I almost wish you would have found this and posted back when that eppy aired... while I loved portions of that eppy ( well okay- I mostly loved the entire eppy for various reasons) as a whole - it was heartbreaking to watch and at the very end - to me at least- it signalled a sort of "final straw" between Sam and Dean... of how much Dean just couldn't bear to see the chasm between them and how much he just couldnt bear to see all of Sam's "happy times" versus his own.

And then at the very end- to have it thrown in his face that basically GOD didnt seem to want bothered either....

I think I could have used this missing scene right about then- as I'm not sure I walked away from that eppy with the same feeling of Dean still wanting to 'fight' for them...

SO I love this piece... ( of course like I do ALL of your pieces) - and its a refreshing tag that I only wish we could have seen shared between them-  but then... I think your end notes are right... we managed to get it a short time later in that 'wink' and the exchange between Sam and Dean in the panic room...

Thanks again BJ! As always you leave me emotionally tangled and simply amazed by your talent!

Tree 

Author's Response:

Tree, you write the most gracious and kind reviews.  I so appreciate all the kind words, it is so easy to get discouraged these days.  With the lack of interest and reviews, I can see why some quit sharing their stories.  

I think I held on to this story for so long because I did find the episode so sad and utterly devastating.  I loved it, but Dean was broken, so disillusioned by Sam and what he thought he knew about his kid brother.

I loved allowing the old Dean to speak his heart thru Sam's dream.  That is the Dean I wanted to see again and hear his wisdom.  The real Dean was too broken to be able to be what Sam wanted.

When he tossed the amulet, I knew we were on the road to Dean giving in.  I never would have believed they could get Dean Winchester to that point, but losing faith in Sam and then finally asking God for help and being rejected...Well, how much can one man take?

I loved that Sam had faith in Dean in PONR, and that allowed Dean to again find faith in Sam.  These two, so connected and I love that when one is down, the other is there to pull them back up.

Thanks again and take care, B.J.