Sam hadn't slept again. Sleep had been difficult recently, he had too much on his mind. Paperwork, too many employees were leaving, and the little matter of it being close to ten years since he'd arrived in this town. Ten years since he'd last seen his brother. Was Dean even still alive? Sam wasn't even sure if he wanted to know.
He'd tossed and turned in bed so much that his dog, Lady, had been whining and complaining from the disturbance. He'd sat up in bed, stroking her fur and soothing her to sleep as if she were a child. Sam read for a little while, and finally was able to sleep for a couple hours before his alarm sounded. As usual, the dog leapt up and started barking, pawing at her best friend and nudging him with her nose.
"Alright, alright, I'm up," Sam chuckled, grimacing as she started licking his face, "Let me get ready, then."
Lady jumped off the bed and carefully picked up Sam's prosthetic leg and brought it to him, tail wagging. She always did it, despite it being close enough to be manageable for him. He always appreciated the gesture.
"Thank you very much," he grinned at her, "What would I do without you?"
As if in response, she rested her snout on his knee, tail still wagging and eyes wide and puppylike. The ex-hunter scratched her ears lovingly and stood up, heading to his closet to get ready for the day.
After a quick breakfast, he took Lady for their morning walk, just a couple blocks away to their local park. Lady proudly carried her favourite toy, a stuffed moose, the only stuffed animal she hadn't chewed to shreds, so Sam could throw it for her once they got to the park. Once she was tired of playing fetch, the pair took a break at their favourite bench. As usual, Lady jumped up onto the bench to sit beside Sam, paws on his lap. The bench was special to Sam. He'd always taken Eleanor out to the park for some fresh air, almost every day until she passed. It was her favourite place and that was her favourite bench too, right by the duck pond. She'd loved feeding the ducks. Every year on her birthday, he went out and fed the ducks in her memory. Maybe he'd take his godchildren, her grandchildren, to feed the ducks there one day.
The weather had been awful but Sam went to feed the ducks anyway, two years ago. Rain never phased Eleanor. Nice weather for ducks, she'd always said. He still missed her, even after all these years. She helped him heal, she gave him a home. He wouldn't have got this far without her. He could hear something whining or crying, and looked to find a tiny, shivering puppy, soaked to the skin and very thin. He'd reached toward it, not wanting to scare it. It backed away, but eventually approached him and nuzzled his hand. Sam lifted the animal and took off his jacket, wrapping the puppy in it in an attempt to warm it up.
No one knew where she came from, but no one claimed her. Sam had grown fond of the dog, and so took responsibility of her. He took her home and cared for her around the clock, even bringing her to work with him. She sat at his desk and slept on his knee, and would follow him around the place. She'd tug at his pant leg and run around his feet, tail wagging so hard she could barely walk properly. Two years later and she'd grown considerably, a clumsy, funny dog but undeniably Sam's best friend. She went with him everywhere, he still joined him at work everyday, and he adored her. He didn't know what he'd do without her.
Sam smirked as Lady nudged his face with her nose, licking his cheek, "I love you too, sweetheart."
He kissed her head and pushed himself up, "Guess we'd better get to work."
"You're here early," Sam looked up to see Louise, one of his regular visitors to his workplace.
"Lady likes her morning game of fetch," Sam grinned, looking at the little girl in the stroller, "Hi, little lady."
The dog perked up and wagged her tail excitedly.
"Not you," Sam looked at her in amusement, then back at the toddler.
"You gonna say hi to Sam, Maisie? You were asking about him this morning," Louise ruffled her daughter's blonde curls. Maisie giggled shyly and hid behind her stuffed cat.
"That's a nice cat you got there," Sam knelt down by the stroller, "Is that your favourite?"
Maisie nodded, "Kitty."
"Kitty's definitely her favourite," Louise smirked, "We thought we'd lost Kitty last week, this one nearly deafened me from screaming."
"I can imagine," Sam chuckled, "Lady has her favourite toy with her too. Will you show her, girl? Show Maisie your moose?"
