I know you wrote this ages and ages ago but I only came into this fandom over the hiatus. I don't even remember how I found this at this point and then I lost it again but I finally found it... and I have recced it like crazy since. I think I've read it over about five times now and I have it bookmarked for later as well.

In other words, I love this story. :) Thank you for posting! I will be checking out your other work.

me again! :P

fabulously believable and real, all three. and the feelings and reasonings... worked so well for him. mary was great, you really brought the enigmatic character to life.

and i loved the end. also liked the backstory of pastor jim and the reality you added to the miscellaneous characters like the girl at the end.

i love your writing.

Great story! I loved it!

I loved this story so much. You write about John down to a 'T', it was perfect. Flirting + oatmeal = priceless. And the third part was nice aswell. SO adding to fave stories =D

You know, even in the series (and maybe this is done on purpose. I have no idea) Mary is always just this faded, disembodied ghost that haunts the lives of the men that were a part of her life. I like this because it gives Mary such a great (and rather wicked) character. It actually gives you a better idea as to why John decided to make it his mission to hunt and destroy.

Oh, and this passage just tickled me:

Mary laughed until she nearly choked when John called her with a progress report on Sunday.

"Breakfast cereal, John! You bathed our son in breakfast cereal."

M, beautiful.

Nice ending, it leant a not-so-depressing end to it. I loved the first two stories, so home-y, and then the third was good: much better than I'd feared. I thought there might be crying (from me ;-) but it was good. Sad, but again with that edge of lightness to it. The fight was on, but at least we know the boys grow up and they all survive.

thanks for writing!

Always such a treat (an infrequent one, mind) seeing your name come up in my inbox. Thanks for this. For the record, when I gave my daughter an oatmeal bath when she had chicken pox, I put the oatmeal in an old sock, which she could then rub all over herself. Because, obviously, I've never noticed the 'oatmeal bath' stuff on the supermarket shelf. What a dope. Thanks for the great read.

Very good one-shot! The happy Winchester family is both heatwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

I love seeing the Winchesters as a happy family. I didn't stop giggling at all through the first two parts. Mary is so evil. Oh, and the oatmeal! You bathed our son in breakfast cereal lol.

I love how you put in little details about everyone, like Matty Perkins and Pastor Jim, because it made the characters that much more real. I also liked how the descriptions totally came in John's voice. There was no doubt that this is how he's seeing them, this is how John knows these people.

Great fic! :)

You could "feel" this piece. Whether it was warmth or love or loss or pride the reader could feel it. Nice job!

What a poignant and touching story! I loved how John was glad that not everyone 'got' that Memorial Day isn't about sales and picnics. And I LOVED seeing John and Mary happy together for a little while. The oatmeal bath made me laugh out loud!!

THANK YOU for this wonderful story!

I love this. Very bittersweet, and I think you've captured John perfectly. His flirting with Mary reminded me of Denny (rest in peace) and painted a very lovely picture.
Very well done.
emily