Tag to Ep 4.17 It's a Terrible Life. Episode dialogue in bold. I was disappointed that they ended the episode without the brothers reconnecting. I know it's been done, but here's my take. I own nothing, just playing in the Supernatural sandbox.

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Dean stared at the spot where Zachariah had been moments ago, now disappeared. This had been the most bizarre experience...living another life for the last several weeks. A corporate schmuck, driving a prissy car, talking office gossip, and doing the Master Cleanse? What the F-? He was off-the-charts angry at being manipulated. Strangely however, at the same time he felt something settle deep within him…something that had been missing since his return from "down under." He finally remembered the feeling of doing what he was created to do, and with it the knowledge that he was damn good at it. Him and his brother…Sam! He had to find Sam! His last, horrible words to him rang in his ears:

"Know me? You don't know me pal. You should go." Nothing was further from the truth. But after their recent run-in with the siren, everything was still too unsettled between them, and Dean was certain - knowing his brother - that Sam would have taken these latest words to heart. Assuming he even remembered who he was…did Zachariah snap him out of this alternate life too? All Dean knew was he needed to find Sam NOW and make sure they were ok. Nothing was more important.

Scurrying down the stairs (he probably would be avoiding elevators for some time!), Dean breathed a sigh of relief to find the Impala parked at the curb. He wasn't sure what he would have done if his baby had been messed with. A Prius! Really? Angels are such dicks! He gave her a loving pat as he slid into the driver's seat and pointed her towards the motel they had been staying at last, desperately hoping that was where Sam would have gone when he came out of his alternate life. Hurrying to the door, he realized he didn't have a room key so set about picking the lock, only to have the door abruptly swung open and a gun barrel placed in his line of sight.

Backpedaling quickly, he looked up to see it was Sam and sighed in relief to find him there. Sam silently retreated back into the room, flicking the safety back on as he dropped the gun to the table. He sat wearily on the edge of his bed, rubbing his hands over his face. Then with elbows balanced on knees he looked cautiously up, as if not sure what to expect. Dean gazed back, trying to read his thoughts and determine how to proceed. He finally plopped down on the other bed facing him and drawled, "Weird couple of weeks, huh?" Sam huffed a sound mixed with frustration and confusion.

"Understatement. What the hell – ?"

"Angels."

"Dicks." they said in unison, looking at one another in amusement. Sam broke eye contact first, dropping his gaze back to some interesting spot on the floor. "What was the point?" he questioned idly, but Dean knew he was anxiously awaiting a real answer. Dean heard again Zachariah's explanation in his head:

"Why? To prove to you that the path you're on is truly in your blood. You're a hunter. Not because your dad made you, not because God called you back from hell, but because it is what you are. And you love it. You'll find your way to it in the dark every single time and you're miserable without it. Dean, let's be real here. You're good at this."

He wasn't wrong, he mused. Dean noticed they included Sam in the delusion, but the answer to why was all focused on him. Dicks. He thought again. They continually miss the point…Sam and I are a package deal. And honestly, he probably needed this lesson as much as me.

"Zachariah - who is apparently Cas' boss," Dean summarized, "wanted us to see that we were 'born to do what we do'. That we'll find our way back to it in every lifetime." He paused. "That it's not a curse, but a gift." Sam nodded, but didn't look up. Dean stared at his brother's down-bent head, wondering how to fix this latest schism between them. This time it was all his fault, and he had to make it right.

"Sam…" he started.

"I'm tired." Sam interrupted, starting to move as if to get ready for bed. Dean stopped his movement with a hand on his knee. Sam looked up, surprised by the initiated contact.

"Wait, man." Sam settled back again, curious now.

"Sam, your instincts, they were spot on. You knew from the beginning of this clusterfuck that something was wrong, and fought to figure out what it was. I was clueless, going through the motions of living this other life…"

"Were you happy?" Sam asked softly, almost afraid to hear the answer, but he needed to know.

"No." came the quick response, relieving the knot that had formed in Sam's gut. "Not happy, just not questioning. And when you questioned and pushed…" Dean hesitated, but pressed on, knowing Sam needed the truth, "...afraid. Afraid if I listened to you the neat and tidy world I was in would crumble and I wasn't sure what to do with that." Sam processed that for a moment. Hearing his larger than life big brother admit he was afraid was not something he ever expected to have shared with him. When he didn't say anything, Dean continued, "But Sam. This hunt…discovering how to find and kill the ghost…the ease with which we worked in sync even as 'strangers', it reminded me how much FUN it is to hunt with you. To adventure with you. We really do make a great team, you and I." He smiled at his little brother, willing him to look up and tell him he felt the same way. He saw Sam start to smile as he remembered their experiences from the past day, but as a result also saw the moment Sam remembered their last conversation. Hastening to try to undo the damage, he spoke again.

"What I said to you after the hunt? It was completely and utterly untrue. If I could take it back, I would. Sam." Dean waited patiently for Sam to look at him, which he finally reluctantly did. Holding his gaze, Dean spoke firmly, "You know me better than anyone, Sammy - better than I know myself sometimes. And I'm so glad…I mean I wouldn't choose…I - I don't know what I would do if…"

"I know." Sam rescued him, knowing intrinsically what Dean was struggling to convey with his words. "I feel the same." He smiled at Dean then, who smiled back, feeling like the sun had burst forth after a rain shower. Crazy how settling things between them gave him such an enormous sense of peace and contentment. Sam wasn't done though, "I too really loved the hunt. It was almost like getting to experience it with you all over again for the first time. And we do make a damn good team."

Air cleared, it was now just a matter of extracting himself from this chick-flick moment. Dean jumped up from the bed, re-energized. "I'm starving dude. Master cleanse? What the crap? We need to go find burgers and beers, stat!" Sam laughed, but rose swiftly and grabbed his jacket, following Dean out the door and to the car. He wasn't happy about the weeks they had lost, but couldn't help but mentally thank the angels for the reset in their relationship. Maybe moving forward they could be a team again. Maybe moving forward they would once again act and feel like what they were created to be - brothers.