Been forever since wandertogondor and I worked on something together but as always she was a gem. Let us know what you think :)

Song is If You're Reading This by Tim McGraw

Already Home

Dean Winchester had wanted to be a soldier since he was old enough to know what the word was. He had the soul of a fighter, a protector of his family and his country, and enlisted as soon as he turned eighteen. He made it through basic training without one word of complaint, even after running those countless miles in full uniform with his weapon strapped against his shoulder.

He met Haleigh and hated to admit that it was love at first sight. She had a smile that lit up the room and a laugh that made his heart ache in his chest.

Sitting in his foxhole, he suddenly realized as another round of German artillery went off, that this place – so far from home – would be his grave. This was it. A part of him was convinced that he might not make it home this time around. He opened the small compartment at the butt of his rifle and pulled out a sheet of paper he had saved along with an extra ration, before locking the stock back up. Using his shaking knee as a surface, Dean started scribbling down his words, not bothering to worry about how much of his heart he was pouring into it because it could very well be the last thing he ever said to her.

When the firestorm finally ceased and men finally found it safe to poke their heads out from out of their foxholes, a distant voice called out to certain soldiers that it was their turn to watch the front line – one name of which was Dean's. Grabbing his buddy's arm before climbing out of the foxhole, Dean shoved the letter into his friend's hand and quickly spoken in case met with opposition, "Anything happens, anything at all, and you promise me you send this letter, got it?"

"Lighten up, Winchester, nothing's going to happen."

Dean refused to let go, staring his buddy right in his eyes. "Promise me."

"Yeah, alright."

If you're reading this

My mama's sitting there

Looks like I only got a one-way ticket over here

I sure wish I could give you one more kiss

And war was just a game we played when we were kids

"Pow, pow, pow," Dean used a gnarly stick as a pretend gun, hiding behind the trunk of a large tree in their backyard. It was the same thing every day, pretending to be the soldier his father had been.

His younger brother, Sam, fell to the ground and clutched his side. "You got me! You got me! Ahh, I've been shot."

Dean stalked around the tree, got on his stomach, and started crawling through the dirt toward his little brother – make-shift gun laid out against the curve of his arm and cheek scraping against the freshly cut grass. When he reached where Sam laid sprawled out over the lawn, eyes shut, Dean took his little brother by the shoulders.

"You're gonna make it, soldier," Dean played the medic and hauled Sam up to his feet as best as he could, carrying him toward their father's car. "We're gonna get you patched up. You're gonna be fine!"

"Dean?" Sam whispered as he was dragged halfway to the car – breaking character.

Dean stopped, and leaned in low to hear what his little brother was saying. "Oh," he looked back to see that Sam's pants were falling halfway down to his ankles. Allowing Sam to fix himself, Dean waited until Sam gave him a nod, indication that he was ready to resume their game.

"I'm not gonna make it, Dean," Sam pretended to wince and moan, blinking back the way his hair fell right over his eyes.

Throwing open the door to the backseat, Dean pushed Sam into the safety of the car and cowered from the supposed gunfire and shrapnel that was surrounding them.

Well, I'm laying down my gun

I'm hanging up my boots

I'm up here with God

And we're both watching over you

Mary watched as Haleigh cried, clinging to Dean as if it were the last time she would ever see him. He held her close, muttering assurances in her ear, and kissing her temple. "It'll be alright, Hales. I'll always come home to you."

She hesitantly stepped off to the side and Sam took her under his arm, giving her the strength they both needed to watch Dean go overseas for the third time. John clapped his oldest son on the shoulder before pulling him into a hug.

Mary was the last to say goodbye but she refused to ever let the words pass her lips. Her hand graced the side of his face, a warm smile on her face. "My Dean." She rose up on her tip toes to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders, and whispered in his ear, "Angels are watching over you."

So lay me down

In that open field out on the edge of town

And know my soul is where my mama always prayed that it would go

If you're reading this, I'm already home

Dean slowly crawled on his elbows over the hard soil covered in dirt, approaching the sandbags that were lined up at the beginning of the tree line that loomed over a large field with the enemy offensive at the other side. As he situated himself in front of the sight of a M60 machine gun, Dean couldn't help but run his eyes over the expanse of the field before him.

His mind wandered absently to visualize just how beautiful that snow covered land looked in the summertime. He could just see how the green grass would rush under the soft summer wind, and the little flowers that would be dabbled like a painting across the span of the growth – laid out like a quilt under the soft blue sky.

He could see Haleigh lying on a blanket on that green, summer field with the daisies and bluebells and the yellow clivias pillowing her head. The wind would kiss her soft skin and her beautiful eyes would be pointed up to the billows of white clouds thrown into the summer sky.

For a moment, behind the sight of that M60 on that cold January day, Dean felt warmth seize him.

If you're reading this

Halfway around the world

I won't be there to see the birth of our little girl

I hope she looks like you

I hope she fights like me

She stands up for the innocent and the weak

Haleigh walked through the door of their small home, a blank expression on her face that instantly set Dean on edge. He quickly rose from the couch and tried to catch her line of sight.

"Hales?"

She blinked, having just realized that he was standing in front of her and tears dripped down her cheeks.

