AN: This is a scene from a play that will never be written. It's Sam and Dean, as children. Brackets are stage directions, parenthesis are inflection and such. R&R!

Mourning Routines

Stage- small kitchen, table in the center, Sammy sitting in front of an open book. Enter Dean

D- you ready for school, Sammy?

S- I'm hungry, Dean. Can you make me breakfast?

D- (sighs) sure, Sammy. [starts looking through cupborads] whatcha reading so early?

S- [closes the book, gets on his knees backwards on the chair] it's a law book! I'm gonna be a lawyer, I'll be good at it. You'd be a bad lawyer. Mr. Crowley said so.

D- [cupboard search gets frantic, angry motions]

S- wanna know why, Dean? (3x, louder each time)

D- [slams a cupboard door shut] shut up, Sammy! You'll wake dad!

S- [slumps down in his seat, turning the right way again] sorry, dean.

D- [deep sigh, goes over and kneels next to sammy] hey, I'm sorry. I'm just tired...dad is too, so we gotta be quiet, okay? [sam nods, looking at his book, and not dean]. How does Mac n cheese sound?

S- [head whips to Dean, happy] really? [deans holds a finger to his mouth] can we really, Dean? (Excited whisper)

D- course we can, Sammy. [goes over and starts boiling water and preparing a box of macncheese] (pause of silence, Sam reading and Dean cooking) so, Sammy, why'd mr Crowley say I'd be a bad lawyer?

S- well, he didn't say you'd be a bad lawyer, but he said all good lawyers argue. You never argue. Not with dad or me or bobby. So you'd be a bad lawyer. [dean clearly troubled by this, as seen by his pause of working and down turned head] [sam continues] and I wanna be a good lawyer, so im gonna start arguing. I'll argue you at everything and then I'll be a great lawyer!

D- ah! [dean flinches burning himself on the pot by the surprise of the news] no, sammy! [goes over and takes him by he shoulders looking right in his eyes] no Sammy, you hear me? You don't argue with me. You don't argue with dad. NEVER argue with dad, okay? You wanna be a lawyer, you study. You read your books. But you DO NOT argue dad. Okay? [saam tries to argue] no! You don't argue, that's final. You don't gotta argue to be a good lawyer.

S- but mr Crowley said...[trails off as Dean turns his back] what do you want to be Dean?

D- your big brother.

S- you're already my brother, and besides, that's not a real job. [makes a face]

D- [ruffles Sammy's hair] course it's a job- you're totally helpless. Here's your breakfast [sets steaming bowl of Mac n cheese on the table]

S- [smiles, starts eating. Dean starts cleaning up, buts dishes in sink and puts away half empty box of mnc] wheres yours, Dean?

D- hmmmm? [turns his head back, but disregards the comment otherwise.]

Off stage, noises of a man waking up

[dean whips around towards the source of the noise, drops what he's doing and throws Sammy's schoolbooks into a paper bag, urging Sammy to get up and exit(opposite direction of the noises)]

D- (anxious whisper) hurry up Sammy, we gotta go, don't want to be late for school

S- wait, I think dads getting up! We should say goodbye first [pushes past dean]

Enter John

S- good morning, daddy! [goes for a hug, is brushed aside by john]

J- [opens the fridge, pulls out a beer, closes fridge again. Looks around the room, taking long swigs of beer] what the helld you do, Dean? (Slurred)

S- (happily) Dean made Mac n cheese for breakfast! [holding up is bowl for John to see]

J- [hits the bowl out of sam's hands] dammit Dean! You're supposed to be taking care of Sam, not turning him into a little pig! Whys he not at school yet? What're you waiting for?

S- (quieter, but still hopeful) I wanted to say goodbye to you, daddy.

J- grow up, kid.

D- come on Sammy, let's go- here's your bag, your coat, your shoes. [directing Sam out the door]

J- where do you think you're going? Get back here and clean this shit up! [throws his bottle on the floor where the mnc bowl already lies]

D- [hesitates, closes the door so Sam stays outside] yessir (muttered)

J- what's that? You sassing me? Get over here, you ungrateful little brat! [dean walks over slowly] [john grabs a wooden spoon off the counter]

S- [throws the door open] what's taking so long- [sees John about to beat dean] Dean? Dean, what's going on? (Panicked)

J- get outside and go to school

S- no! daddy stop!

J- [ lowers the spoon, shoves Dean to the floor and approaches Sam ] what did you just say?

D- [getting up] it's alright, sammy. Just start on to school. I'll catch up

J- (cynical laugh) don't count on it

D- [sam starts to say something] don't argue, Sammy. Remember?

S- [tearing up] daddy, stop it! Just stop it! Come on, Dean- take me to school, PLEASE.

J- [raises spoon, ready to strike sam] I'll teach you some respect, you little-

D- No! [scrambles over and grabs johns arm]

[john throws Dean to the ground. Earsplitting CRACK. John stands over his son, kicking him, yelling at him to get up, calling him names. Sam, sobbing now, runs over to Dean, kneels over him, crying and shaking his shoulders. Dean groans, sits up, and runs his hands over the back of his head.]

J- get up, Dean. Get up and take a beating like a man.

[dean stands, puts himself toe to toe with john]

D- I'm not getting up for you.

J- excuse me?

D- I'm not getting up for you. I've got to take Sammy to school.

J- the only reason you get to go to school is because I let you. You do what I tell you, when I-

D- no. I go to school because I want to. I go to get away from you. And one day, when Sammy's a big shot lawyer, ima have a job too. I'm gonna have a job and a house and I'm going to pay all my bills on time. But I'm not going to have kids. I'm never gonna have kids, cuz there's no way in hell I'd ever risk becoming like you. I'm going to be better than you- hell, I already am. I'm a kid, but I'm a better father to Sammy than you've ever been. I clean up my own messes, and Sammy's and yours too. So don't tell me to get up. You don't have to anymore. You don't have a right to.

[dean takes Sammy by the wrist, and they exit]

[john stands there a minute, doesn't watch them as they go. After the door slams shut, he waits a minute, then goes to the fridge. Pulls out another beer. Puts it down on the kitchen tables, pulls over a seat, and sits down. ] end scene