Bobby half expected Detective Henriksen to come back and bother them again but he didn't. He thought he saw the man sitting in a parked car when he and Dean drove into town for some groceries but when they came back the car was gone. Bobby wasn't worried, even if the detective had a hunch, the cases he was focused on he couldn't stick on Sam because Sam hadn't done anything wrong there and in both cases he had cops backing up his story.

The only way the detective could cause any trouble would be if Bobby sicced him on Sam and he was past that.

However, Bobby needed to go home at some point but he stayed for the clean-out on Wednesday, Dean could use every hand getting all the old stuff out of the basement.

Sam went to work like usual that day but promised to be back around one in the afternoon to help with the heavy lifting.

Dean and Bobby took their time eating breakfast and nursing their coffees, they had finished everything they could do beforehand yesterday and were now waiting for Barney to bring his truck. Which he did around eight.

Dean went to help him navigate the truck backwards down the driveway so it would be easier to load.

When the truck was in position, Barney killed the engine and opened the door to get out of the cab. Bobby had forgotten how big the man was. For a second he thought that Barney would get stuck in the door but the man unfolded himself with practiced ease.

"Hey, Barney." Dean shook hands with the mountain of a man and reached up to give him a pat on the shoulder. "You remember Bobby?"

They shook hands as well and then Dean led them inside.

When Barney saw the hall they had stuffed with junk over the last few days he made a guttural sound deep in his throat.

"You weren't kidding." He said, hands in the pockets of his dirty work overall, taking in the sight in front of him.

"Nope." Dean let the word pop. "Sam is going to join us later for the heavy lifting but I think we can keep ourselves busy until then." He gestured at the far corner where Bobby knew some of the old machines were hidden under a pile of junk. "Some pieces are too big to fit through the door, we have to cut them up first."

Barney nodded to that and rounded the nearest pile with a calculating look on his face. Dean and Bobby had tried to keep some kind of order but in the end they had just thrown everything on top where they thought it wouldn't come rushing back down immediately. They had managed to keep a free path along the wall, connecting the doors, though.

"Let's get the smaller stuff out of the way first." Barney decided and grabbed a bundle of metal pipes.

For the next few hours Bobby picked up a box or an armload of scrap, carried it outside, threw it on the bed of the truck and went back inside to get more. Rinse and repeat.

He was older than Dean so he didn't feel too bad when he wasn't as fast as the younger man or when he took a break once in a while by climbing into the truck to push the stuff to the back and pile it there.

However, Barney took the cake. Like a machine he carried box after box outside, some of them piled high enough that he could barely see where he was going. Or he carried three steel beams on his shoulder as if they weighted nothing.

"What did your mother feed you as a baby?" Bobby wondered when Barney lifted the work bench he and Dean had carried out up on the truck all by himself.

Barney didn't answer but there was this smile tugging on his lips again.

By the time noon came around Bobby's back ached and his knees protested with every step and he had to admit that he wasn't as young as he used to be anymore. So while Dean and Barney kept on working Bobby went upstairs to make them sandwiches for lunch.

The weather was nice so they ate outside. Dean and Barney sat on the edge of the truck bed, with the plate of sandwiches between them and legs dangling. Or in Barney's case tips of his work boots almost toughing the ground. Bobby handed out a round of beer and then sat down on an old drawer.

Of course that was the moment Sam came home.

"And I thought you were working." He teased and snagged a sandwich from the plate. In his neat suit he looked out of place but he had no qualms kissing Dean on the dirty cheek before he took a bite off his sandwich.

"Careful." Barney grumbled around half his sandwich.

"Don't worry." Dean reached for his bottle of beer. "I'm still recovering from last time."

Barney coughed and almost choked while Dean just smirked. Once again Bobby felt like an outsider but that was okay. It was good to see that Dean had people now he shared inside jokes with.

Sam went inside to change into work clothes while the men outside enjoyed their break with a lazy beer. Bobby knew it would be hard to go back to work after the break but there was still a lot to do.

By now they had the truck bed full with the smaller stuff so after their break Dean offered to drive the truck over to Barney's scrap yard to get rid of the first load. It would be at least three more, Bobby guessed.

While Dean was gone, Sam and Barney carried out a few of the bigger pieces and Bobby could only shake his head at that sight. Sam packed some muscles under that business look of his. Together the two men moved some pieces Bobby had worried they would have to cut up as well.

When Dean came back with the truck, he jumped out of the cab and walked around the truck but when he caught sight of Sam he froze and just gaped.

