for Dean who is lost without his Sam, and for Sam who longs for his brother, and for Jess who knows Sam will never be hers alone

That's pretty much it, in a nutshell. I don't doubt at ALL that Sam loves Jess intensely. But he's also mourning something he can't have -- not because they can't be together, but because *he* won't allow himself to stay. So I think there's probably double guilt, there.

Thanks for reading, honey. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I really appreciate the feedback :) And I'm planning -- hoping -- to get the 50states fic done this week; will you still be able to beta? It'll be over 11,000 words...