Lady eagerly picked up her moose, holding it proudly.
"It's all slobbery!" Maisie giggled, "Silly doggy."
"Well, she's gotta hold it in her mouth, right? She doesn't have any hands," Sam grinned, stroking Lady's fur.
"We'd better let Sam get to work, sweetie," Louise smiled, "Say bye to Sam and Lady."
"I want to play with doggy!" Maisie pouted.
"We'll see them later, okay? It's storytime day, right?"
"It sure is. I think Marie is bringing cookies too," Sam said enthusiastically.
"See, sweetie? We'll drop by the library later for some stories and maybe a cookie if you're lucky," Louise smiled at her daughter, "Maybe you can pet Lady too."
"Oh, Lady loves being pet," Sam looked to his dog, "Don't you, sweetie?"
He gently led her so she was close enough for Maisie to reach, and the little girl squealed excitedly as she patted the dog's head.
"Hi doggy!" the little girl squealed, "Mommy, doggy's fluffy!"
"I know she is. She's a nice doggy, isn't she?" Louise raised an eyebrow at Sam, "And I think her owner is trying to put off going to work."
"I'm doing no such thing," Sam grinned, "But you're right. I should go."
"We'll see you later," Louise helped Sam get to his feet, "Save us a good spot."
"Of course," Sam waved to Maisie, "I'm sure Lady would love to give you a hug later, Maisie."
"Yay!" she squealed, and Sam went on his way. He packed his lunch, and Lady's too, and walked two blocks to the library he ran.
"Go on then," Sam let Lady off the leash so she could 'inspect' the place as she always did. She ran around the aisles, tail wagging excitedly. Sam shook his head in amusement and dropped off their stuff in the break room. He already had a message on the phone, someone calling in sick. Great. They were already short as it was.
He walked back out and found Lady trotting around the kid's section, making sure everything was in order. She looked up and wagged her tail at the sight of him, knocking over a display by accident. The sound startled her and she ran to Sam, whimpering.
"What am I going to do with you, huh?" Sam laughed as he went to clear up the mess, "That tail is dangerous."
Someone came in and instantly Lady went to see who it was.
"Oh, hello there, Lady! How lovely to see you!" Sam's assistant manager, Marie, exclaimed, "Where's your handsome prince?"
Sam rolled his eyes with an amused smile. The majority of his workforce were sweet old ladies who all simultaneously cooed over him and adored him like their own son. He couldn't say he complained, he'd never felt so loved before.
"Over here," Sam called, finishing up the display.
"Good morning, sweetie!" Marie smiled at him, carrying a large tin, "I have the cookies as promised!"
"Perfect. Not looking forward to cleaning up the mess though," Sam smirked.
"I'll take care of that, don't you worry, my duck," Marie squeezed his hand, "And I'll make sure Lady doesn't get her paws on the crumbs."
"Good morning, you two," Marie's sister-in-law, June, smiled at the pair, kneeling down to pet the dog, "Or should I say, you three?"
"Did you both have a good weekend?" he took the tin of cookies from Marie, misjudging its weight. His bad arm gave way, and both women rushed and grabbed the tin before it fell.
"Disaster averted," June laughed.
"You haven't been doing your exercises, have you?" Marie tutted, "Your poor arm isn't going to get any better if you don't keep doing your exercises! Am I going to have to watch you do it everyday?"
"I just forget sometimes," Sam shrugged, "It's not a big deal."
"Oh, what are we going to do with you?" Marie sighed in exasperation, her hand on his arm, "You're looking thin."
"I'm fine!" Sam smirked.
"Look at him, June, he's wasting away," Marie squeezed his arm lightly.
"Leave him be, Marie," June rolled her eyes, "Though you do look thinner, Sam. Maybe we do need to fatten you up."
"I'll bring you some dinner tonight, alright? You relax, you're working so hard. I'll cover dinner. And if you're really good, I'll bring a slice of apple pie for you too," Marie smiled at him, light blue eyes sparkling.