Sam hadn't noticed him because he was busy putting something on the ground without losing a toe or a finger. His ripped jeans and the wifebeater showed off his muscles quite nicely and the bare shoulders and arms were a sight to see, Bobby had to admit. Judging by the look on Dean's face he liked the sweaty and greasy look.

"Should we give them some time alone?" Barney said in a low enough rumble that only Bobby could hear him.

"If we let them get their hands on each other, we won't see them again until tomorrow." Bobby pointed out. "You really want that?"

There was that almost smile again and Bobby couldn't help but smile back.

"Dean!" Bobby yelled. "We all know you like that piece of ass but how about you move your ass now? We have work to do."

"I … I didn't …" Dean stammered, face bright red while Sam who had been oblivious to all the people ogling his butt swirled around. He looked embarrassed as well but the glance he threw Dean said clearly that he had some ideas of what he'd like to do to Dean now if it hadn't been for the audience. Which resulted in an even deeper blush on both of their faces.

"Good one." Barney gave Bobby a friendly pat on the shoulder.

They went back to work and now it was time to get the cutting torch out. Barney knew what he was doing with the torch and he was cutting off pieces almost faster than the others could carry them out. If Bobby didn't know better he would have said that he cheated and sometimes just ripped chunks off with his bare hands. Which of course was impossible.

Dean had to make the trip to the salvage yard three more times and it was a tight fit the fourth time but they managed to stuff everything in the last load.

It was long dark when they finally stood in the empty hall, dust slowly settling and all of them tired to the bone.

They hadn't eaten much over the day so they ordered pizza which they ate sitting on crates in the middle of what they had accomplished. Bobby had never thought that an empty room could feel this satisfying.

Bobby almost fell asleep chewing on his slice of pizza and at least Dean looked the same. Barney and Sam did look tired as well but not exhausted to the bone, it wasn't fair.

When Barney had left with the last load of scrap, they tied off their boots and took the elevator upstairs. Bobby had never been this glad to not have to climb the stairs in his life. However, there was another set of stairs leading up to the shower and his bed. He was tempted to just collapse on the couch but Sam would probably kill him if he ruined his couch.

Bobby had no idea how he made his way up the stairs but then he stood in the bathroom and peeled off his dirty clothes before he stepped into the shower. It took quite some time before the water around his feet wasn't gray anymore and two more scrubs before he felt clean again.

He crawled under the covers of his bed and was asleep a second later.

The next morning Bobby woke up stiff and sore. He came up to sitting at the edge of the bed with a groan and wondered if this was what it felt like to be eighty. He took another shower just to loosen up the tense muscles and then went downstairs in search for breakfast.

Dean was already puttering around in the kitchen.

"Sam still sleeping?" Bobby asked and poured himself some coffee.

"He should be down in a few." Dean answered without taking his eyes off the bacon in the pan. The smell alone made Bobby's stomach grumble.

San joined them just in time, he hadn't even sat down before he had a full plate in front of him.

Dean had made bigger portions than usual, big heaps of scrambled eggs topped with stripes of bacon and what felt like a whole package of toast.

"Eat up, there's more." Dean encouraged them before he dug in himself.

"How many people do you expect?" Sam eyed the still full pan with eggs and the other one with sizzling bacon.

"We burned some calories yesterday." Dean shrugged and shoveled more eggs into his mouth.

They ate in silence for a while and Bobby wasn't surprised when all of them cleared their plates. Dean even helped himself to a second one.

"You sure you want to leave today?" Sam asked when they had slowed down, picking the last crumbs off their plates. Bobby felt pleasantly full and not at all like moving let alone driving.

"You can stay for a few more days." Dean said and Bobby knew he meant it.

"I have a business to run." Bobby took a sip of his coffee, maybe that would help to put his stomach at ease.

"Our door is always open for you." Sam said.

"I know, thank you." Bobby sat up straighter. "Same for you two, don't be strangers."

Bobby had most of his stuff already packed and far too soon he was ready to leave.

He had dreaded this moment. When he'd come here he had been sure he knew Sam and that he would leave with the same feeling in his stomach he knew way too well from every time John had taken Dean with him again.

But Sam wasn't what he had expected. Dean was happy here.

So Bobby said his goodbyes and made Dean promise to take pictures of the open door day and then he got in the car.

The whole time he drove down the driveway, Bobby had his eyes on the rear view mirror, watching the two men standing in front of the old building they'd made their home.

Bobby left with a good feeling.

***end***

That's all folks. Thanks to all of you who have joined me on this journey, you're awesome.

I have a third part planned, Honey and Vinegar, but it will be a while before I'll have time to write it. First it's November which means NaNoWriMo time.