A/N: For the 31 Days of Halloween prompt challenge, which gwevyan shared with me.
Of Autumn and Pies
Pie, Sam decided, letting out a sigh as loudly as he could, would be their downfall. Why? Because Dean, his pie-obsessed big brother, was willing to do anything for a slice of the pastry. He distinctively remembered a time, when was no more than six and therefore Dean was around ten years old, when his big brother couldn't convince their father to buy them any pie and so he decided to take matter into his own hands, using Sam's own puppy-dog eyes - according to Dean, he'd had the art mastered from birth - to bribe a kind waitress. John had been so amused (and, Sam suspected, proud) that he hadn't found it in him to scold Dean.
"I'm telling you, Sam, you won't regret it. It's the best friggin' pie in the state." Dean informed his brother for what seemed like the hundredth time. He might have believed him when he first said it, but now he was starting to second guess his judgment. No pie could be worth this, not even the 'best friggin' pie in the state'.
"Yeah, Dean, I got that the first time you said it." He quickly retorted in an exasperated tone, putting on one of his trademark bitchfaces. "I still don't get why you're dragging me out of the motel at 7AM. Dean, you hate mornings." That was suspicious at best. But then again, it was pie. If there was something that Sam believed his brother would wake up at that hour for it was pie.
However, there was a hint of hesitation in Dean's voice when he replied that made Sam even more suspicious. "It's a good place. Figured it might get packed later." Dean replied, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was lying. Sam was starting to get worried, but he chose against saying anything. Pressing his brother to tell the truth usually ended in a fight, and it was way too damn early for a fight. It'd be easier to just let Dean have his way and figure out what was going on later.
Sam let his brother drag him into the just-opened diner and order them each a slice of pumpkin pie, which was still warm from the oven, without a word, figuring that sooner or later he would figure out why Dean was acting so strangely. However, any investigation was halted by the quick arrival of their food - their very distracting, delicious looking food. The smell hit his nose a second before the steamy warmth rising from the pastry, and his stomach grumbled, demanding that he hurry up and try it. Freshly baked pie was always better, after all, even non-pie-obsessed Sam knew that. He picked up his fork and let it hover above the slice for a few seconds, trying to determine if this was some kind of prank or not, eyeing it with scrutiny. Damn it, it looked delicious. He'd just have to trust his big brother on this one. Without any further ado, he dug his fork into the slice and broke a piece off, then promptly brought it to his watering mouth.
Wow. Just… Wow.
"Dean, this is delicious! How did you find this place, man?" He asked after swallowing the first bite, his eyes wide with wonder. His brother, however, seemed to be much too busy digging into his own slice with the voracity of a starved man to listen to his question, so Sam just let it drop.
When he asked his next question, however, Dean had no excuses for ignoring him, Sam made sure of it. "Care to tell me why we're really here at 7AM, Dean?"
"Freshly baked pies." Dean quickly answered, giving his little brother a hint of a smug look, which quickly dissolved under Sam's stern gaze. "I know you never liked Halloween, and after Jess… Well, I thought we could try to make something nice of it, you know? Starting with freshly baked pumpkin pies."
Sam couldn't help the small smile that started to form on his lips at his brother's explanation. Jess had died only two days after Halloween. The last time he'd seen her had been on Halloween. The holiday really didn't have a good history with him, and he couldn't say he was very fond of it either. Trust Dean to try to find a way to reverse that. "But Halloween isn't until the 31st, Dean. Today is still the 1st."
At that, his brother smirked. "Well, I figured I'd need a whole month to make Halloween nice for you. You're as stubborn as they come, bitch."
"Jerk." The answer came automatically, and it earned his brother a quirk of Sam's lips before he turned his head to gaze outside, watching as the leaves fell and pooled on the ground on a typical fall scene. He'd never liked it, associating it with Halloween, with holidays he didn't get to celebrate, with his mother's death, even if he'd never really known her, and now, with Jess' death. But as he peered out at the scene, the smell of pumpkin pie filling his nose and reminding him strongly of his brother, he thought maybe this time it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe this time he could actually enjoy the season. If there was anyone who could accomplish such a feat, it was his brother.