Challenge 31 - I've waited so long for this

Here it is - the last chapter! It's probably a very appropriate challenge phrase this time as I've taken forever with this one. Sorry about the wait!

I also want to thank everyone for sticking with this story, particularly all those who reviewed. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

Thank you and I hope you like it!

Elya Rho

John sat with his arm around Mary, utterly content with his life for the first time in what seemed like forever. He smiled as she shifted slightly, snuggling into his embrace as they stared up at the stars. The night was cold, the spring air still retaining some of winter's bite. It was as good a reason as any to cuddle up together. They were sitting on the hood of the Impala and the metal was rapidly cooling under them.

John couldn't recall just how many times an evening drive had turned into watching the stars in an empty field somewhere, but there was something inherently peaceful about it. Sometimes they could only stay outside a little while before the cold forced them back into the Impala's cozy interior. Other nights, nights like this, they braved the cold anyway, taking their warmth from each other and the fading heat of the hood beneath them.

It may have been chilly, but it was a beautiful night - the perfect night to spend stargazing with his wife. Sometimes it still amazed him that she was his wife. What she saw in him, he'd never know for sure.

"I love you," John murmured as he placed a kiss on the top of Mary's head. He smiled as she sighed contentedly in response, squeezing his hand. "I wish things could just stay like this forever."

"Well, maybe not quite like this," Mary said with a smile.

John pondered that for a moment. "True. Maybe a blanket next time we stay outside in the middle of the night. That might be a good plan."

Mary patted his hand. "That's not really what I mean."

"What would you change?" John asked curiously.

Mary moved then, slipping out from under John's arm so he could see her face clearly. She gripped his hand tightly, drawing it up so she could kiss it.

"I'd only change one thing, John Winchester," she said. "I would add the one thing we've been missing; something we've waited so long for . . . a baby."

She drew his hand forward and placed it on her belly with a meaningful expression.

John left his hand there for a moment, the depth of Mary's words not really sinking in for a moment.

"Did you just-" his jaw dropped as he looked up into his wife's eyes. "Are you-"

She took pity on him and laughed lightly. "I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father, John!"

John knew his was grinning like an idiot. His heart felt ready to burst with absolute and unbridled joy. He wasn't typically an emotional man, but tears formed in his eyes and he was shocked at just how deeply the news was hitting him.

"Mary," he breathed. He didn't even know what to say. He drew her close and hugged her tightly, kissing her hair over and over again while he tried desperately to come up with the words to tell her how he felt.

Mary, for her part, seemed to understand. She laced her fingers through his and waited patiently as the gamut of emotion overwhelmed John.

"I love you," John whispered as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "This is going to be the best thing that's ever happened to us. I can't believe I'm going to be a father!"

He was going to be a better father than his own had been, that was for sure. He was going to love his son or daughter with every fibre of his being. He was going to be there for that child every moment of every day.

John beamed at the thought as he kissed Mary's soft lips.

It couldn't be more perfect.

Dean stared at the keys in his hand uncomprehendingly.

He was vaguely aware of Sammy standing beside him, a look of utter amazement on his face. The teen was practically vibrating from excitement, which probably meant that Dean had heard his father correctly . . .

"Really?" Dean asked, trying not to get too hopeful, just in case even Sammy had heard Dad wrong.

Dad nodded. "Really. It's time. You've loved that car your entire life. She's yours."

Dean felt like he was floating as he clenched his fists around the keys, relishing the feeling of the indentations digging into his palm.

His keys for his car.

His 1967 Impala.

His Baby.

Dean grinned then, looking at his father with an almost embarrassing amount of gratitude.

"Thank you, Dad," he managed to say. There weren't enough words to show just how thrilled he was. He felt like his heart was going to burst.

Dad was clearly pleased with Dean's reaction. "You've gotta treat her well, right? Look after her and she'll look after you."

"Absolutely," Dean affirmed enthusiastically. Like he'd ever let anything bad happen to his beloved car.

"Well, I've got some stuff to take care of in town," Dad announced with a rare grin. "I'll be back after dinner. I'm sure you boys will find some way to entertain yourselves?"

"Yes, sir," they intoned in unison. In a matter of moments, Dad had driven off in his truck, leaving Sam and Dean alone with Dean's new car.

"Are you going to take Marcy Lewis for a ride?" Sammy asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but failing miserably.

Dean pretended to ponder his question for a moment, drawing out his brother's agony before he finally laughed. "I've waited so long for this moment. Do you really think I'd share it with anyone but you?"

Sam's answering grin was incandescent and he gave a loud cry of excitement.

"Get in, shrimp," Dean laughed as Sam raced for the passenger side. Dean stepped around to the front of the car, running his hand lightly along her hood as he passed. He couldn't help but admire her sleek lines and powerful form.

