Making Wishes
Dean had been up for a couple of hours. This was a day he never forgot. For two reasons. May second 1983 Dean became a big brother, perhaps the best day he could remember from his all too short childhood. He could close his eyes and see in vivid detail the moment Mom had brought Sam into the house, told Dad to set Dean in the big comfy armchair and placed Sam in his arms. He could still here her say, "Dean, this is Sammy. He's your little brother. Do you think you're grown up enough to help take care of him?" It was love at first sight. Dean had felt from the first and Mom and Dad had agreed that Sam was his. Even before Mom died, Dean was taking charge of caring for and protecting his brother. Sometimes Dean knew Sam resented it but he'd been Dean's little brother for thirty two years and that wasn't changing. Maybe if Mom had lived and Dad hadn't become a hunter Dean and Sam wouldn't have been as close but she did and they were. So today was a special day. It was also the day that seven years ago Dean Winchester went to Hell. There was nothing Dean could do to relieve either of them from that memory. It was etched in the fabric of their lives and could never be erased but Dean vowed to make this a good day for Sam.
First up, breakfast. Dean knew Sam was up and in the shower so he worked quickly. Dean made a great omelet, even if he did say so. No crappy egg white omelets for Sam's birthday. Dean added ham, mushrooms, some spinach (which Dean allowed only in omelets), swiss cheese and diced onions. Dean waited until they were perfectly cooked and browned and plated the omelets. He put them on the table so with juice and coffee, adding the caramel latte creamer he'd gotten for the occasion. Dean liked his coffee black but Sam preferred girly flavors. Hey, it was little brother's birthday so whatever Sam wanted, Sam would get. One thing Dean was sure of. No Mark of Cain, no research, no stress. Sam entered the kitchen with damp hair and a fair amount of stubble he'd decided against shaving off. He broke into a grin as he saw Dean's breakfast offering.
"Is it my birthday?", he asked with a mischievous and totally Sam smile, dimples for days and Dean smiled back. He couldn't help it. The kid's smile was so freaking contagious.
Sitting down, Dean said, "As of a matter of fact yes, smartass." Sam picked up his fork and began eating. How like Dean to make his favorite for his birthday, "So, no work today Sam".
Sam paused in his delight o his omelet. "But Dean.." His brother held up a hand but not in an angry way. Sam knew Dean was taking the mark of Cain thing hard. He was scared and any chance of anything close to normal was important. It was like every day was a making memories day for Dean here lately. Sam was concerned Dean was giving up despite all his I'm gonna keep fighting talk. It was his birthday after all and if his big brother had cooked up a day full of normal then he wasn't going to take it away from him. "Okay. You're the boss". He returned to eating , relishing each bite, having another cup of coffee with his current favorite creamer, finding he was enjoying the slow pace of the day. No pressing matters, maybe they'd even forget the mark for a day.
When the boys had finished eating and drinking coffee, and re telling stories of birthdays past, carefully avoiding that one, Dean gathered the plates. "Go get dressed. We have a full day of fun birthday boy." Sam looked at the pleased-as-punch look on his brother's face and he was flooded with a rush of love he knew he'd never express. He recalled that awful birthday and banished those thoughts. Nothing bad was going to happen to either of them today.
Dean turned the radio up loud as they headed out. Sam grinned at his brother's singing and just enjoyed seeing Dean so happy. He noticed they were headed towards Wichita. Of course they sometimes went there but Dean had to have something pretty big cooked up to go 196 miles just to celebrate his birthday. He leaned back in his seat and was overcome with this familiar feeling, the Impala lulling him into a road trip sleepiness and Dean…the two combined equaled home to Sam and he would do anything to protect that. He didn't want to but his eyes were closing, the sense of relaxing, letting go, were too much and he dozed.
