The Joy is in The Process

Epilogue

It's the summer just after Sam turns 23 when Cas — wearing a trench coat — and Dean roll up in a government-issued sedan and honk the horn.

"Cas! Dean!" he shouts from where he's loading boxes into the U-Haul.

Sam steps down from the truck in one stride and envelops both his brother and Cas in a giant hug.

"Why didn't you call me? I didn't know you were coming."

"I called Dad and wanted to surprise you. We thought we'd escort you to your new apartment, Mr. Stanford Law," Dean says, rubbing Sam's head affectionately.

"I thought you guys were still in Denver."

"No," Cas says, "I've recently been assigned to a different field office. Sacramento."

"Sacramento? You're kidding! That's like a 2-and-a-half hour drive from school. Jess and I can come visit."

"How is she, by the way?" Dean asks, lifting a box into the U-Haul.

"She's staying with friends near the new apartment while I pack up whatever I still have at the house here. Dad gave us that leather couch, the giant rug from the den, and a couple of end tables."

"Any little bit helps for the poor law student," Dean says.

"That's for sure. What about you? Are you all settled in Sacramento?"

"We've been there for about three weeks. It was kinda sudden and we didn't have much time to prepare. Sorry I didn't call you," Dean says.

Sam waves Dean's concern away. "I've been so busy I probably wouldn't have been able to call you back anyway."

"I found a job pretty quick. Cas is lucky I'm a great mechanic."

"I am," Cas says. "I've been assigned to four different FBI field offices in the past year and a half. He puts up with a lot in our relationship."

"I'm used to it," Dean says. "You remember how it was, Sammy."

"Yeah, I do. Listen, I'm almost done here. Do you guys wanna go out for an early lunch or somethin'?"

"Actually, we thought we might go down to the lake," Cas says.

"How come?"

"We probably won't be together like this again for a long time," Dean says, and shrugs. "Thought it'd be nice."

"Yeah, okay."

This time they drive down instead of biking. Sam gets stuck carrying all the fishing poles and gear, as usual, but happily not much has changed since they were last here — except the fact that Sam now has to duck before walking under the birch tree.

He baits their hooks and sets the bobbers the right distance on the lines, and hands over the poles. Cas effortlessly casts next to the fallen log, his bobber landing with barely a ripple. Sam chooses the tall weeds near the left bank and drops his line right where he wants it.

"Goddammit!" Dean curses, as a huge tangle of line from his reel falls to his feet.

"Seriously, Dean?"

"I hate this thing! I'm 27 years old. I should've figured this out by now!"

"Yes," Sam answers, nodding. "Yes, you should've."

"Ugh!"

Sam shakes his head. "You can rebuild a carburetor but you can't master the subtle challenges of the spinning reel. Hold line, flip bail, cast. Y'know, the way Cas taught you when you were 15."

"Shut up, Sammy."

Cas merely chuckles and stands up next to Dean, where he calmly and fastidiously untangles Dean's handiwork. Dean watches him, glancing back and forth between Cas's hands and eyes, like always. This time he kisses Cas when he's done.

"You should have done that when you were 15, too. Saved me a lot of stress," Sam says.

Dean finally gets his line in the water, and the three of them sit down in the sand together. Sam is glad they chose to do this because the chances of it happening again are slim. They'll drift apart eventually. Dean and Cas will have their life in Sacramento, and he and Jess will make theirs in Stanford. He's already thinking about popping the question.

He should feel different, he thinks, based on past events that have already shaped his life. High school, college, meeting Jess...he's grown and not the 11-year-old kid he was when he first came here. But sitting there with Dean and Cas, he feels the same way he did when the only care in the world they had was making sure there were enough worms to last them the afternoon.

Sam sighs and stands up to put his pole aside. He looks over at Dean, and without saying a word Dean tosses his and leans back in the sand, closing his eyes. Cas immediately follows suit and stretches out, trench coat and all. Dean lifts his arm so Cas can put his head on Dean's stomach.

Sam smiles down at the both of them, and sings, "Leaves are falling all around. It's time I was on my way."

Dean's eyes pop open. "Led Zeppelin again?" he grins.

"Yeah, Led Zeppelin, Dean," Sam says. "Nothin' is better than this."

"Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay," Cas sings.

Sam walks across to Dean's right side as he sings, But now it's time for me to go. The autumn moon lights my way. He lies down next to Dean in the sand and puts his head on Dean's stomach, too.

"For now I smell the rain, and with it pain," Dean sings, "and it's headed my way."

"Sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do — "

Then all three of them sing the chorus together, and Dean places his hands on both Sam's and Cas's chests to tap his fingers in time to the music.