nice

holy shit, this is an awesome fic.
I just love this and i'm glad that you wrote it "you know what that makes you become, and you know what he is supposed to do once you've taken that dark path. You disrespect him ... if you sin, he will sin all the more."
this is so insightful and now it is my new head canon.
can't wait to start ch 3, but I just had to tell you how great this is first.
thnx for sharing

I liked so much in this chapter that I thought I'd just list them: 1) your acknowledgement of how in the show Sam goes to Dean AFTER Alastair and Castiel; your tying this in with him being diminished by hell and not as much of a presence in Sam's life as he used to be was powerful. 2) Sam wavering between little brother/orphan and angry, dangerous hunter, 3) Sam toying with using his power to force Dean out of his coma, 4) "the past was a merciless ghost"; yes, it is, and one that can't be put down with salt and fire, 5) Dean being wistful, disarmed, and sad talking about not completing the school year, 6) nurses calling Sam "Sammy" because Dean does, 7) the entire Opposite Day scenario including "I hate you," 8) the doctor's advice - "talk to him; let him know you're here" - reminded me of Dean in Stull Cemetery; he couldn't defeat the Devil, but he could be there with Sam, and 9) Dean feigning continued illness so Sam could graduate. That's heartbreaking, especially since he knew Sam would probably leave. His dad should NOT have let him jeopardize his health like that.

Great fic. To this day, On the Head of the Pin remains one of the most fascinating (and heartbreaking) episodes for me, and I think you expanded on it amazingly. Thank you!

Really really beautiful description if Dean's presence before and after Hell.

awesome work! really! and what's more is you provided your train of thoughts of how your story unfolded the way it is plus how you see the two episodes together. this is really illuminating. I enjoy your afterwords so much.
Thanks for the good read :)

You are one of the best writers I've seen in any fic. So appreciated. Love the way you dove into different flashbacks to explore the nature of Sam's learned protectiveness for his own protector. I also really enjoyed the insight into Dean's character post-Hell. The fact that you describe his presence being diminished or nearly invisible now, in stark contrast to his earlier self. I have noticed this in the portrayal of the character - but also in the post-traumatic states of people I have known in real life. However this is the first time I have seen it so articulately expressed in words.

Oh man, this was awesome! Loved it :)

Wow. I hadn't thought of those episodes in a while and I got goosebumps from reading this! The story itself was awesome and I love the effort put into exploring and expanding all of the characters. Great fic, A all the way!

Wow! Thanks for your story. I always felt like that scene of Dean in the hospital in On The Head Of A Pin wasn't quite finish like the scene was cut mid sentence. You have completed it for me. Thanks. Your writing is superb, I am still rather speechless after reading it ...and your preview of Heaven and Earth. Thank you very much.

Brilliance. Pure brilliance. This is truly a work of art-and you explore the multi-faceted characters that is rarely done on such a realistic and engaging level. Bravo!

Castiel felt a pang of guilt and regret, but more than anything, he felt relief that there was still something of Dean that bucked and resisted. He sat back, saying, "You need to be more careful."

"You need to learn how to manage a damn devil's trap," came the retort.

Ah...their relationship is lovely, isn't it? ;)

Great job on this one, as well. I just love your portrayals of the Winchesters! I thought your progression of Dean's condition to a possibly-suicide attempt was believable, so no worries! I sometimes find Sam hard to understand, being a little more drawn to Dean's straight-forward way of thinking, but your stories have given me some great insight to what's in his head. I think he is internally confused and conflilcted a lot of the time, and finds his center of gravity in his charming, torpedo of a brother. When Dean was gone in Hell, he was lost and latched on tight to the only thing that would fill the whole in him: power. When he gets his brother back physically, but only the tattered remains of his spirit...well, he just isn't able to be the old Sam anymore. Thank you again for your amazing perspective on these boys!

This *broke my heart.* Dean stalling to keep Sam in school? OMG. It's... I just... And I wanted to smack your doctor who "jumped the gun", and "I hate you more" had me crying, and,,, omg, I'm sorry, I'm too wrecked to leave anything coherent. OMG.

love it