Oh, that was so sad. I like how you combined two events that I've always wondered about:  Sam leaving for Stanford and Bobby running John off with a shotgun. I've always wondered why he really ran him off. I can see John saying something like that to Bobby.  John was pretty hot-headed, which is just one of the reasons him and Sam butted heads all the time.

Poor Dean.  His world has just fallen apart but I love the fact that he called Sam to tell him he was proud of him. 

Good job!

Author's Response:

I am glad you enjoyed this story. I wasn't too sure about it but it wouldn't leave me alone. And I too have always wondered about what could have made Bobby drive John off with a shotgun.

We have gotten a lot of little pieces of what happened between Sam and John during their last fight together - but I couldn't imagine Dean just standing there and letting them do that unless he were out or he was unable to do anything about it. So I chose the latter. If he were physically incapable of seperating Sam and John during their last fight it would have destroyed him even more I think. Because he wouldn't be able to stop it and would be helpless as he watched his brother walk out the door.

And you're right - John was pretty hot-headed. But Sam is as well. They are so much a like, two people can't be so a like and be expected to live in harmony.

But Dean is more like Bobby I've noticed. He lets you know exactally when you've gone too far. But even the apocolypse wasn't enough to push Bobby to the point of disowning the boys - so what could have driven him to pulling out a shotgun on John?

Pushing Sam away seemed like it would fit. Bobby is very fond of both the boys and if John pushed Sam to the point of no return Bobby would have noticed. And after hearing what John had done and had seen what it was doing to Dean I think it would have put him on the edge. And John in his anger and self defense for what he would have done would have lashed out at Bobby with the one weapon he had, driving Bobby over the edge.

I can't imagine John leaving his boys with a hunter who he hadn't checked out - and therefore knew about Bobby's background.

I'm glad you enjoyed this story though. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

Man, this was just so sad! Poor Dean. He's in so much pain. I can't believe he actually drove all the way to Bobby's house. What was John  thinking. I'm thinking John may have tried to bring up what happened to Bobby's wife; that would certainly bring out the shot gun! Thanks for the 2 shot. I really enjoyed reading it.

Author's Response:

Dean, I think would have had the harder time between John and himself with Sam's leaving as he was around more than John was and practically raised his little brother. But Sam's leaving broke up the family - as John left Dean not long after that. Not in this story but right before the Pilot episode.

I wanted to bring up something that John could say that would hit Bobby the wrong way the hardest. It wasn't easy to do as even the apocolypse didn't make Bobby disown the boys - especially Sam. He would do anything for them, his love for their family is obvious so what could have pushed Bobby so hard that he pushed John away?

I think that John's pushing Sam away was a big one. To hear what John had said to Sam and to see what it was doing to Dean would be enough to grind on Bobby's nerves, but then the icing on the cake - would have been if John brought up Bobby's wife. John seemed to be weary of which hunters he left his boys with, so I'm assuming he would have done background searches on Bobby and would have found out about what happened with his wife. So in his own pain and anger he brought up the one thing that Bobby hurt by the most.

I'm glad that you enjoyed this. Thank you for taking the time to read and review. It means a lot.

How heartbreaking - how devastated is Dean now that all his family have left.

I didn't blame Bobby one little bit, and I can imagine that he would try to be a father figure to Dean while he recovers from his injuries, but in Dean's mind it won't be the same.

Sam left, John left, and they both broke Dean's spirit. Not that I can blame Sam - I fully understand what that ultimatum of John's would have done to Sammy. And he couldn't stay - he and his father would have just continued to butt heads until one of them broke completely. Gunpowder and matches.

But Dean - always caught in the middle. Always hiding behind that mask, but crumbling to pieces underneath.

Thanks for sharing this, Candace. Good to see you back writing again, hun.

Jules...x

Author's Response:

I'm glad that you enjoyed this story. I actually found the second chapter a lot harder than the first because the aftermath of what Sam would have left behind was hard to picture. I can't even begin to imagine what it would have done to Dean, knowing what Dean had done to raise his little brother. That must have been like a major sucker punch.

And I had always wondered about Bobby and John's falling out - so I figured what would push Bobby that far? I mean even the apocolypse wasn't enough to make him disown the boys. So maybe John's pushing Sam away - pushing him so far that Sam wouldn't and couldn't come back might have been enough to push Bobby over that edge.

Bobby for sure would know how far that would push Dean. What it would do to Dean's spirit and would know that Dean would need someone there to support him. But as you put it - in Dean's mind it wouldn't be the same if John was out of the picture and Bobby was trying to fill the role. Dean's family means everything to him and it shattered around him. That hurt him more than his injuries had. And the wounds had gone a lot deeper behind the mask than the ones that were visible to the eye.

Thanks for reading and for taking the time to review, Jules. I know you know how much taking the time to leave one means. I'll finish reading your stories soon I hope I'm enjoying them very much.

I really liked that chapter, you've done a great job on your idea about what happened before Sam left, looking forward to the next part.

Author's Response: I'm glad that you have enjoyed the story so far. This has been bothering me for a while now so I decided to have a shot at it. I hope that you enjoy the ending to it. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing.