It has been one week since Dean and Lui got here. I cant even begin to explain how relieved I was to see them. I missed them, admittedly. Lui is really fun to have around, but he is also really annoying. He is my little brother, after all. He certainly keeps everyone on their toes. Mercy has been a lot more protective of me since I nearly died, which is understandable. If she almost died, I wouldnt let her out of my sight. But its not so bad. She is with me a lot more this way. Which I definitely do not mind. Its nice having Dean and Lui here. I like having my family back together. We havent been a family in such a long time. It almost, almost, feels normal. Not that any of us knows what normal actually feels like.

DEAN P.O.V.

"Come on, Lui. We need to get home. Mercy is gonna be furious if we're late for dinner. Again. You remember how she acted last time. She almost killed you with a spoon. A spoon, Lui." I say as we run home from the store. We are seriously running late, and all because my stupid little brother Lui had to get distracted by some toy army men he saw at the store. I sigh. He is still a kid. I have trouble remembering that sometimes. He has to be so mature sometimes, what with the life that we lead. But then other times, he is still a goofy, fun-loving boy who annoys the hell out of everyone. But yeah, he is my little brother, so I have to put up with it. "Im sorry, Dean. I just saw those toy soldiers, and I felt I had to play with them. I cant help it." Lui hangs his head. "Now I made us late for dinner again, and now Mercy is going to hit us with the stuff in the kitchen. Like she did last time." And he's right. Last week, when Lui and I first got here, we were late for dinner on the first night. When we did finally get home, Mercy threw anything and everything in the kitchen that she could at us. It was not fun. Which is why Lui and I are now racing home, trying to beat the odds that are playing against us. I know we wont get home in time taking the normal way. Its too long. So I make a decision to cut through the back alley-ways, which will shave off almost ten minutes. "Lui, we are going to be taking a shortcut," I tell him. He smiles, and says to me, "Dean, is it the alley cut through? The one where I did training?" I nod. "Yeah, Lui. Its the same one. So you know it real well, and we can get through it faster. Right?" I ask him. He smirks, and jumps the fence that blocks the cut through. We start down the narrow road, and it seems very quiet. A bit too quiet. I pull my handgun out, and I usher to Lui to stay close. He backs over to me slowly, and we continue to make our way through the street. For five minutes, nothing happens. We see no one, hear nothing but the sound of the cars on the nearby highway, the rustle of newspapers and trash blowing in the wind, and the occasional screech of a stray cat. Everything seems normal. I tuck my handgun back under my belt as we near the end of the alley. We only have about 500 yards left until the cut through ends, and then its a three minute walk to home. I smile, knowing that we have made it with ten minutes to spare. "Hey Lui." I call, and he looks over. "I think we may have avoided getting pummeled with kitchen ware this time." I laugh, and Lui laughs too. Then he looks at his watch, and frowns. "Um, hate to burst your bubble, Dean, but if we want to get home in time, we need to move. We only have five minutes before Mercy considers us late." He says. We start to run down the alley, but then Lui stops. "Bro, what is it? Why'd you stop?" I ask, but he shushes me. He looks around, then looks back at me. "Dean, do you hear that?" He asks. I stop, and I listen around. All of the familiar sounds of the cars and the trash and the cats are gone. The street is deadly quiet. "Lui, I dont hear anything." I say, turning to him. He nods. "Exactly. Its too quiet. Just a minute ago, I could hear the papers and the trash rustling, but now I dont hear a thing. I could hear the cats meowing, but now theyre quiet. And what about the cars? They should be louder, now that we're closer to the road, but I cant even hear one. Dean, somethings wrong." He says, looking around cautiously. I now realize it too. I knew that the cut through felt different today. But I couldnt figure out why. I look about, my eyes searching every corner and shadow for a threat. Then, a small glint catches my attention from the corner of my eye. I feel a foreboding weight in the air, and I push Lui. "Run!" I yell, motioning to the end of the alley. "What?" He asks, turning to me. "Why?" I tug his arm and pull him after me. "I think there's someone following us, Lui, and we need to get goin-" My sentence is cut short by a bang, which echoes through the alley. A sharp pain hits me in the chest. I stop running, and everything seems to slow down. I see another glint, and I can make out the silhouette of a gun. A sniper rifle. Goddamn it. I fucked up. I brought us through this alley. And because of that decision, Ive put Lui and I both at risk. I fucked everything up. Shit. Lui stops running and turns. "Dean, what's wrong? What are you doing? Are you okay?" He asks, his big, brown eyes full of concern and fear. I feel a warmth spreading across my chest, and I see Lui's eyes widen as he looks at me. As I drop my gaze to my chest, I see a red stain on my shirt, growing rapidly. I reach my hand up to my chest, touching the stain gingerly. My fingers come away red, and I drop to my knees, my world still in a state of slow motion. I fall to the ground, and I feel the warmth of my blood seeping through my shirt. The metallic taste fills my mouth, and my blood begins to pool around me. My vision begins to darken, and I see Lui run to my side. I can barely hear him, but I can tell he is calling my name. "D..Dean? Oh God...... Dean, please dont die. I need you." Lui starts to cry. A tear falls onto my cheek, and I reach my hand up and wipe the tears from Lui's face. I tussle his hair, and he gives a small giggle. Then he wraps his arms around me, staining his own shirt and face with my blood. "Dean, please, please dont die. You cant leave Spenser and me. Youre all we got. You cant leave. Not now." He sobs, burying his face in my shoulder. I lift his head up, and look into his tear-filled eyes. I barely have enough strength to do so. "L-Lui.......I k-know that...that you will be s-strong....and be good.......f-for Spenser. I....I....am so proud of h-how.....far youve c-come and how much.......y-youve learned. Youll make a great fighter.......a-and I....I know that y-youll be strong. R-Right, buddy?" I manage to say. Lui sniffles, and holds me tight again. "I dont want you to go!" Lui cries, his tears streaming down his face. I run my fingers through his hair. "I....I n-need you......to p-promise.....me s-something. ......." I struggle to say. Lui looks up. "What? What is it, Dean?" I take a long, painful breath before I answer. "Lui.....I...I n-need you to..... watch S-Spenser....for me...and...I..I n-need you...t-to stick together.....He...He's all y-youve....got now........" I cough a little, and blood drips out of my mouth. Im fading fast, so I finish what I was telling Lui. " W-We just...we j-just became a....f-family again.......So y-you need....to take c-care...of each other. .....Promise.........P-Promise me.....that youll t-take care.....of Spenser......and.....p-promise.......that youll....a-always be....be a.....f-family. ......Can...Can y-you....do that.....for m-me...L-Lui?" I ask, barely alive now. Lui nods, his tears wetting his face like rain. "I promise, Dean. I promise." He says, his voice barely a whisper. I nod. "G-Good......Th-thanks...little b-bro. .........I..I love y-you..Lui. ........I.....I......a-always......w-will............." My voice trails off, and I lay my head back on the cold, hard cement. I close my eyes, and take my final breath.