It was late. William's body had been collected by the coroner, and the party had moved to the house until such a time as they got the garage cleaned up.

Two witnesses meant no charges for Jaime, and though the new bride was still pale and trembling, she was going to be okay. Danny never strayed further than a few feet from his new wife as the family gathered around the table to finally sample a few of the dishes that had been left behind.

"Sit down, Jai. I got this." Danny assured her, pulling out her chair and retrieving a bowlful of macaroni salad from the fridge.

"Yep," Ron added. "The bride and hero of the moment gets the four-star treatment." He winked at his new daughter-in-law as he set the warmed-up platter of fried chicken on the table.

Jaime shuddered, "Please don't say that, Ron. Not … not a hero. A man died, and I … it was me ..."

Sam reached a long arm across the table and covered Jaime's hand with his own. "You're my hero." He assured her. "Saved my life, sure as anything."

Jaime looked at him, tears still close to the surface, and shook her head. "After almost taking it back there at the … that … place." She shivered again.

Dean glanced up from his pie and noted the slight woman sitting there looking so miserable, on her wedding day no less, and he realized he'd had enough. "Jaime, I think it's time you heard the whole story about what Sammy went through at that encampment."

She looked up, stricken, certain that Dean still blamed her for Sam almost dying. Her eyes spilled over, but she nodded bravely. "Okay. I know. It's okay, Dean. I … I deserve it."

Danny frowned, hugging her tight from behind. "That's not what Dean meant, Jai. Just listen to what he has to say, okay? Then maybe you can stop blaming yourself."

Dean stared straight ahead, unable to meet anyone's eyes, as he began his story. He cleared his throat.

"So, uh, after you gave him the shot, I don't know if you remember, but he went downhill pretty quick." He turned to Sam. "I don't know how much of it you remember, Sammy, but I remember it all now - every freaking moment of it." His voice shook. "I … uh … I pulled you over my shoulder and tossed you in the trunk of the Impala." He paused, looking down. "Not the backseat or your old spot on the passenger side, Sammy - the fucking trunk. Just tossed you in like a sack of old potatoes and lit out for that shitty barn on the edge of everything.

"Dean …" Sam tried to interrupt, but Dean held up a hand, looking straight at Jaime.

"You need to hear this - all of you. You see, I … I couldn't control what I did. I just … I had this thought in my mind that Sammy was interfering with some mission and had to go away." He turned toward Sam without meeting his eyes. "So I chained you up inside that barn - cuffed you to the wall, and you were terrified, Sam. You were hallucinating - seeing awful things - things that were out to get you, to … to kill you maybe. You kept calling out for me, calling my name. And I sat there for a bit because I couldn't bring myself to just leave you there … alone and scared. But then I did." He directed his words to Jaime again. "I just got up and walked away and left him there - sick and scared and calling out for me." He stopped, clearing his throat. His next words shook.

"I left him there … for days. And if Ron and Danny hadn't found me when they did, I'd have never gone back there." He turned agonized eyes on his little brother. "You would have died a horrible death from the heat and the rats and the being … being buried alive, and I wouldn't have even remembered, Sammy." He broke down then. "It would have been my fault, all of it. All because of that bastard's fucking incantation …" He struggled to gain control of his voice. "So you see, Jaime, if I could do that to Sammy … to the kid I've spent my life trying to protect … if I could just tie him up and leave him to die and never think twice about it, how can you blame yourself for giving him one shot?" He looked at Sam. "We didn't have any choices, Sammy. I swear to God. I couldn't control it. I'm so sorry, little brother." He broke down then, tears obscuring his vision. But he felt Sam get up from his seat across the table and move behind him. He felt long sasquatch arms wrap around him and felt Sam's shaggy head drop onto his shoulder.

"I know. I've known from the start, you know. I don't blame you, jerk."

Dean snorted through tears. "You should, you little bitch. You should be pissed as hell."

"Yeah, well, I'm not. So there." Sam grinned. "So do you feel bad enough to share some of that pie?"

"Get your eyes of my pie, Sasquatch." Dean chuckled wetly, swiping at his eyes.

"Geez, Dean. That was short-lived." Sam snorted.

"Yeah, well … pie."

And they laughed then. They laughed because Danny had finally got the girl, and because Ron was no longer an island and because Dean could feel Sam's presence standing warm and tall and alive behind him.

They would heal from this - all of them. It would take time, but eventually Jaime would learn to forgive herself. Dean would stop having nightmares about Sam being eaten alive by rats, and Sam would regain his strength and good health.

Because they were a family, and making it through the bad times as well as the good was what it was all about. It had had it's horrifying moments - this trip back to Benton - but it'd had its triumphs too.

Like seven kinds of pie, Dean thought, digging in.

-THE END-