath. Before I could help him, Dean drove Sam's knife into the Djinn's back, twisting it until the creature went limp. I leaned against the stair railing while I caught my breath before straightening and heading to were Dean was standing by the dead woman, who was hanging from the ceiling.

"She's alive," I suddenly realized as I watched a single tear roll down her cheek. I pulled out a knife and cut her ropes as quickly as I could, watching Dean catch her.

"We're gonna get you out of here. I got you. I got you," He struggled under her weight, so I put one of her arms around my shoulders.

"911," I told Sammy, and he nodded, pulling out his phone and dialing the numbers quickly.

---

-3rd Person-

"Okay, uh, well, thank you so much for the update," Sam spoke into the phone quietly as Dean flipped through a magazine where he was sitting on the bed. "Okay, bye," Dean heard the snap of the phone shutting before Sam came over to stand beside him. "That was the hospital. The girl's been stabilized. Good chance she's gonna pull through,"

"That's good," Dean kept his eyes firmly on the magazine even though Sammy took a seat on the other bed. Sam glanced at his hands, remembering how concerned Mel was before she'd left to get snacks from the vending machine. "How about you? You all right?" Dean let out a cough to clear his throat and tried to push thoughts of the other reality aside.

"Yeah, I'm all right," He spoke unconvincingly. "You should have seen it, Sam. Our lives. You were such a wussy," Sam let out a small laugh at Dean's words.

"So, we didn't get along, then, huh?" He guessed, knowing that he was most likely right.

"No," Dean answered truthfully, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Sam muttered, glancing down at his hands again. "I thought it was supposed to be this perfect fantasy," Sam began only to be cut off roughly by Dean.

"It wasn't. It was just a wish," He'd explained the general idea of what had happened to them on the way back from the hospital, but he hadn't told them everything. "I wished for mom to live. Mom never died, we never went hunting, and you and me just never, uh - you know,"

"Yeah," Sam knew exactly what Dean meant. Without hunting… they really had nothing else in common. "Well, I'm glad we do," Dean turned to look at Sam for the first time since they'd been speaking. "And I'm glad you dug yourself out, Dean. Most people wouldn't have had the strength. They would've stayed,"

"Yeah, lucky me," Dean muttered, and Sam couldn't help but frown at the sarcastic note in his voice. "I got to tell you, though, man - you had Jess. I had Mel. We had a family. Mom had grandkids," He got up from the bed, moving to the back of the room to lean desk.

"Yeah, but, Dean, it wasn't real," Sam reminded him.

"I know," He let out a humorless chuckle, and, suddenly, he looked sadder than Sam had ever seen him. "But I wanted to stay," Sam's heart broke for his brother as Dean's eyes flicked away from him. "I wanted to stay so bad. I mean, ever since dad… all I can think about is how much this job's cost us. We've lost so much. We've… sacrificed so much,"

"But people are alive because of you," Sam hated seeing Dean like that. "It's worth it, Dean. It is. It's not fair, and you know, it hurts like hell, but it's worth it," Dean shoved his hands into his jacket pocket, and frowned for a moment before a small smile started on his lips, a light returning to his eyes. "What?" Sam questioned, and Dean just shook his head.

"There's something I have to do. I'll be back," He walked out into the night, turning right to meet up with Mel just as she was coming back with two protein bars.

-1st Person-

"Hey," I greeted Dean in surprise. I handed him a bar that I'd just bought from the vending machine in front.

"Hey," He shifted his weight and offered me an uneasy smile. He took a deep breath, and I opened my mouth to say something when he cleared his throat. "We, um, we had a family,"

"We had children?" A small smile came to my lips as he told me that. "Were they cute?"

"Yeah," Dean smiled softly as he spoke about them, and I felt a pang go through her heart. "The younger one had your eyes," "We had two?" My smile widened as I thought about having two children with Dean. A family.

"A boy and a girl," He confirmed, smiling slightly.

"What were their names?" I asked, and Dean's smile faltered for a brief moment before he answered.

"Johnny and Bel," He answered, glancing at the ground. "Johnny looked like a young Sammy, and Bel looked like you except for her hair. Blonde, like mom's," I swallowed hard as I saw the way his eyes lit up when he talked about them. The ugly question that had been prodding me ever since Dean had told us his story pierced my mind again. Was I not enough for him?

"Did you want to stay?" I whispered the question, glancing down at my hands.

"Yes," I'm not sure what hurt more, the answer or the honesty in Dean's voice when he did. "But I came back," He took a step towards me, his fingers brushing my cheeks. "Because it wasn't real," I lifted my fingers to intertwine with his, and he moved them from my cheek slightly, gazing at our joined hands. "This is real," He murmured, his eyes dancing back to lock with mine. "I want a family, Mel, and I want a normal life away from the job and the danger. I want that with you," He sounded so certain that I couldn't help but smile as he cleared his throat again. "So… uh,…" He untangled his fingers from mine, and my eyes widened as he sunk to the ground on one knee.