Looking over at Sam Dean smiled. God this kid….well technically he wasn't a kid, hadn't been for a long time but to Dean there would always be the sweet little baby, the ask-a hundred- questions little boy with hair falling in his eyes, the pre teen scared of what to do with girls and the angry teenager arguing with Dad, who'd broken his heart and gone to California. He would always see Sam as a kid, even though he wouldn't trade anything for the strong, capable, sensitive, intelligent, overgrown man asleep beside him. Dean pulled into the parking lot of their first stop. Before he woke Sam up he allowed himself the opportunity to just watch Sam sleeping peacefully. He put a hand on his brother's arm and shook him lightly. "Hey Sam. Time to get up. " Sam stirred and stretched his long arms and legs.
"Where are we?"he asked. He looked at Dean, rubbed his fists into his eyes and glanced at the sign in front of them. "Mini-golf?" he broke into a huge grin and Dean did too. "Awesome!", Sam said. "Man, I was secretly so jealous you took Claire to play mini-golf!"
"Figured. That pout on your face was so obvious Sammy", Dean said cuffing his brother on the head. As they walked to the entrance, Dean said, "It's your birthday little brother but I ain't gonna lie. I'm not letting you win". He paid for their games and handed Sam a club. Dean carried his own and the bucket of balls.
"Oh you won't have to let me, "the birthday boy said. This won him a raised eyebrow from his big brother.
"In your dreams Sasquatch. You go first Sam. Your day." The sun was shining and Dean looked so relaxed and happy that Sam couldn't care less about winning, about anything but this. Why he wondered had they wasted so much time over the years instead of more days like this? He put the ball down and swung. The boys waited and …yes! Sam got a hole in one.
"There you go. See if you can beat that." Sam challenged. Dean was undeterred. He pulled back and swung and…he too got a hole in one."
Dean raised his club high over his head. "Yes! Next hole Sammy." This went on for three games, Dean beating Sam on the first and third. Sam didn't care but he knew Dean expected just a little arguing just because that was Dean.
"You only beat me that last time because you distracted me.", he said as they walked back to the car. Dean grinned. He had distracted Sam and he didn't feel like gloating. They'd just spent two hours having fun. Two hours of brotherly razzing, a little competition, fresh air and sunshine, and he still had a few more surprises up his sleeve. So far this day was everything he'd hoped for.
In the car, Dean turned on the ignition and as he pulled out of the mini golf parking lot he said to Sam, "What's one , single thing you really wanted but didn't get Sam? And I don't mean things like having a normal life and things that lasted a long time. Think back to oh let's say….summer of 1994?" Sam wrinkled his nose and looked at Dean.
"Dean, in 1994 I was eleven. What didn't I get I wanted in 1994?" Dean was grinning like a Cheshire cat as he made the next turn and pulled into a sort of convention center. He was humming and Sam leaned closer and he started grinning too. "A light saber. I asked Dad for a toy light saber. He said it would take up too much room and I think he thought I'd be tempted to use it to kill something for real. Dean, where are we man?" There were literally hundreds of cars here. Dean reached into his jacket pocket and handed Sam an envelope. Sam took it excitedly and tore into it like an eleven year old. What he found was two tickets to a Star Wars convention.
"So, you up for it Young Jedi?" Sam was beside himself. Eleven year old Sammy would have already been across the parking lot. Sam didn't know what to say. How did his brother always do this, remember so many things Sam forgot. Tears gathered in his eyes and he leaned across the bench seat and surprised Dean by giving him a quick hug. Dean patted his back briefly and Sam pulled away.
"Hell yes I'm ready! Thank you Dean", he said . As Sam opened his door to get out, Dean quickly blinked back a tear or two of his own .You're welcome Sam.
They had a grand time. Besides having a "real" light saber fight, they saw costumed characters, Dean tried on a Darth Vader mask and cracked Sam up by saying "Sam, I am your father" over and over. They watched a special Imax screening of the original movie in which they enjoyed popcorn and yes, licorice. In the vendors room Dean bought Sam a tee shirt that depicted the great Luke Skywalker holding a light saber and just for his own enjoyment, Dean snapped a picture on his phone of Sam and a life sized stuffed Chewbaca statue. He said ten times if he id once, "Ha. Two Sasquatches."
Sam laughed but his true geekiness came out when he reminded his brother, "Dean Chewie was a wookie, not a Sasquatch". He was happy though. This was a day he would never forget. This was the sort of thing they'd have loved as kids. He refused to let himself dwell on that. Today they were doing it and he'd loved every minute.
