'How's Joey doing?'

'Fine and bald.'

'What's his house look like?'

'Really small...he doesn't even have a garage.'

'Is his...bed small?'

'The couch in the living room is.'

'Does he snore or only kick you while sleeping?'

'I don't know how he sleeps.'

'Oh, you two go right to the boning, huh?"

'What's with the being nosy all of a sudden?! YOU, who never cared about my life before.' Dean snarled and shoved back, almost spilling him into the closest urinal, startled into upset halt when Seth remained slumped and hid his face.

'Yeah but I...hell, I care NOW and I don't want to! I don't WANT to love you or Romes either but I DO and it SUCKS!'

'Because you still think it'll make you weak.'

'Yesss.' Seth snapped, grateful that Dean didn't try to hug him or be sympathetic or comforting. He didn't want that at all.

'Then don't love us. We do okay without it, this far.'

'What no therapy? No trying to convince me I'd be better, happier if I did?'

'My answer for that is obvious.'

'You and your nopes.' Seth grinned, holding tears in. Crying was kidstuff and he was no child.

'You're WITH us this long and whether you care or not, doesn't keep us from being a team, unstoppable.'

'i don't want to be weak.'

'And you aren't. And if you ever DO want to change your mind, it won't change who you are.'

seth thought of his worthless hateful mother. She only loved the drink and she WAS weak.

And he WAS better than her, she'd been proven wrong.

So maybe, just maybe, he could do whatever he wanted and still be himself, strong and knocking through people, plowing them down like bowling pins.

his mother had been wrong about him. And Dean had been right the entire time, stuck by him for years, since teenhood, hadn't made Seth a wimp at all and neither had Leo.

Kept him from being alone but didn't make him into a wuss.

THAT was something to consider giving his heart to.

But at that moment he didn't think about his heart, it was another body part that did a man's thinking for him, took control.

This new performance center, still, to the best of his knowledge, yet unused for one particular purpose.

He stood quickly, nodded to Dean, patted him on the back and suggested something wicked.

Watched his Pack member smile, eyes lighting up and glittering, agree, nodding wildly and bumped against him, waist to waist.

'Ready then?'

'I've been ready for years.'