As he made his way to the driver's side, he marvelled at his good fortune. He'd loved the muscle car from the time he'd been a child. Her throaty growl and powerful engine had been a lullaby long before she had ever fired up his blood.

And now she was his. It was almost unbelievable.

He opened the door and climbed in, savouring the feel of the steering wheel in his grip and the way the seat hugged his back.

He'd driven her before, of course, countless times, but this time was different. This time was special.

He pulled the door closed and shot his brother a quick grin.

Within moments, the Winchester brothers were peeling out of the parking lot at a speed just-this-side of reckless. Sam laughed from the passenger side as Dean guided them to a back road where they would be able to really let her fly.

He was driving the car of his dreams, the tunes were blaring, and his little brother was at his side. . . Dean had never been happier in his life.

It couldn't be more perfect.

Sam couldn't help but smile as he gripped the steering wheel comfortably in his large hands. He didn't get to drive much these days and though he would have preferred Dean to be uninjured, things weren't as bad as they had seemed mere days ago.

Three days ago, Sam had been convinced he and his brother were going to die. They had been facing tremendous odds with the fate of most of humanity at stake.

Again.

They had made it - surviving by the skin of their teeth, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, laughing in the face of danger, and all the other clichéd sayings that people pulled out when they had barely scraped through something that ought to have killed them.

Sam sighed, his smile fading. It almost had killed Dean.

His brother had, among other things, a concussion and a broken arm. Not the first time a Winchester had been down with a limb in a cast, but hopefully the last time for a long while.

Waiting for his brother in the hospital had given Sam a lot of time to think. Mainly, he had pondered their lives and where they were going. There had been a time when he would have given anything to quit hunting and live a normal life. Now, he had no desire to leave. He was a hunter from a line of hunters, a scholar from a line of scholars, and one half of a badass duo bent on saving as many people as they could before their cards were punched.

Maybe it sounded overdramatic, but Sam didn't care. He was in this for the rest of his life, however long it happened to be. He had made his peace with that thought a long time ago and he took comfort in the fact that he was going to be at Dean's side no matter what. When their time came, it would come for both of them together - that much was certain, but it didn't mean that the entire road had to be one of gloom and doom.

They always fought to survive, but sometimes they forgot to live.

That was when the idea had come to Sam.

The only time either brother felt completely and utterly at peace was when they were in the car, driving with the windows down and the music up, enjoying each other's company. Nothing healed the body better than healing the soul, and Dean's soul always longed for the open road. So, when Dean had been well enough to travel, Sam had bundled his brother up and they drove away.

When the low rumble of the Impala's engine finally lulled Dean into the first peaceful sleep he'd had in days, Sam let his mind roam and just enjoyed the feeling of the Impala chewing up the miles. There was no more stress, at least not today. His destination was already in mind, and though it would be close, he knew he would get there in time.

It was nearing dawn when Sam finally found the place he'd been looking for and pulled the car off the road. For a moment, he simply sat in the dark and contemplated when he should wake his sleeping brother.

In the end, the sky made the decision for him.

As the first light of morning touched the sky, Sam reached over and gently touched Dean's shoulder, mindful of his brother's injuries.

Dean woke surprisingly easily, despite his medications. "We've stopped?"

Sam nodded. "We're here."

"Where is here?"

"Somewhere we've waited a long time to see," the younger Winchester answered with a smile. "Look."

Dean followed Sam's gaze, noting the lightening sky for the first time. Sam turned back, wanting to see Dean's expression the moment he realized where they were. It took several minutes, but suddenly Dean sat forward, his face reflecting his amazement as he stared out the front window into the dawn.

All around them, the darkness was being swept aside by the rising sun. Slowly, the world came into focus, revealing the incomparable beauty of the rocky landscape.

It was worth the long drive.

"Are we . . . are we where I think we are?" Dean breathed, awe evident in his voice.

Sam nodded slowly. "The Grand Canyon. I thought it was time."

Dean was already reaching for his door handle, fumbling to open it despite his cast. Sam climbed out his side, preparing to go around to help his brother, but by then Dean had already managed it.

The elder hunter circled to the front of the Impala, trailing his fingers along the side of the hood as he did. His eyes remained fixed firmly on the sunrise in front of him.

Sam smiled as he leaned one arm on the roof and watched his brother.

"Sammy, get your ass up here before you miss this," Dean ordered, as though the few feet from the hood of the car to the driver's side door would spoil Sam's view.

Sam just grinned and joined his brother at the front of the car.

As the new day broke over the rugged chasms of the Grand Canyon, Sam could hear Dean's soft sigh of contentment.

They were alive and they were together. Sam let his hand drift over the Impala's still-warm hood as he watched the sun rise, unconsciously mirroring his brother's stance. He took a deep breath of the early-morning air and felt a sense of complete peace flow over him.

It couldn't be more perfect.