So I was lying in bed one night this week, and I realized that I had never actually finished this story—and I decided to. So here's the final chapter, even though it is…about six months late.

Dean's breath caught in his throat, and he stared at Sam, terrified that if he took his eyes off of his brother for one second he would disappear. Dean looked directly into his brother's eyes, "Is…is this real?"

Sam met his brother's gaze, confusion evident on his face. "I…I think so…" he said hesitantly. He slowly ran his hand over his chest, where the wound had been, and felt only smooth, unbroken skin.

Dean concentrated on breathing, deeply, evenly, because if he didn't he was going to fall apart right there. What if it wasn't real? What if Sam was really dead and Rebecca was torturing him with false hope? "Please…" he whispered brokenly. "Please, if this is some kind of trick, or another way to make me hope that…" his voice broke, and he swallowed hard, his eyes never leaving his brother's face. "I—I can't take anymore of this…I can't…"

Sam watched through teary eyes as Dean struggled to hold it together. "Dean...I—"

"No!" Dean interrupted wildly, taking a step back into the rain. "Listen to me, okay? I can't do this anymore, I can't watch my brother die again, I can't fail him again! Do you understand me?!"

"Dean—"

"And if that's what this is about then you might as well just kill me now, because I…I…" he broke off again and pulled out a gun. "Here!" he said shakily, and held it out to Sam.

Sam stared at his brother, stared at the look of hopelessness reflected in his wild eyes. He stared at the gun, held out to him, and his heart broke. "Dean…" he choked, and then stopped, unable to continue.

They stared at each other, green eyes locked on brown, searching for something, anything, daring the other to look away.

Sam lunged forward at the same time Dean did, and they met in the middle, Sam gripping the back of Dean's soaked leather jacket as he felt his brother wrap his arms tightly around him as though he was afraid he would suddenly vanish. "It's okay," Sam whispered. "It's me. It's really me, and I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh God, Sam…" Dean choked. "I thought you were dead…I thought—"

"You almost made that deal again, Dean!" Sam broke in, tears streaming down his face, "How could you make that deal? It wasn't worth it! I'm not worth it!"

"You died again Sam! You—you—you're my little brother! I couldn't let you die—"

"What if I hadn't been able to stop you? You'd be in Hell, Dean! Can you even begin to imagine how that would have torn me apart—"

"I had to, okay? I'm not as strong as you, I can't face this life alone!"

"Did you really think that I would just move on and be happy? That I wouldn't care? Damn it Dean, don't you get it? I need you!"

"Sammy, I—"

"No, Dean!" Sam said forcefully, pulling back slightly from his brother so that he could look directly at him. "You seem to think that your life isn't worth anything, that you're not worth saving—and you're wrong! You're my brother Dean, my best friend, and I'd do anything for you! Please…just promise me you won't do anything like that again."

Dean stared back at him, at the look of conviction in his eyes, and let out the shaky breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "I promise." He said softly.

Sam nodded, accepting that his brother meant it, and instantly felt as though some heavy weight had been lifted from him. "And I'm sorry for getting killed…twice."

Dean grimaced as the painful memories came flashing back to him. "About that—Don't ever die again…you know, until you're a hundred years old with twenty kids."

Sam smirked faintly. "Twenty kids, Dean? Twenty? Isn't that a bit over the top?"

Dean shook his head, his trademark cocky grin creeping across his face. "Nope. It'd be great. Just think, you could have your own colony of intelligent lawyers."

Sam's smile widened and he shook his head. "You're impossible."

"You know you love it." Dean said confidently, his smile matching Sam's. "Besides, you're gonna have to put up with me for a while now since you saved me from making that deal with the crossroads demon."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Sam said truthfully.

Dean nodded, and as he looked around contentedly he realized for the first time since the door had opened that they were still standing out in the rain. "Soo…what do you say we go inside?"

"Good idea." Sam agreed, and the two brothers walked inside, shutting the door behind them.

Rebecca stood at a distance, unseen, watching with a genuine smile on her face for the first time in many years. She remained there for a few moments after they had gone, breathing in the fresh scent of the rain, enjoying the peace of the calming storm, and then she slowly faded away.

Well there you have it, the final chapter, full of angst and emotion just as it should be. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks so much for reading!