"Well, I guess," Sam said dramatically, but in honesty she made the best apple pie he'd ever tasted, "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Marie took his hand, "Now get down here so I can hug you properly. You're double my size!"
The ex-hunter laughed and knelt down, pulling her gently into a hug. She kissed his cheek and patted his back.
"You know I just want you to look after yourself," Marie murmured.
"I know," Sam looked at her a little seriously, "Thank you."
June smiled at the pair of them, "Next she'll be finding you a wife."
"Don't give her ideas," Sam raised an eyebrow, "Right, c'mon. Sherri called in sick today so it's just us, and Brenda once she-"
"Oh, Brenda told me to tell you she can't come in today," June ran a hand through her thick grey hair.
"Is she sick?"
"She thinks her granddaughter might go into labour today," Marie piped up, "So, just in case."
"Is she a vital part in the birth or something? Why can't she come in?" Sam frowned.
"Oh, Sam. You'd understand if you'd had children, like I told you to," Marie put her hands on her hips, "You never listen to my advice. It's not too late, you know!"
"Oh, give it a rest, Marie. After what the poor man's been through, I don't think that's his first priority," June put a hand on Sam's shoulder, "Brenda told me to tell you she was sorry."
"Well, I guess we'll just have to manage," Sam shrugged, "And forty-five is a little too late to start thinking of having kids, I'd say."
"Oh, don't be silly. You'd be a wonderful father! Don't you think, June?"
"I think we should probably get to work, that's what I think. We're opening in five minutes," June said matter-of-factly, "What needs doing, sweetie?"
With Brenda, the resident storyteller, anxiously waiting at home for the upcoming birth of her great-grandchild, Sam found himself being the replacement. June wasn't particularly fond of children, despite having had four of her own, while Marie was so excited at the prospect of Sam reading stories that she refused to do it herself. Of course, it happened to be the busiest storytime day they'd had in a while, with all of the regular families as well as some newcomers. It wasn't that Sam disliked kids, he just, well, a little awkward reading stories in a dramatic manner.
"Uncle Sammy!" his godson, Jake, ran at him at full speed.
"Woah, careful, buddy," Sam laughed, catching him and managing to lift him up above his head, despite his arm shaking, "Good to see you too."
"Hi, Lady!" he squealed, and Sam safely put him down so he could greet the dog.
"What have I told you about lifting him up?" Jake's mom, Amanda, laughed, "Your arm isn't strong enough."
"He hasn't been doing his exercises either!" Marie said, shaking her head as he walked past.
"Really? Are you determined to not help yourself?" Amanda smirked, lifting her week-old daughter from the pram, which Sam took aside for her, "Sam, you're only going to make it worse if you over-exert it."
"It's fine," Sam sighed, "Just gets a little shaky sometimes!"
"Yeah, when you're putting too much weight on it," Amanda gently rocked the baby, looking at him sympathetically, "I get it, okay? It's frustrating. But it's never going to get back to full strength. Ten years and I thought you knew that."
"Alright, alright. I'll be more careful, okay?" Sam smiled at her, "Now can I invite you to take a seat for my storytime extravaganza?"
"Yours? Wow, is Brenda not good enough anymore?" Amanda laughed.
"Nope. Waiting on her great-grandkid to be born. Not sure that's a valid excuse to not go to work, but I'm not a monster," Sam grinned, "So it's me. Don't get too excited."
"Lady! Fetch!" Jake said excitedly, throwing his own shoe for the dog to chase. Lady bounded after it excitedly, catching it in her jaws.
"Uh oh, Jakey. I don't think she's gonna want to give that back," Sam chuckled.
"He's determined to get rid of his shoes, I swear," Amanda rolled her eyes.
"I got it," Sam knelt down to his dog, "Lady…c'mon. Drop it."
Lady wagged her tail, rolling onto her back, the little shoe still in her mouth.
"Oh I see how it is," Sam chuckled, giving her a belly rub until she dropped the shoe at his feet, "I'll wash it up after storytime."
