This is is my first story. I am very nervous and scared about how my work would be received. I have been writing for a longtime but never got around posting or publishing it. Please take time to read and review it and please tell me should i continue. This is one idea that had been toying in my head for a longtime, John got normal with Mary and Mary got it with John for at least five years. Sam got normal in Stanford with Jessica. the only person who never got normal( when he could actually understand it) was Dean.

This is an AU about Dean getting a chance for college. But anything involved with Dean can never be simple in my case or as in most of the cases around here.

PLEASE R AND R.

Jayshree

Sam knew, that he would end up lying in the bed for a long time if, he didn't act now but the moment he started to speak words began to fail him and the reason was lying next to him with his feet lying straight against the crappy motel bed crossed at his ankles and humming along an annoying metallica tune.

But today just happened to be one of the days when, though it wasn't often, his brother's off beat getting on the nerves tune was not responsible for his sleeplessness. The reason was a shinning trophy lying on the rickety stool next to his brother's head and it bore the name "DEAN".

Well the trophy also had a good dramatic story behind it. Sam clearly remembered the day almost a week back when Dean had stormed into the motel room banging the door behind him rendering the already limp door barely hanging onto his hinges. And the curses that ensued from the fifteen year old boy left the eleven year old Sam scarred for life. Sam was actually worried for the person responsible for Dean's state. The cause of Dean's moment of a rabid dog left Sam utterly confused he wanted to laugh at the simplicity and normality of it and wanted to feel sorry for his brother for whom a school science project represented an unfathomable normality.

Both the reactions weren't short of suicidal so he stuck to being practical and letting his brother in whatever colorful language that suited his mood to explain. It turned out that Dean's science teachers were more than impressed with his knack for science. Early on Sam had realized that science and math came easily to him whether it came with the job or was an innate talent he didn't know. So, Dean's teachers being impressed with his aptitude for science was no big deal it happened in every school. But this time it was different apparently the school hadn't won any interschool science fairs in a decade. The entire staff was desperate for that elusive kitty that was tarnishing the school's image. So, when Dean's science teacher began to gloat about that certain student's talent that prickled their ears. They were convinced that Dean was the candidate who could bring back that glory. What they didn't count on was that Dean was never interested, anything related to school was a formality and anything beyond that formality was a liability to their way of life.

If Dean was infamous for his stubbornness he had met a match in this school. They knew that Dean was way too behind in history and if he didn't pickup he might fail the subject, that was never a concern with him but this time it also entailed a call to the parents and spending one more semester here with compulsory summer school. That was like the ultimate threat. Dean and Sam both knew better than to let their father get involved in any of the stuff not related to hunt. According to John Winchester, Winchesters do not have the time to go after things pretending normalcy when it has eluded them since their mother had died in the house fire stuck to the ceiling with a deep gash on her stomach. His philosophy further extended that nothing is more important than the hunt lately Sam had begin to wonder about it but that was another topic entirely.

So to save Dean from this the school graciously decided to let him pass in history if he participated in the science fair and gave his best shot. Dean had no other option but to agree. The moment Dean finished with his story Sam gave him the only logical solution that to do it and get over with it and along with it he might also enjoy it. The moment he had said that Sam wanted to take it back because school, Dean and enjoyment were never the part of the same equation and Dean didn't waste a moment to pounce on it.

But, what ensued in the week changed Sam's firm held perception of Dean and he began to wonder that would he ever able to understand the mystery his brother, the mystery would only deepen in years to come, and did Dean actually knew how conflicted he and his priorities were. In that week Sam saw Dean, in a whole new different light. The way he worked on the science project was clearly endearing; Dean's eyes were generally ablaze, the passion and fervor with which he worked was exactly how he was during one of the hunts with their dad.

That week made Sam realize that there was something beyond the hunt that could make Dean happy and hunt wasn't the sole thing that Dean held passion for and that something didn't entitled him to put himself in the line of fire. In the end the school's gamble paid off, Dean won the interschool competition. Moreover, the jury found Dean's work so ingenious that they wrote him a recommendation letter then and there that, this boy held a talent to harness and watch out for.

So, this was the reason why Sam still lay sleepless on his bed. Dean always took care of Sam. He was always busy with Sam and his needs that Dean had been neglecting himself since he carried his baby brother out of the burning house in his four year old small hands. If Dean didn't take care of himself, he would step up to take care of his big brother that is what brothers are for.

But, before he took any action he needed to make sure that this was for the best. So steeling himself Sam spoke up

"hey! Dean you are not asleep, are you?" his voice came out croaky but thankfully Dean ignored it and said

"What happened to your hearing squirt? I am still humming you know and last time I checked I don't hum when I sleep that is what dad does but that is not humming those are massive snores that can scare anyone who walks in unwarned. Thankfully we have had a lifetime of warnings" "and yeah! I am still awake. So, shoot"

"Dean, you won the interschool competition aren't you happy about it? People were all over you, praising you" Sam waited for the answer with bated breathe for a moment he was scared that Dean would look at him like an alien and ask him to go to sleep. But that answer that followed truly surprised him.

"I am glad. It was real good working with all the electronics and at the end of it the acknowledgement and praise gave me that sense of completion and satisfaction that I have been yearning for" Dean had that wistful look on his face.

Sam knew that their line of work was a thankless social service which stays with them for a very short time and under all the wraps of secrecy. So, if dean yearned for the acknowledgement and praise it was only natural. The answer that Dean gave was unbridled, it was an honest answer with no mask involved. That moment made it clear that his decision to take that course of action was justified and he would do anything to make it come through.

As, though sensing that Dean had said too much that annoying smirk was back on his face and said

"Stay away from me, your geekiness in starting to corrupt me. I swear to god I will kill you if anyone hears about it"

"Okay!" said Sam.

"I think dad should be back by the next morning. He was almost finished with the hunt the last time we talked. I really want him to be back soon so I could get away from this place. It was beyond endurance. When he is back things would finally be okay" Said Dean

"I hope so too, goodnight Dean" said Sam finally sleep was catching up to him with the load off his head.