"Dean, what…" I struggled to get words out as he pulled out a small, dark brown box from his jacket pocket. "Dean…" I started again but found I couldn't get any words out. He opened the small box to reveal a simple, silver ring with a small elegant diamond shining in the center. Where did he even get the money to pay for that?

"Mels, will you marry me?" I just stared at him, my brain going numb with shock. Dean Winchester just asked me to marry him. The same Dean Winchester who cut my hair as a prank when I was nine. The same Dean Winchester tried to do laundry when I was sick and ended up turning everything pink. The same Dean Winchester who punched my high school exboyfriend when he called me a bitch. "I, um, I know it's crazy, and we're hunters, and things are-"

"Yes." I interrupted him, finally finding my voice. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, ye-" He cut me off by rising from the ground and slamming his lips against mine passionately. I smiled into the kiss as I felt him slip the ring onto my finger before his arms wound tightly around my waist, pulling me closer to him. For a moment, it was as though we were on our own little island, safe from everything and everyone. It would have been perfect, if not for the dark tug in my gut that just wouldn't leave me alone.

---

BurnedSpy: I definitely understand how season 1 is your favorite season; it's one of my favorites as well. I loved season 2 though, and, in my opinion, it's definitely worth watching. I'm sorry you didn't like the episode, but I hope you liked this one!

JJS4: I am glad you loved the new twist I threw in, and I can't give anything away, but there's a definite purpose behind it. I'm just as excited as you are to get to the end of the season! I think you'll really like it!

Just Another Netflixer: First off, love your username; I can definitely relate. I am with you about jealous Dean; I love writing him jealous, and they'll be more of that to come. The male prison incorporation wasn't easy, and I was bouncing between a few ideas for awhile (which is why the episode took so long to get out), but I'm glad you liked the outcome.

Cosmic-Daeva: I think you'll like the coming chapters if you like chick flick moments. I can't give anything away, but the end result of the new demon is going to be interesting.

heytay1: Thanks so much! I wasn't sure about this chapter when I posted it because of how separated Mel, Dean, and Sam are throughout it, but I'm happy that you loved it so much. I'd love to hear the other 4 on that list!

grapejuice101: Yeah, I was trying to finish the episode with a bang. I hope you liked the update! So sorry it took so long to get out.

J. Cassia-Rendthal: I can promise you that you will be seeing more of jealous!Dean in later chapters. I hope the finale lives up to your standards! I'm excited to start writing it!

MsNico: A lot of the lines in my story are taken directly from the episode or are versions of what the characters say in the episode! Also, it doesn't sound weird, don't worry. I understand what you mean. I'm sorry if the italics confused you; I was trying to prevent that, but I can see how it happened. I always like to know when it's confusing, so that I can prevent it in the future. I would recommend rewatching 'Folsom Prison Blues'. It's one of my favorites.

Ladysunshine6: I'm happy you liked it! I hope you'll love the rest of the season!

anime0angel: Sorry for all the crypticness of this season, but I promise it'll be worth it in the end. I have to keep everyone on their toes, otherwise there's no fun in reading the story! I'd love to hear what your predictions were for 'Folsom Prison Blues', though because I was bouncing around a lot of ideas, not sure which I was going to choose. I get why you felt like the brother's didn't contribute, but as I was writing it it just made too much sense for Mel to be the one to do things like burn blood on the mattress and research the old nurse that worked there. I am thinking Max and Jo will be in more of the season before it's over (I hope), but no promises. It's hard enough writing one OC, but writing three is extremely difficult (Jo isn't original, but she doesn't have a role in the finale so I'd be adding three characters). This chapter was really sad; I wasn't prepared, but I hope it came out okay. Thanks for reading! I really love reading your criticism on my chapters; I feel like they make me a better writer, so please don't stop!

sarahmichellegellarfan1: While writing this, I was trying make Sam seem a little vulnerable and sad about the Mel/Dean scenario. I was trying to make it sad, and I actually felt a little sad writing it. I hope you like this chapter though!

Guest: I honestly can't believe I'm almost at the end of season 2 either! Thank you so much, and I hope you like the rest of the season!

Guest: Thanks! I hope you like this one! I'm hoping the next ones will come out faster, but no promises.

MyWaywardDaughter: I'll try to get the finale out as soon as possible, and I love that you're so excited about the story!

bambam411: Hope you liked this chapter! And thanks! Incorporating Mel into the story is easier with some episodes than others (like Route 666 and Folsom Prison Blues). Anyway, I hope you like the rest of this season!