I still sort of think no matter, the way Dean's wired he wouldn't be really happy in any sort of desk job, that's a very hands-on person. But I also agree that if the circumstances changed -- let's say they fight the war, kill all the demons, all of that is over -- it would be interesting to see what he might decide to do. Would it still be something so practical? Would he ever want to go to school to study something?

Considering Dean has such a low self-image and is doing the job that he has been trained for since childhood, I don't know how Dean would react to not having anything left to fight. As much as he is shown to be tired of fighting, I think the war being over might leave Dean a little lost.

He's gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back. You'll see.

Dang it, Beverly, you got my allergies acting up.

Oh! Mine, too.

::sniffle::

Would it still be something so practical? Would he ever want to go to school to study something?

I've got a fiver that Dean and Sam (having realized that he doesn't want a "normal" life, he wants "his" life) become the next Bobby, house full of crazy old books and devil's traps on the ceilings and providing intel to up-and-coming hunters.

He's gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back. You'll see.

::whimper::

I've got a fiver that Dean and Sam (having realized that he doesn't want a "normal" life, he wants "his" life) become the next Bobby, house full of crazy old books and devil's traps on the ceilings and providing intel to up-and-coming hunters.

Oh, THIS! And Dean can be a volunteer fireman wherever that old rambly house is...

I continue to be incredibly peeved that the CW took off the Sunday night reruns to reair the fucking Pussycat Dolls.

I still find that part where he couldn't even conceptualize of a life outside his father's shadow kind of sad.

I guess I don't make the jump from Dean not choosing such a life as his fantasy to not being able to conceptualize it. I think it's more a case of him not being interested in some froofy white collar picket fence life that he's only seen from afar. He was doing something he enjoyed and was good at. The sad thing to me was that he couldn't imagine Sam being respectful of or happy for him without the commonality of monster hunting.

The sad thing to me was that he couldn't imagine Sam being respectful of or happy for him without the commonality of monster hunting.

I'm with Matt on this point.

I think part of what makes it sad is that while Dean would do anything for Sam (up to and including trading away his soul), Sam's tirade at the end of AHBL2 may have been the first time Dean truly got that Sam would also give anything to save him.

That's where I'm really fascinated right now, Anne -- the idea of Dean letting himself be cared for. Which hasn't really happened before. He's the ultimate caretaker.