A few hours later Dean was stood on stage strumming on his guitar as he sang his heart out for the last time for the next 6 months. It never ceased to surprise and humble him when his audience knew every single word to all of his songs. This was part of the reason he loved his fans. He got to the end of his song and noticed a woman stood in the front row and he had a flash of brilliance that perhaps would get him killed after the show.
"I'd like to share this final song with a woman who encouraged me to go for my dreams. Without her support I wouldn't be stood here in front of all you guys. When I was twenty I did move from my hometown and I needed picking up off the ground around that time and it was her who picked me up and ever since I heard this song when it came out in 2006 I have always considered this song to be a sort of anthem about returning home. Let's welcome up my best friend and sister Katherine Winchester." Dean grinned at the woman who was now glaring at him. They always attended the final show of each other's tour and this was the first time he'd ever decided to call her up on stage. That was Dean though, forever the one to change things up a bit. He had sung this song all tour and tonight would be the first time it would be sung as a duet rather than a solo. He already had a direction for his next album, it would be songs about home and family, it would be a mix of his own songs and covers. He grinned as she came on stage and glared at him as he handed her one of his guitars, it had been one that he'd taught her how to play with.
"I'm going to kill you." She hissed at him as she put the guitar on.
"And you'll kill this song. Open mic night, 2007, remember it and this is just that." Dean reminded her. It had been the song that had given him his big break and it forever held a place in his heart, he hadn't ever told anyone that. The opening bars played and exactly fourteen seconds in, Dean began to sing as he looked at his sister so she could watch for her cue.
"I spent 20 years trying to get out of this place, I was looking for something I couldn't replace, I was running away from the only thing I've ever known." Dean sang strumming his guitar, he saw the smile of recognition on his sister's face. Had she known she would be singing this song, she'd have almost ripped his arm off for the guitar. She grabbed hold of the second microphone stand and opened her mouth to sing.
"Like a blind dog without a bone, I was a gypsy lost in the twilight zone, I hijacked a rainbow and crashed into a pot of gold." She sang, her Stevie Nicks voice melding surprisingly well with the country tones of Dean's voice. It was the opposite way round to when the original had been sung since Jennifer Nettles had been the one with the country voice. The two different voices complemented each other as the final song played. It was an unusual treat to see the two talented Winchester's up on stage singing together. At the end of the song, with the adrenaline finally burned through, Dean walked off stage ready to pack his crap and catch a flight home to be with his family. One day he would take a break from music, but he wouldn't ever want to be too old to be able to do it, it had become his life and it was something that kept him from losing his mind.
"So you're done with the tour now Dean?" Kate asked leaning against the door jamb watching her big brother.
"Looks like. We should get back to our families Katie. We both know your husband and daughter will be missing you." Dean smiled as he picked up his duffle bag and threw it over his shoulder as he made sure he had everything. He'd already packed up his case from the hotel that morning and knew that there wasn't anything left there. Once he was satisfied that he hadn't left anything behind he closed the door walking out down the corridor to the exit of the venue.
"Katie? Since when did you stop calling me Kitty?" Kate shook her head, it was weird to hear such a grown up nickname from her brother who insisted on calling her by her childhood nickname.
"Since I gave you away after you decided not to invite dad to your wedding. You know that crushed dad, he wanted to be able to see his only daughter take that leap into adulthood. He got the chance to see his eldest son marry and become a father, he saw his youngest happy with a med student and he saw the same son miserable when the arsonist struck again, but you denied him the chance to see you get married. That was low Katherine that was very low." Dean hissed at her, despite them being close, they were now the ones who fought all the time.
"Dad's no longer there. It hurts seeing him like that, you have no idea how much it hurts. I wanted my day to be happy, but it wasn't without him there, but would he have even recognized his own daughter?" She sighed as she looked at the ground.
"I know better than you do. Ever since the damn propane tank blew up, he's not been the same. He flinches every July 4th; you have never been the one to nurse him back to health after a heart attack. I've had to stop him from committing suicide, but I'm glad you or Sammy have never had to do that, the both of you could have had your lives and you did. He recognizes you of course he does, it's post traumatic stress, not dementia!" He blurted as he stood at the door having this fight with his sister yet again. He went too far tonight with the fight and Kate ran off leaving Dean yelling after her. He always put his foot in it with her and he missed the days when everything was fine and he didn't have to worry about what he was saying or how he was saying it. He gave up shouting and decided to head to his car that would take him to the airport for his flight home. No doubt Kate would be on her bike riding back to her family and complaining to her husband about what a dick her brother was. It had always been tense between the two of them since the wedding, but this would only make it worse. The one time they were truly open with each other was when they were singing together. He missed the days when they'd hang out together working on the impala, when he'd teach her how to play the guitar or when they just relaxed with a beer watching whatever match was on TV. Now he was lucky to be able to last a day without them falling out, but hey this was family. It wasn't supposed to make you happy, family were supposed to make you miserable or so an old family friend had said once. His mind was racing as he got on the plane. He looked at his phone and surprisingly she hadn't been in touch to tell him what a dick he was and it had him worried. She'd turn up alive though, she'd be back in touch and they'd be brother and sister again, it was how it always happened. He tried to settle as he listened to a CD that he played all the time, it was his sister's last album with a song about having an amazing brother and it brought tears down his face. She looked up to him and was in complete awe of him and yet he'd upset her tonight. Why did he do that? He hated himself for it and it would serve to bring him much regret in time to come. Before that he had to go home and spend time with his family who he sorely missed.
"I'm sorry Kit." He whispered before he finally fell asleep. By the time he landed at LAX, Kate was riding home on her bike and was two states over from New York. It would take her a few days to come home and by the time she did she would have forgiven her brother. She always forgave him because she loved him to pieces and never wanted to hate him no matter what he did to upset her.
"Don't be sorry Dean, I forgave you as soon as the words left your lips." She whispered up into the dark night sky speckled with stars somewhere in Ohio.