Fandom: Supernatural
Title: What Mom Would Have Wanted
Characters: Dean and Sam, with mentions of John and Mary.
Pairing: N/A
Ratings/Warnings: Pre-Canon, Pre-Series, R for Strong Language.
Summary: This story takes place before the pilot. Pre-series.
A/N: Thanks to my friend and Beta Judy for doing a wonderful job, betaing this story for me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or anything or anyone related to it. I only own this story.
Words: 843 words without title and ending.

*What Mom Would Have Wanted*

Dean knew that the time had finally come, that Sam was going to leave behind what remained of their ruined family and never look back. The younger man had gotten into college, Stanford at that, and was leaving them tonight, now.

A suitcase was in one of Sam's hands along with a bus ticket in the other, as he and their father faced off and continued to argue and yell at each other as both of them had been doing for the last two hours.

Dean could only stand there in shock. He didn't want to believe that Sam was leaving them, that the younger man was basically giving his remaining family a big 'fuck you' after everything they had been through together.

Apparently, he was wrong though, for that was exactly what was happening. Sam and their father were still yelling at each other and Dean knew that he needed to interfere before things got out of hand. He walked over to Sam and motioned the younger man away from their father, effectively getting between the arguing men, the need to protect his younger brother the only thing on his mind.

As he stood between the two men, Dean tried to calm both his father and brother down so that the three of them could talk about this rationally, or at least try to talk about it rationally. "Sam, you don't have to leave tonight. You still have a few weeks until the first semester starts, right? We can talk about this and I'm sure in a few years after we gank the thing that killed mom, you can apply to get into Stanford again, right?"

Dean knew the moment Sam met his gaze, that he was screwed. Sam was going to leave no matter what and it was up to them to decide how they were going to leave things. The sound of their father huffing out an angry breath shook Dean from his thoughts and he turned to the older man, just as their father began to speak. Dean knew that whatever came out of their father's mouth next would be the last thing the man would probably ever say to Sam.

"If you walk out that door, don't you ever come back. We don't need traitors like you, destroying everything we've worked for just because you want to act like a selfish child."

Dean turned from their father and focused his attention on his brother. Sam's face had paled at their father's words but after a moment, something changed in Sam's expression and Dean knew that this wasn't going to end well.

"Well since you don't need me, this selfish child's leaving for Stanford. So fuck you, because I'm not coming back. I'd have to be insane to want to come back to the hell that living with you entails." After he spoke, Sam glanced one last time in Dean's direction, looking for help from his brother, before he stormed out the door and slammed it closed behind him.

After Sam left, Dean could only stare silently at the closed door of the motel room. He heard their father bitching about Sam being a smart-ass kid that didn't know what he was getting himself into, and after a moment he had had enough.

Dean left the motel room and quickly took the route he knew Sam would take and followed his brother at a distance. As he stood in the shadows and watched Sam at the bus stop about twenty minutes later, something clicked in his mind.

Sam was leaving and this was something that he desperately wanted, Dean could see it on the younger man's face plain as day. The older brother swallowed against the pain he felt inside at the idea of his brother leaving but after a moment, he pushed the hurt aside.

If Sam really wanted this, then Dean wanted his brother to have it, no matter the cost to himself. The older hunter was losing his brother and his best friend all at once and the only thing that actually stopped him from guilting Sam into coming back was the thought of their mother.

Dean knew that their mother would have let Sam go to Stanford. Hell, she would have encouraged Sam to go and then kicked his ass and their father's ass to get them to help Sam pack all his crap and she would have taken Sam to the college herself.

As the rain started and Dean remained hidden in the shadows, he watched several minutes later as Sam boarded the bus. It wasn't long before the bus pulled away and was out of sight, Sam being taken from their lives like it was no big deal even though it was everything.

Sam was going to college; it was what he wanted and what mom would have wanted for him. When Dean thought about it like that, there really was no way he could stop his brother from fulfilling his dreams and the dreams their mom would have wanted Sam to have.

The end.