He instantly swiped them away, the fear building up inside of him with every second that ticked on and every tear that fell from her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant."

Dean stilled, his face completely changing right before her very own. "Are you serious?"

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. "We're going to have a baby."

His mouth hung slightly open as he stood there for a second, processing the information. Laughter fell from his lips as he gathered her up in his arms and spun her around, her dress flowing with the movement. Up until that very moment Dean thought his wedding day was the happiest of his life. He was wrong, so very wrong, because now he was going to be a father. Haleigh was giving him the best gift there was.

I'm laying down my gun

Hanging up my boots

Tell dad, I don't regret that I've followed in his shoes

"It's done, ma. I already signed the papers. Basic training starts in three weeks. It's already done." Dean insisted, refusing to be swayed by his mother begging him to reconsider. "I'd rather join by my own will then be forced to. Besides, airborne is a new section of the Army. They're paying me an extra one hundred bucks. It'll help you out during wartime."

John slowly got up from his seat and extended his hand out to his son, never having been prouder of him than in that moment. "You remember, son, shoot first…"

"Ask questions later," Dean finished, resolute.

So lay me down

In that open field out on the edge of town

And know my soul is where my mama always prayed that it would go

If you're reading this, I'm already home

"I thought I'd find you here," Dean's voice was soft against Haleigh's ears as he sat beside her over the blanket. They sat quietly beside the bearded barley, listening to the soft Kansas winds whistling all those songs that they just never had the chance to learn.

Haleigh hugged her knees up to her chest and looked over her bare shoulder at him, past tears already reddening her eyes. "I don't want you to go."

Wrapped an arm around her waist, Dean pulled her close against him and laid down against the blanket, staring up at the clear sky that was marred by the gentle wisps of sunlight. He didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say.

"I'm so scared, Dean." She continued in a shaky voice. "I'm scared. And I'm trying so hard to be brave because this is what you need to do. I just don't want to lose you."

"I'm going to come home, Hales. I always come home to you and when I do we're going to make so many memories that your little photo album will be overflowing, okay?"

She curled further into him, trying to lock away this feeling forever. "I love you, Dean Winchester."

His chest rumbled with a laugh and tightened his arms around her. "I love you too, Haleigh Winchester."

If you're reading this, there is going to come a day

You move on and find someone else and that's okay

Just remember this

I'm in a better place

Soldiers live in peace, and angels sing amazing grace

The knock came to Haleigh's door and the dish she had been washing slipped out of her hands when she saw the two uniformed men standing on the front stoop. She hadn't heard a word they said and took the letter from them, shutting the door and cradling her swollen stomach as she slid down the door to a heap on the floor.

It wasn't what he had promised. He had always come home before. It was different then when she was the only one waiting for him on pins and needles but now he wouldn't get the chance to meet his baby girl.

Even through her own grief, Mary did the very best she could taking care of Haleigh through the last stages of her pregnancy. Telling herself that it was the last bit of her son that she had left. The two women leaned heavily on each other in the wake of his death. John and Sam weren't sure the two would ever fully recover but at the birth of Deanna, Haleigh and Mary both smiled for the first time and they knew everything was going to be okay.

So lay me down

In that open field out on the edge of town

And know my soul is where my mama always prayed that it would go

"Deanna," Haleigh called her daughter into the room as she delicately held onto the letter she received so many years ago. The teenager came into the room and it took Haleigh's breath away for a minute. Her daughter's sandy brown hair, bright green eyes, and contagious smile was every bit her father; a gentle reminder of Haleigh's first and only true love. "There's something I think you're old enough to see now."

Deanna took a seat next to her mother with wide curious eyes. "What is it, momma?"

"This," Haleigh smiled through her tears. "This, my dear, is the last letter I ever received from your father. He was an honorable, courageous, and caring man." She took her daughter's hand, making sure to look her straight in the eye. "And he loved you very, very, much."

Deanna had heard about her father over the years from her grandparents and her uncle. She heard all the stories of when he was young and how apparently she had the same energy he once had. She had one old picture tucked in the corner of her mirror in her room she would look at every morning before school and every night before bed. She had heard about the letters he used to write to her mother, she had even seen the stack hidden in an old hat box in the corner of her mother's closet, but she had never been able to read them. The words meant for her mother were special; a memory locked into the worn pages that weren't for anyone else's eyes.

"It's okay, momma, you don't have to show me."

Haleigh closed her eyes for a moment. She could almost feel Dean wiping away her tears with his callused fingers and his warm, comforting hand on her shoulder. "He would have wanted you to read this one." She stood, leaving the letter on the couch where she had been sitting and left the room so her daughter could spend time with the father she never knew.

Deanna stared at the paper in front of her and with a shaky hand carefully opened it. The first thing she noticed was the blotches where her mother's tears had fallen over the years but then she focused on his writing. It was nearly scribbled as if he knew he was doing in his last moments of life. She could just about hear the bombs and gun fire she learned about in school.

As Deanna read the letter – her fingers gently gripping the sheet of paper on the creased sides where she knew her mother must have held it those many, many times – her eyes finally fell on her father's final words…

If you're reading this, I'm already home