video;

[momchester]

[GOOD extremely early MORNING it's Mary, looking more chipper than she has in quite a while, actually, giving the camera a cheerful but perplexed look.]

Does anyone know why my bathroom is, uh, an adult store? Very funny, whoever did this, but I need that room. You can transform my room if you want, but bathrooms matter.

[Chuckle. She's taking it pretty well, despite being incredibly weirded out by holy shit sex shop in my bathroom. Mary's rubbing her eyes tiredly when something else seems to occur to her.]

Oh! By the way, um, anyone I was supposed to meet at the Memorial yesterday? [Yeah she was busy being kidnapped and memory-fucked.] I'm really sorry about that- I just lost track of time and must've forgotten that that was yesterday. I guess I'm going senile in my old age. [Because 28 is so old. Yes.

She shakes her head with a little sigh.]

Anyway, anybody who wants to give me my bathroom back, I'd appreciate it. I have work today- do it for my coworkers' sakes.

Comments

[momchester]

No, just fridge doors going into restaurants and me almost walking into a- interesting part of the store.

[mulletrock]

Sorry you had t'see that.

[But Dean wants to. He clears his throat and swallows.]

I'll ask around and see if anyone knows anything.

[momchester]

It's probably some angel or someone powerful messing around for April Fools. If we actually need a bathroom, John offered his.

[mulletrock]

That's nice of dad. Givin' up his throne.

[Dean's not gonna comment on the angels and he'll probably wait until you leave to abuse the sex shop.]

[momchester]

[Snort.]

Yeah, nice.

[Not a lot of feeling there- about John being nice. Truth be told, Mary's kind of scared of him lately.]

[mulletrock]

[Dean's frown is immediate. He's avoided the issue long enough and now it's really starting to bug him.] I've been meaning t'ask. What the hell's up with you and Dad? I mean... [He's not used to phrasing things delicately. Oh well.] What'd he do this time?

[momchester]

[And of course he chose right after her incredible encounter with the memory-fucking NPC to do it. Mary just wraps her arms around herself, looking suddenly chilled.]

Your father has some serious emotional problems, Dean. [Understatement of the year, with or without amnesia.] He isn't the man I married.

[mulletrock]

Well, yeah.

[Dean ducks his head like he might get in trouble for admitting it, old habits die hard.]

He's been through hell and back.

But he loves you. That much has always been obvious.

[momchester]

Maybe so.

But I think he liked me more when I wasn't alive to talk back.

[mulletrock]

Listen t'yourself.

How the hell could you say that.

How could you even think it.

Dad's never been perfect but neither were you.

If you wanna be with someone y'gotta make it work. Things don't just fix themselves.

[He can't believe he's talking to his mom like this but that went too far and it wounded him a little too because he's not too far off from his dad on a good day.]

What you guys had... it's worth saving.

[momchester]

[Mary is shocked and offended enough that she's actually turned to face him completely, staring as intently as if looks could kill. When she speaks her voice is low and dangerous.]

Dean Winchester, you shut your mouth before running it at me again, you understand me? [Wrath of mom.] Do you really think I'd say something like that without a damn good reason?

You have no idea what we've been through here. Unless you suddenly remember the last times you were here, your basis of knowing about our marriage comes from when you were four.

[mulletrock]

[Doesn't matter to Dean. If it's worth it they'll find a way. He knows how determined they both are and whatever it is people have been glossing over everything so excuse the hell out of him for not knowing everything.]

Fine, whatever.

Forget I said anything.

[momchester]

[Hell no you're not getting off the hook that easy.]

Don't do that, Dean. Please.

[She spent so long missing you- don't do that now.]

Just- don't make the mistake of thinking that you know me if you don't remember anything from before. [A pained look, dragging a hand through her long hair.] I'm not the bad guy here, okay? I'm just trying to live my own life. It's not fair for you to treat me like a felon for wanting to be my own person.

[mulletrock]

What d'you want me t'say?

[Dean's really at a loss. Obviously she doesn't know how close he and Dad really were in personality.

This life ruined you one way or another, and when push came to shove it always had a way of taking the people you cared about.

He's not sure what happened but he wants to believe it had to do with something like that.]

You're right. Maybe I don't know you. This place is screwy, and if everything you say's true then maybe I don't know anyone here.

People make mistakes, Mom. I'm not gonna ask, I don't need to know, but I meant it.

He never stopped. Probably still hasn't.

[momchester]

I know, but Dean, relationships are more complicated than that.

[She looks down, away, leans against the wall with an uncharacteristic... muted quality to her. Mary wraps her arms around herself, feeling scared and small and wishing she could go back to when things made sense, when she was a child and hated her life but had somewhere to call home.]

He idealized me after I died. I think you all did. He- he can't handle that I'm a person with my own wants and needs.

[She covers her face with her hands, trying to will away memories of the fight. John going- going crazy over so little, over nothing, screaming and hurling horrible accusations, calling her names, while she wondered why he seemed so disgusted with her.

It's an incomplete, partly falsified memory, but to her it feels hideously, convincingly real.]

[mulletrock]

He did everything he could to avenge you.

[Dean doesn't get it. He knows something's up but he doesn't want to push too hard. Everyone's been keeping secrets. It's hard to get a feel for what's serious and what isn't with that going on.]

I don't get it, but with you both here... guess it's not my business either. No one's fillin' in the blanks and I can't keep bein' the middle man for everyone's problems. You pull a gun on me when I get here. Then, it's Sam. Next thing y'know Cas is shacked up with some demon that has a grudge...

[The list goes on and on so Dean has to stop himself.]

Now the bathroom's a porn shop.

Nothin' makes sense here!