"So," Dean said , putting his arm around Sam's shoulder, "you hungry?" Sam put his arm around Dean too.
"Yeah. You got a plan for dinner too Yoda?" he teased, looking down at his brother.
"You better be calling me Yoda because I'm the Jedi Master and not because you're making some kind of short reference", Dean said, mock angry.
"Oh I am referring totally to your skill Jedi Master. You're the best." Sam said. Dean laughed. As they headed to the car Sam didn't ask where they were going. Dean had done a great job of planning the rest of the day he was content to be surprised.
Dean was especially proud of his dinner plans. He'd researched the area for just what he wanted and he hoped Sam enjoyed it. "Here we are" he said parking. "Two Brothers Barbeque. Supposed to be famous. I read the menu online. This okay?"
Sam grinned. First he loved the name. Second, it had always been a game over the years, finding the best barbeque in the country. Dean had always held out for Jack's in Nashville while his brother staked claim on Franklin's in Austin although both enjoyed both restaurants whenever the opportunity presented itself. "This is more than alright Dean." Again, he was so satisfied with the happy look on Dean's face he didn't care if he ate at all. That look was present enough for three birthdays and a few Christmases thrown in for good measure.
The food was excellent. Dean had the two meat combo, choosing St. Louis sticky ribs and sliced brisket, pairing it with the potato salad and fried okra, Sam selected the chicken and pulled pork, the cheesy corn casserole and green beans. They ate slowly, savoring the food, Dean getting covered in sauce from his ribs and Sam laughing as he handed him a huge stack of napkins. They talked about nothing in particular, remembering those visits to Nashville and Texas, other places they'd really liked, talking about places they'd like to go. No monsters, no people we've lost, no guilt we've carried for three decades ,no mark of Cain. Just two brothers eating barbeque at Two Brothers Barbeque in Wichita, KS. That was priceless in Sam's book.
Sam drove on the way home and this time Dean dozed just a little, full of barbeque and one too many beers, hence why Sam was driving. He wasn't drunk, just had too many to drive. He felt really happy, dozing there in his baby while his brother had a look of pure happiness on his face. He wasn't finished yet but so far, he had no complaints as to how Sam's day had gone so far.
Back at the bunker, the boys were still talking about the things they'd done. They wound up back in the kitchen for one more beer. It was close to midnight and they were tired in that good way you get when you've been doing simple fun things with someone you care about. Sam leaned on the counter, beer in hand. "Dean, thanks. This has been the best birthday ever. Really brother. I mean it."
Dean smiled. He looked at his watch. "Ten more minutes of birthday Sammy." He opened the fridge and pulled out a small box. Handing it to Sam, he reached in a drawer beside him and pulled out a small wrapped present.
"Dean, man..you didn't need to.." Sam opened the first box to reveal two cupcakes, one of which had a candle stuck in it. He pulled them out and placed them on the counter. He picked up the present feeling bad since the whole day had been such a great and present. He unwrapped it slowly , opening the lid on the flat box to reveal a framed picture of himself and Dean that he'd always loved, taken he didn't recall when at Bobby's. They were standing side by side, arms around each other's shoulders, on the porch of the only house they could ever call home until the Bunker, Dean was laughing, Sam was looking at him, smiling. The picture had been creased and worn from Dean carrying it around all these years. Sam was touched that Dean had gone to the trouble to have a copy made and framed for him.
"Thank you Dean. I love it". Winchester code for I love you. He pulled his brother into a hug. Dean hugged Sam back as hard as he could. God I love this kid. Sam tightened his embrace as well for just a second. Chick flick moments be dammed.
"You have cake and two minutes to make a wish", dean said as they stepped back. He pulled his lighter and lit the candle. Sam picked it up and wished. I wish we make it to May second 2016 so we can do this again. He blew out the candle and smiled.
Dean smiled too. He'd wished as Sam blew out the candle. He hoped his and Sam's wishes both came true. "Happy Birthday Sammy", he said.