"I swear he's acting up more since Ella was born," Amanda sighed.
"Hey, it's all new to him. He's used to having you and David all to himself. He'll get used to it," Sam looked to the little boy, wearing only one shoe and chatting away to Lady, "And you know if you ever need a break, just give me a call."
"Thank you," Amanda smiled at him, "Speaking of a break, there's a little time before you enchant us all with your stories. Will you take your goddaughter for a bit? I'll take Jakey around, hopefully burn up some of that energy he's got."
Sam walked around the place, greeting his regulars while gently rocking his baby goddaughter in his arms. Several times he'd had to assure people that he hadn't secretly reproduced, that he was merely looking after his new goddaughter. Lady followed at his heels, she was very protective of babies.
Just before he had to start his stories, he noticed a girl looking a little lost by the small crowd of parents and children. She looked a little familiar, dark brown curls and fair skin with blue-green eyes, but he was sure he'd never seen her before. She looked over at him and stopped, widening her eyes a little.
"Is everything okay here?" he approached the girl and smiled at her, gently stroking Ella's back. The girl looked taken aback, a little nervous.
"N-no. I'm good," she said in a tiny voice, "I'm okay."
She looked from Sam to Ella and back again, "Cute baby."
"She is, isn't she?" the ex-hunter chuckled, and the girl gasped as Lady jumped up at her to greet her, "Hey, get down. I told you it's rude to jump."
"It's okay," the girl giggled, scratching Lady's ears, "She's cute too."
"She certainly thinks so," Sam raised an eyebrow, "Anyway, I've got some stories to read. Feel free to come watch if you want to watch me make a fool of myself. Otherwise just enjoy browsing, one of my colleagues can help you if you need it."
"Thank you," she smiled a little shyly. She ended up sat at the back, behind all the moms and dads and kids. He sure seemed a little nervous but all the moms found it adorable. He wasn't like she'd pictured him. She hadn't expected him to be so nice. His dog was sat beside him, looking up at him and hanging onto his every word. She clearly adored him, she reminded her a little of her own dog she'd grown up with. She missed him. He'd made home life so much more bearable.
Sam was pretty happy with himself, he didn't feel like he'd embarrassed himself too much. He handed out cookies to all the families, ensuring to save one for the girl he'd seen watching from the back.
"How did I do?" he smirked.
"Good. Really good," she nodded, taking the cookie, "Thanks."
"Thank you," Sam smiled at her, "Have a good day, alright?"
"Yeah. You too," the girl smiled back a little nervously, heading for the young adult section and hiding in the aisles.
Sam was happy to receive many compliments on his storytelling, including Jake running at him for a hug.
"What were you worried about?" Amanda laughed, "You did great! You'll be competing with Brenda now."
"I don't think so, I wouldn't dare take her storytelling from her," Sam ran a hand through his hair, looking at Jake, "Are you gonna pick out some books to take home?"
"Actually…I was hoping you could watch them for, I don't know, an hour?" Amanda said hopefully, "I just need to run some things to David at work. He's snowed under. I'll be as quick as I can. They'll be on their best behaviour. I'll leave my bag of their stuff if they need anything."
Sam too was a little snowed under, with them being short and the library a little busy. He had some paperwork to do, he had to let Marie and June take their breaks. But Amanda had always been there to help him since he'd first arrived in this town, and he could never bring himself to turn down an opportunity to help her in return.
"No problem," he nodded, looking to Jake, "You gonna help me at work, buddy?"
"Yeah! I can help!" Jake grinned excitedly.
"Thank you so much. Really, you're a lifesaver," Amanda smiled, passing her baby to Sam again and bringing the pram over so Sam could put her in it if he needed to, "I'll be back as soon as I can! I'll see you soon, Jakey."
"Bye, Momma," Jake waved, "What shall we do, Uncle Sammy?"
"We can go help people check out their books," Sam beckoned him, carrying Ella with his good arm and pulling the pram behind him with the other. Lady trotted after him, and Jake followed behind.
