A/N: Loving season 13 so far! It's feeling really strong, and I ADORE Jack. He's such a cutie.
Jack follows him inside once the pyre has burnt down to glowing embers and the ashes are scattering in the wind. He stands awkwardly in the hallway, looking curiously at all the pictures and furnishings. Sam turns and taps a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, Jack? Why don't you go get some rest? You've had a long day."
Jack shakes his head slowly. "I... Where would I go?"
Sam considers this for a moments. He doubts Jack would want to sleep in the master bedroom, not after seeing his mom's body laying underneath the sheet. Sam will never forget how the kid couldn't bear to look at her face, how the tears had slipped silently down his cheeks as he mourned for the mother he never knew. An idea comes to him, so he smiles at Jack and beckons up the stairs.
"There's not exactly a bed in here, but I'll see if I can find some blankets, a mattress maybe," he says, leading Jack into the nursery. He stops at the door and lets Jack overtake him, watching as he walks over to the mural. Jack's fingers stretch out and brush over the lines of the painting, reaching high to trace the letters of his name. Sam is about to turn away when he speaks, his voice tinged with sadness.
"My mother did this."
"Yeah, she did. She wanted everything to be perfect for you."
"She's in Heaven now." It's not a question.
"Yes." Sam rasps out the word, his throat seeming to clog up.
"Is she happy?" Jack's voice is so innocent, so hopeful and despondent at the same time, and Sam wants to cry at the unfairness of it all.
"I don't know," he says truthfully. "I hope she is."
Jack nods mutely, before turning to face Sam. "Your mother... She's in Heaven too?"
Sam hesitates, then shakes his head, unable to look Jack in the eyes.
"But my father killed her? Not Castiel; my real father. Lucifer." Jack drags the name out as he shapes the syllables on his tongue. He frowns when he's done, as though the word has left a bad taste in his mouth.
"No."
"But Dean said-"
"Dean's wrong," Sam says shortly, cutting Jack off. He immediately feels bad when he notices the hurt look on Jack's face and sighs, lowering himself down to the floor. Jack watches, then moves to sit cross-legged in front of him, frowning uncertainly.
"I'm sorry," he says, just like he did in the cell, and Sam can feel in his heart that this kid is good.
"No, it's not your fault," Sam reassures. "Dean wants to believe our mom is dead," he explains. "It's easier for him, because knowing that she's alive in that place with Lucifer would kill him."
"But you think she's alive?"
"I know she is."
"How?"
Sam sighs again, because he really doesn't want to go into this, not now, not ever if he's being honest, but Jack deserves to know the truth. "Because I know Lucifer. He is evil and cruel and vicious, but he's also smart. He knows that keeping my mom alive will work to his advantage so he won't kill her yet. But even if he didn't need her he wouldn't kill her right away because that's not how Lucifer does things."
Sam stops, because if he doesn't he might scare the kid and then he doesn't know what'll happen. At least, that's what he tells himself. Jack leans forward and Sam tries not to press himself farther into the wall because this isn't Lucifer, it's just his son and he's not going to hurt Sam he's not he's not he's-
"How do you know this?" Jack asks, and Sam forces himself to breathe out.
"I- I'd rather not say, if that's alright," he says, meeting Jack's eyes and giving him a small smile. Jack nods, understanding if a little confused, and sits back again. They're silent for a couple of minutes before Sam remembers why they came here in the first place and stands up shakily.
"I'll go get you those blankets. Sit tight, I'll be back in a minute."
He's grabbing some cushions off the couch when Dean comes in, scowling.
"There you are. Come on, we need to move."
Sam startles and straightens to face his brother. "What? It's the middle of the night; don't you think you should sleep a little before driving anywhere?"
"No." Dean turns and goes to leave, so Sam heads after him.
"Dude, wait up." Sam sees the tense line of Dean's shoulders and deflates a little, deciding to try for a compromise. "Fine. But if we have to leave now, why don't I drive? You need sleep, Dean."
"No," he says again, this time with anger colouring his tone. "Get the kid. We're leaving."
Sam watches Dean head out the door and hangs his head, before dragging himself back upstairs.
Jack is sitting cross-legged in front of the mural when Sam re-enters the room. He turns expectantly when he hears Sam's footsteps, smiling despite everything that had happened in the past few hours.
"Sorry, Jack," Sam says, heart heavy. "We've gotta go. You can sleep in the car, alright?"
"Yes," Jack agrees and stands up, following Sam out the room. He stops at the doorway and turns round, and Sam frowns worriedly.
"Jack? Everything okay?"
Jack doesn't respond for a moment and Sam takes a step towards him, reaching out in concern.
"I miss her," Jack says, his voice small and childlike. "Is that okay?"
Sam's heart breaks for the kid and his arm drops back to his side. "Yeah. It is."
Jack nods and heads downstairs, his eyes downcast. Sam follows him a moment later, resolving to protect this kid, just as Kelly and Cas would have wanted.
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed that! I am living for Sam's relationship with Jack so I hope I did it justice here. I also hope I got Jack's character right. Please review if you have a moment. Bye!