Title: A Moment of Normal

Fandom: Supernatural

Summary: Season 10. Sam POV. Takes place sometime after the events in "The Executioner's Song". After a difficult case, the boys try and cope with the realities of where their lives stand now.

It wasn't the four days he'd hoped for, but Dean did manage almost a day of sleep after being practically beat to hell by a nest of vampires. I knocked quietly on his bedroom door, but didn't wait for an answer before moving in with a breakfast tray in my hands.

Dean was awake, propped up on two pillows. The wounds on his face looked uglier than when he'd left the library a day ago. Time enough to bruise over.

My own face looking similar, I offered a generic smile. "Hey. Welcome back." I set the tray down on the nightstand. "Breakfast. Your version, not mine."

"No egg whites or turkey bacon?"

"I have for you a healthy dose of cholesterol, fat and caffeine. Figured you'd be hungry by now."

Dean glanced at his watch. "How long?"

"Almost a day. I stopped in every so often, made sure you were breathing. They did a number on you, man. How you feelin'?"

"Pretty damned crappy," he said quickly, before quieting to…"But thanks for this. I am hungry. Not often I get breakfast in bed. I could get used to this. Smells bad for me too."

"It is, but it's you. You need anything else?"

"You leavin'?"

"Got my own breakfast waiting in the kitchen."

"Egg whites and turkey bacon?"

I laughed. "Yeah."

"Hang on." Dean was up then, slowly, took a quick bathroom break and then returned to pick up his tray. "I'll come with."

"You sure?"

"It's been a day. Anything longer and we're talking bed sores and soiled sheets and well, no. Just no."

We sat together at our small kitchen table. I was surprised when Dean downed the entire breakfast, and I was hopeful of it being a sign of normalcy. Whatever the hell normal was anymore. Dean was in trouble, as I'd told Cas last week. I could see it in his eyes, he was terrified. He was lost. He was in pain. But he'd fight. He'd fight to the last second of breath to defeat whatever was to come with the Mark...that damned Mark. But he'd beat it. It's what he did. Few came stronger than my brother.

"This is good, Sammy. You and me. Breakfast together. Home. It's comfortable."

Yeah, it was. We were as good now as we'd ever been, maybe more so. Maybe all those trials of the past finally paid off. We'd learned from them and matured from them. This was good.

"It is, Dean. And you know what, maybe we jumped into that vamp job too early after Cain. Pretty sure we weren't at the top of our game on this case. So, you let me know when you're road ready. However long it takes."

"Can't sit neutral for too long, man. This place is big enough for us to avoid each other for a while, but hell, we're brothers. We can fight over expired milk given enough time caged up together. But! You might be right about jumping back too quick. I know, I said it. You were right. It does happen on very…very…rare occasions that my little brother has a moment. So yeah…a few days I think."

I smiled. "Sounds good. You want more bacon?"

He held out the empty plate. "Fill her up."

There was a quiet for a time after the bacon. Dean drifted some. I could see his eyes struggling to stay open. Clearly he wasn't ready for much of anything other than rest. So, no research, no job hunting, nothing that would encourage him to do anything more than that rest he needed. At least until stir crazy set in. I'd give him those three days.

We polished off breakfast, I scrubbed the dishes while Dean sipped on his coffee.

"Caffeine's not working."

"Yeah, well. I don't think even caffeine can defeat your type of exhaustion."

"A shower might help. I'll get cleaned up and then you and me..." There was a pause, then, "How about a movie, Sam?"

I felt my eyebrows raise in surprise. "A movie? Haven't gone to a movie in forever."

"Because we don't live normal lives, but maybe we should try some normal stuff once in a while. We used to when we were living on the road. There's another one of those Taken movies out. We can watch people get the crap kicked out of them and it won't hurt one damn bit."

Couldn't argue with that one, but still… "Dean, how you gonna stay awake for a two hour movie?"

"Have confidence, Sammy. Check the locals, see what time the matinee is."

He was serious. A movie. In the middle of the day. Something normal.

2PM. Cokes and popcorn in hand, we slouched into two middle seats in the very back of the theater. Dean nodded off during the previews.

"Dean, wake up. Movie's starting."

He popped up slowly. "'bout damn time. 18 previews and 7 commercials later."

The movie came and went, as did consciousness for my brother. He missed half the movie, but it didn't matter. The outing was a success in that it got us away from our reality for a few hours. Back in the car, I pushed Dean into the passenger seat. It didn't go unnoticed that there was no protest about not being behind the wheel. And that was concerning…but it's where we were.

"Let's drive, Sammy. Anywhere."

"You sure?"

My brother exhaled a deep breath, slowly closing and opening his eyes. The car was a distraction. It had been our home for so long, and still was at times…we could sleep on these seats in uncomfortable positions better than we could sleep on large memory-foam beds.

"Feel the road under Baby's wheels. Her engine hum. Nothing better."

For Dean, driving in the Impala was like a child being rocked to sleep. Safe. Secure. Content. So, if this is what he needed…

Three hours later, we were stopped in the back corner of a shopping mall. Dean was out cold, leaning against the window. I only woke him to make sure he ate something. I'd stopped at our favorite local joint and picked up a burger for him and a salad for me.

"Thanks, Sammy," he said eventually, mouth full of burger. "S'good."

"It is your favorite food group, Dean." I smiled.

"Funny. I meant the ride though. Ride was good."

"You slept through it."

"Exactly. My Baby takes good care of me."

I cleared my throat in mock disappointment.

"Yes, yes, my little brother takes good care of me too. Jesus, man. Jealous of a car."

We exchanged a warm look and finished our meals when Dean finally said, "Let's get home, Sam. You looked wiped and we can't have the both of us down."

I hit the shower as soon as we got home. It was barely past 8, but Dean had called it. I was wiped. A long few days of worry and generally being scared shitless for my brother would do that to a person. I called it a night.

"You gonna sit up a while and catch up on your Netflix shows?" I asked, fixing my bed covers in order to fall into them.

Dean was leaning in my doorway. "Yeah. You callin' it?"

"Yup. I'm done."

Dean grimaced – knowing the feeling all too well. His feeling was different, but the same. "You okay?"

I shrugged and turned toward the doorway. "I will be. You?"

"Honestly? Not a damn clue. But it is what it is, right? We'll be okay. We always are…in our own weirdly abnormal way."

Had to laugh at that one. Never was there a truer statement. I turned back to my bed again when Dean stopped me.

"Hey, Sammy." I turned to him just in time for one of his surprise hugs. His arms wrapped tight. Holding on…holding on for dear life? Perhaps. Such was our life after all. My own grip was just as strong as we held the embrace for long seconds before he pulled away. "Thanks for keeping my sanity in check, little brother. Get some sleep."

"Yeah." My short response wasn't a confident one – not knowing what was ahead, but knowing that it would put us through the ringer…again.

I gave my brother another smile. A genuine one this time. "Night, Dean."

Smile returned, "Night, Sammy" as he walked out the bedroom door.

The End