"It appears you've acquired a baby," June remarked, a small smile on her face.
"Babysitting," Sam looked to Ella, then back at June, "Go take your break. I've got this."
He sat at the desk with Ella in one arm and Jake sat beside him, "helping" Sam by drawing pictures. Lady was curled up in her bed under the desk. The girl was wandering around, she kept looking over at him but quickly looking away the moment they had eye contact. Sam felt compelled to ask again if she was alright, she didn't seem to have come to the library to, well, use the library. Instead she just seemed to be hovering, waiting for something. It made Sam a little uneasy, but he was too polite to intrude.
"Oh! How precious do you look?" Marie cooed, "Little Ella is so lucky to have you for a godfather. And Jake too!"
"Uncle Sammy is great!" Jake piped up before going back to focusing on his drawings.
"That he is," Marie said proudly, "Oh Sam, it really isn't too late to start a family of your own."
"With who?" Sam laughed, "Besides, I have this troublemaker to keep me busy."
He gestured to Lady, who looked up at him and started to wag her tail.
"I'm sure I could find you a nice lady…"
"No, no thank you," Sam smiled, "Honestly, Marie. I'm good. I'm happy, and that's what I care about. I don't know if I'd even be a good father."
"Don't be silly, sweetheart. You've been wonderful with everyone's children," Marie put an arm around him and smiled at Ella.
Time went painfully slowly until closing, and Sam was glad to lock up once the last visitor – the girl he'd talked to – had left. She seemed almost cautious to leave, like she didn't know where to go. Sam was concerned, but she insisted she was just fine. Marie promised to bring round dinner for him as soon as she could, telling him he'd definitely earned his apple pie after that day. It had been busy all day, but luckily most of the mess had been tidied up already so there wasn't much left for Sam to do. Lady did her last check of the place, barking when she found a book on the floor, and finally they went home. Sam half-collapsed on the couch, his leg aching a little. On occasion, his missing limb would appear to cause him pain, something which was entirely normal but extremely frustrating to him. Nothing he could do would stop it, he just had to ride it out. He laid on the couch, exhausted and hoping it would calm down pretty quickly. Lady sat beside him, licking his arm and watching him closely.
"Life wouldn't be half as bearable without you," Sam murmured, reaching out and stroking Lady. She bounded away for a second, only to return with her moose toy, which she dropped by his face and wagged her tail.
"You have terrible breath," he chuckled sleepily, "I can smell it on your moose."
Lady sat in front of him once again, just watching over him. Sam watched his dog's face, her eyes bright and focused on him. She looked so happy, Sam felt tears filling his eyes. He couldn't describe how much his Lady meant to him, he couldn't imagine life without her anymore. He moved up on the couch, giving her space so she jumped up and laid beside him, pawing at his hand until he held her paw gently.
"I've gotcha," he smiled at her lovingly.
He was happy where he was. After thirty-five years of hunting, loss and sacrifice, he was happy that he life was so simple now. A little town, a nice job in a place he loved, a nice house. He knew almost everyone in the town and he was pretty loved amongst the people. He was first known jokingly as Eleanor's boy toy. Later he was known for running the library, a job he adored. It was the kind of library he'd dreamed of as a child, it was big, a large section just for kids and seemingly endless shelves. As soon as he was promoted to running the place he turned the children's section into what he'd wanted when he was younger. He painted the walls, even got the local elementary involved by getting them to paint their favourite characters, he made more displays and bought a bunch of bean bags and other things to get comfortable and read on. Even some paper and crayons for drawing, which he'd put up on the walls regularly. He made the place into his own and he was so proud of it. He had so many people supporting him and looking out for him too. Hell, he even had godchildren! What happened ten years ago, although still a mystery to him, was considered a blessing to Sam. Through it, he found a home.
Hey! Thanks for reading! Sorry if the start is a little slow, I wanted to show how different Sam's life is compared to his hunting life! It'll pick up! Please leave a review! 3