Impala Mine.
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Sam made his way out to the waiting car. He opened the trunk and carefully replaced the two worn books he had been studying in their little corner.
The Impala's trunk was enormous, and a good job too, he thought to himself. His dad had made an excellent choice when he had bought her, well no… he amended; it wasn't really dad who had chosen her, but Dean.
His brother had brought him up to date about the day when Castiel had transported him back in time, and a smile curled round his lips as he remembered him saying that his father's first choice had been a Volkswagen Hippie-type bus. The image of Dean driving around in it flashed before his eyes and his smile erupted into a full-blown laugh.
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"Somebody's happy," a voice at his back said, almost in surprise. "Somthin' you can share with the class, Sammy?"
"Nah, it's nothing, Dean. Just a silly moment."
"A silly moment! Dude, we are talking, Sam Winchester here and Sam Winchester has "silly moments" as often as dollar bills float down from the sky. We're talking one serious guy" Dean repeated teasingly, scrunching his face up in an imitation of Sam's when he was concentrated on something; complete with scrunched up forehead and pursed lips.
Sam tried to keep a straight face but Dean's expression made him burst into laughter for the second time inside two minutes.
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"Now, you just gotta tell me, Sammy! I'll even let you drive my baby if you do!" he wheedled, somehow feeling happy that his broody little brother was exhibiting a moment of good humour.
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It was nothing, Dean," Sam finally declared when his laughter faded." You remember when you went back to the seventies and met Dad and Mom.
Dean nodded. "Yeah!"
"You told me about dad buying the Impala but that his first choice had been a Volkswagen. So.. I was just seeing you sitting behind the wheel driving some flowery hippie van and….well I… just found it hilarious.. ! I told you it was nothing," Sam finished off awkwardly.
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Dean just grunted. "It's a good job I was there Sam, to stop such an abomination from happening,"
He patted the roof of the Impala.
"Who knows where my baby would have ended up. She could even have been reduced to one of those old wrecks like in Bobby's yard" he said, a shiver going through him at the thought.
"Yeah, well in a way she was, Dean and more than once too," Sam reminded him.
"I know Sam but I was around to build her up again so it's not quite the same thing." Dean countered.
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"Sam," Dean's voice took on a serious note. "I just wanted to let you know that I tried my best back then to...well…, to change the future for you…,for us all….but…"
"Hey, man, don't go down that road. You can't change the past. You couldn't have done anything to avoid what was to come," Sam reminded him, his voice gentle.
"I know, Sam but when I was sitting there helpless and Azazel came sniffing around me like a dog to a bone, to see if I was one of his "special children" and he realised that it wasn't me but my brother who would be one, I felt my heart break, because he told me just what he would do to you... I had never felt such rage but there was nothing I could do to stop it Sammy! I let you down. I'm sorry."
"What! Are you crazy, Dean! You didn't let me down. You couldn't have stopped anything." Sam placed his hands on his brother's shoulders, shaking him gently.
"You told me that Cas sent you back in time to let you know what was going on, but that the angels didn't know what Azazel's end-game was. Is that right?"
Dean nodded.
" Well, could be Cas didn't know but the other angels certainly did. They knew we were vessels; they knew that Lucifer would be freed; they knew about the Apocalypse.
We were pawns in their hands, Dean; you of the Angels and me of Ruby and her damned addictive blood-drug. We were just two humans, Dean and we did what we thought was right based on what we knew. What more could we have done, man!"
Dean lifted his eyes to his brother's." I get it Sam but it's just so unfair."
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The light-hearted atmosphere that had permeated the air a few minutes ago had disappeared completely, as the brothers contemplated what had been just said, but Sam didn't want them to get into the Impala and have to brood on something that had happened and that could not be changed.
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"Dean," he said keeping his face absolutely serious. " It's not too late you know. We could still trade in the Impala for an old Beetle Volkswagen. After all she was dad's first choice so maybe we should go with it.
I think you'd look really bad-ass sitting behind the wheel. We could even rustle up some "flowers for your hair" in true hippie style. Remember how you liked Andy's van!"
Dean looked at him as if he had gone crazy, then smiled as he went along with Sam's play.
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"Don't listen to him Baby. You're my one true love! Sammy just doesn't understand. I would never betray you for a hippie German chick," Dean murmured sweetly to his favourite girl as the brothers took their places on her worn leather seats.
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