Dean struggled to stand up, his body was still stiff from death, and Sam reached a hand out to help his older brother up and Dean looked at the proffered hand for a moment and contemplated swatting it away

Dean struggled to stand up, his body was still stiff from death, and Sam reached a hand out to help his older brother up and Dean looked at the proffered hand for a moment and contemplated swatting it away. Three weeks ago Dean would have pushed his little brother's hand away with a quip about how he was sore not an invalid and he could handle himself. But now that his brother had been inside his head and knew about all of his aches and pains and knew more about the inner workings of his mind than anyone on the face of the planet, there would be no more pretending that he wasn't hurt or stiff. Sam would be able to detect the pains now. Definitely no more hiding. The soul swap had ensured that. So, swallowing his pride, he took the hand his brother offered and allowed Sam's extra weight to pull him up onto his unsteady feet. Smiling Dean clapped his brother on the shoulder.

"Amazing what being dead and being frozen will do for ya. Now I know what a sack of peas feel like." Dean said with a smirk. Sam accepted the humor and his hazel eyes glittered with humor, and Sam's face fell into the smile from years before seeing Jessica burning to death on the ceiling, before being told his destiny involved becoming something he most certainly was not, before being told that he had died and that his brother had made a deal to save him at the cost of his own soul. It was definitely good to see that look on his brother's face. As a matter of fact it was a good thing to see his brother's face in front of him and not in the mirror. Dean had thought on more than one occasion that his haunted soul didn't belong in Sam's rich hazel eyes, and it didn't. Sam's soul made Sam's face lighter and happier. He was glad to see that soul radiating off of his little brother's actual body.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"Better than okay. I've got everything I need, I got my brother, got my car, my soul firmly planted in my own body." He said the last with a smirk.

"You two idgets…come on let's get something into your stomachs." Bobby said.

"Pizza?" Dean asked. Bobby sighed.

"Didn't being in your brother's body teach you anything boy?"

"As a matter of fact it did. It taught me that he likes rabbit food." Bobby rolled his eyes and sighed and Sam kept right on smiling.

After dinner with Nick and Noah, Dean and Sam went upstairs to get ready for bed. Both had been too tired to shower, and they each stripped down to their boxers and got into their respective beds.

"So, Sam…" Sam didn't roll over onto his side like he wanted to. He knew now that eye contact during what Dean deemed a "chick flick moment" made Dean even more uncomfortable than the actual conversation. Instead, Sam readjusted in this bed clasping his hands over his stomach and waiting for his brother to continue.

After several attempts, a throat clear, and several lip wettings later Dean started over. "Sam, are you okay?"

"Okay how?"

"With everything that happened?"

"You are alive and out of the deal. I can't be happier. You of all people should know that."

"I do know that. But that wasn't exactly what I meant. Did they hurt you while you were in my stead?"

"You mean in hell?"

"Yeah." Dean said so softly that it was almost inaudible.

"He did a lot of talking." Sam shrugged. "Told me the same crap that every demon has been telling me. Except…." Sam paused and grinned a little. "They credit you with my turn for the good side."

"What?"

"Demons think that since you were the one to raise me and keep me "innocent" that you are responsible for me not wanting to lead their ridiculous demon army."

"Well, I don't know about that. I know I sure as hell did my fair share of trying to corrupt you." Sam chuckled.

"Yeah, that girly magazine when I was twelve."

"How else was I supposed to explain the birds and the bees to you?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe just straight up tell me."

"But wasn't the girly magazine so much more fun?" Sam got a good hearty chuckle out of that.

"Yeah, I suppose it was." Sam paused. "The whole thing with Jake was orchestrated. They knew that Cold Oak was close to a cross roads and they knew that you would offer yourself. They knew that. They also knew that it would break me and I would do almost anything to get you out of that deal, even if it meant leading their army."

"They didn't count on Bobby did they?"

"No, I spose they didn't."

"You think we are free of the demons?"

"No. I think we are going to be more of a target than before." Dean nodded. Sam heard his brother take a deep intake of breath.

"How are we going to do this?"

"Just like we always have."

"Sam."

"Yeah?" There was a long pause. Dean wanted to ask Sam if he felt the same way he did. During dinner he had felt like he didn't quite fit into his own skin anymore. Like he had grown too big for his Dean suit and it also felt like there was something of Sam left behind. It almost felt as if Sam had packed his bags hastily and left a sock on the floor of Dean's proverbial mind. He wanted to ask Sam about it, but he couldn't force the words out of his mouth. It was going way too far down the chick flick moment lane. Even though Sam had spent weeks inside his head seeing his pain and his joy, he still couldn't force himself to ask the question.

"Never mind." Dean said.

"No. Tell me Dean." Sam asked. He felt it too. There was something off. Like he was too big for his own body, like there was something missing but something gained as well. Spending those weeks inside his brother's head was enlightening. Sam had learned that his brother was scared of his emotions and feeling weak. Sam knew that. And now he also knew how to push. Gently. "Come on Dean…."

"I miss knowing what is going through your head." Dean blurted quite uncharacteristically. "It made things so much easier when I knew what your reaction would be without me having to look like an idiot."

"I miss knowing what is going on in your head too."

"I don't miss being in that gargantuan body of yours though. Hard to balance the thing." Sam burst out laughing. Dean sat up on an elbow and looked at his hysterical brother. "You okay Sam? Did I break something while I was in there?" Dean asked worriedly.

Sam coughed and tried to quiet the laughter that had subsided into giggles, and through those giggles he said, "You are talking about my body as if it were some sort of moving vehicle." Dean cocked his head to one side in a silent agreement.

"Well, really and truly it kinda was. Gets really good gas mileage too. Only need to feed it once or twice and it's good to go for the whole day." Sam burst out in laughter again. Dean smiled a little and enjoyed the sound of his brother's laugh. He hadn't heard it in a long time.

It took Sam a moment or two to regain his composure. He cleared his throat and let one last small chuckle come out before he said, "Well if my moving vehicle gets good gas mileage, than yours is jerky and needs to be feed multiple times a day. I would get up in the middle of the night and be hungry. How do you do that? And you would want the hard stuff, sugar and pizza, nothing simple like a carrot or some cereal. You are like the Impala, a jerky ride and constantly hungry."

"Hey now, don't you go talking smack about my baby."

"Talking smack?" Sam laughed. Dean shrugged.

"Late night television."

"Obviously." Sam looked down at his clasped hands for a moment. "So, Dean." He started.

"Yeah Sammy?"

"I'm really glad we had the opportunity to exchange lives for a couple of weeks."

"Me too Sammy. Me too."

"I always told you that I would die for you."

Dean paused and looked at his little brother through the dark and knew now that everything Sam said was true. "That you did Sammy. That you did." He said before turning over and falling asleep

Author's Note: Okay. I think I'm finished. But all of you who have been reading, I hope this didn't disappoint. Did you want to see something at the end of the story that I missed? Review please and let me know if you think there is more of this story to tell. I love your comments and feedback. Thank you guys so much for reading! Stacey.