Was It All a Lie?

Chapter 21

I woke up in the morning and Sam wasn't next to me. Scared, I got up, threw a shirt and shorts on, hobbled to the door, and peeked my head out.

"Sam?!" I hollered. He came running down the hall.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned that I was hurt.

"Yeah. I just woke up and you weren't there. Sorry I scared you." I replied apologetically.

"It's ok. You don't need to apologize."

"I'll come out and help you guys." I suggested. I had started to be able to limp a little and didn't need to be carried. Resting the whole day before helped with that. Sam nodded. I went out with him and we got to work. There was absolutely nothing. It was totally quiet. No ghosts, no demons, no vamps, no nothing. We spent days searching, but coming up empty.

One night, I was up researching, and Sam and Dean had headed to bed. I wanted to finish something up with the research before I went to bed. I suddenly got a text.

Knowing you, you're probably still up... I'm coming back home. I'm coming in tomorrow. I've missed you guys.

It was from Ethan.

Hey bud, call me real quick. I told him. He called. I went into another room to talk so I didn't wake the guys up.

"Hey Ethan."

"Hey mom. I want to come back for once. School just got done a couple days ago, and I've missed you guys." He said with a hint of tears.

"Why haven't you come back until now? And why do you sound upset?" I asked. It was silent for a few seconds before he answered.

"For a while I thought you didn't care I was gone. You guys never called, you never came to visit, you never texted, nothing. I know that's not what it was like, but it's how it came across. And that's why I'm upset. I believed that for so long, but I never tried to come home, call you, text you, or anything." He said with the tears communicated through the phone.

"It's ok, bud. I should have called you and everything. That's 100% my fault. We got busy a lot with the hunting and everything with your dad, and I forgot most of the time. Occasionally I would remember, but then I'd get sidetracked and forget again. Don't think that means Sam and Dean forgot about you either. They still love you. So do I." I consoled. I really should have called him more.

"I know, mom. So, can I come home?" He asked hesitantly.

"Of course, bud. You don't even have to ask that. I tell you what. Let's make this extra special. Come home around dinner time. I'm gonna make dinner and make this a surprise for the guys. It's gonna be especially good for Sam to see you after he forgot everything then remembered again."

"Sounds good." The smile was present in his voice. "See you tomorrow."

"See you. Goodnight, bud."

"Night." He said happily. I turned around and Dean was standing there. "What are you doing here?" I asked. I wanted it to be a surprise.

"I heard your phone ring and you talking. I couldn't make out what you said from my room, but I wanted to make sure you were ok because you sounded upset." He explained. I didn't know I sounded that upset.

"How much did you hear?" I asked.

"Just about all of it. Don't worry. I won't tell Sam. I'll find a way to get him out of the bunker while you make dinner so you can still have your surprise." He answered with a smile. "I'm just glad Ethan is coming home. I've missed him."

"Me too." I replied sadly. "Well, goodnight, Dean."

"Goodnight." He replied before we walked to our rooms.

The next day couldn't come fast enough. I finally woke up in the morning and tried to distract myself with TV and research until it was late enough to get started on dinner. Ethan texted me just as I was going to have Dean get Sam out.

Hey, I'm down the street. Should I come in?

No. Dean knows about it. He overheard me. He's gonna get Sam out and then you can come. I'm gonna cook a nice dinner. I'll tell you when.

Ok.

I nodded at Dean telling him it was time to get Sam out of the bunker. "Hey Sam, can you go for a "milk run?" We're low on the beer and I could use some good pie." Dean asked. We hid most of the beer in case Sam checked.

"Sure. Then we can all go out for some dinner." He suggested.

"Sounds good." I replied. He grabbed his coat then left. I pulled my phone back out and texted Ethan telling him it was ok to come in. I headed to the pantry. I pulled out the pasta and what I needed to make some sauce.

"Anything you want help with?" Dean asked.

"Um, you wanna boil some water in a pot for me?" I asked. He nodded and did as I requested. I started mixing the stuff for the sauce before putting it on the stove to simmer a while. Then there was a knock at the bunker door. "Watch the water and sauce please. Don't let it boil over." I instructed to Dean.

I walked up to the door. I looked through the peephole and saw Ethan. I opened the door. "Hey bud." He didn't reply. He just wrapped me in a hug. "I missed you, Ethan."

"I missed you too. Where's Dean?" He asked.

"He's helping me in the kitchen. Come on." We walked to the kitchen where I found Dean stirring the sauce slowly like he knew exactly what he was doing. "Dean, Ethan's here." He turned around, set the spoon down, then gripped Ethan in a tight hug.

"Hey E. I'm so sorry we didn't call you or anything." He stated apologetically.

"It's ok. Don't be sorry. I'm just happy to be home." Ethan replied. I poured the pasta in the pot and they cooked in no time. I got the strainer out of the cabinet and drained the pasta, then poured my Alfredo sauce over it. Ethan helped me dish it up, then we put them out at the table. Something we never did except on super special occasions, and this deserved it. It didn't take long for Sam to come home.

"Hey Dean! I got your pie. It's cherry!" He hollered from the top of the steps. He came down and that's when he saw us. He set the stuff down and have Ethan a strong hug. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm back. I'm staying. I've missed you guys....." He paused, seeing Sam's odd look on his face. "If you need to check, go ahead." Ethan said with a chuckle. Sam splashed a bit of holy water on him and had him touch some silver and iron. He was clean like we all thought.

"You know me, I have to check." Sam said apologetically.

"I know. So how are you now that you remember everything?" Ethan asked.

"I'm good. Dealt with a lot, but I'm sure they caught you up." He nodded. "Are you guys ready for dinner?" Sam asked.

"Yep. Come on. I made dinner while you were gone. We aren't really that short on beer. I wanted to surprise you with Ethan so we had to get you out." I explained to Sam.

"Wait, Dean was in on it too?" He asked.

"He wasn't supposed to be, but he overheard me on the phone with Ethan yesterday. I hope you're not mad." I replied calmly.

"No, I'm not mad. This is a great surprise. What's for dinner?"

"Pasta with Alfredo sauce."

"Sounds great." He replied. We all sat down at the table. We talked about everything that had happened, and Ethan told us some college stories. We sat and talked and laughed until we cried. It was just like old times. No monsters to deal with, just a normal-ish family. I realized without a shadow of a doubt in that moment that it wasn't ever a lie that I was loved by my family, and with them was where I was meant to be.

A/N: So, this is the end. I'm working on a new book that is NOT a part of this series, but I think people will like it. Thank you to those of you who took the time to read this, and thank you to those who I talked to about plot ideas. (You know who you are). You guys are amazing. Please please read my new book once I start uploading it. I have some drafts done, but haven't started uploading anything yet.