I'm also glad that you resisted ending the story with the Demon's defeat. This just makes it seem so much more "complete": in a lot of ways, their family's story is starting all over again.

Kudos also for bringing the brothers' conflict out into the open. Although canon glosses over it, you just know Sam's cutting Dean out of his life must have hurt to the core. At least now Sam is owning up to it and in that way, can try to avoid the same mistakes in the future. I just loved that despite their knock-down brawl, Dean got ice and Sam still worries about him. And I loved how Sam is still tentative and unsure about how things will be-to which Dean responds in typical practical Dean fashion (fixing cars and drinking beers together!) After the emotional upheavel of the previous chapter, this one was calming and hopeful. As always, great job!