Dee pulled Sam out of bed, the blankets catching in his feet and dragging along the floor with him. It was cold, December the 24th in Minnesota so it damn well should have been cold! The 16 year old groaned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, slowly. Too damn slowly for his sister so she picked up his pants and flung them at his head.
"Dee! For the love of god! It's the middle of the night" Was her brother's only, exasperated defence.
Dee just smiled, Sammy wasn't so big now that she couldn't rag on him, 16 and 6 ft whatever or not.
"Just put your pants on kid." She replied.
"and don't wake the old man. These walls aren't SO think y'know." She warned, gently tapping her boot against orange and purple, paisley barrier that separated them from their father in the next room.
It wasn't like John would have time for this anyway. That night though, Dee SO much preferred to make sure her father's awkward judgement of them both was kept away. Sammy was Sammy, so of course he was whining but never the less Dee was certain that what she was trying to do was a good thing dammit!
Finally and grudgingly Sammy shrugged on his jacket. With hair still flopping into his eyes, his feet clumsily found their way into boots that were finally, mercifully that much bigger than her's.
"C'mon, it's worth it I promise." Dee insisted, pushing her brother out of the door and into the parking lot of the Viking Lodge Motel.
It was, of course, freezing cold and as if the date had called it down from the sky, the parking lot was filled with snow. There was plenty still falling and Dee shivered as she brushed it clear of her father's car and got in the driver's seat, motioning for Sammy to follow her into the passenger's side.
Skeptical, Sam finally brushed the mop of hair out of his eyes and sighed. His warm breath visible of course as a massive cloud, white like the snow but lit red, highlighted by the
motel's neon sign.
"You'll never get out of the parking lot in this weather." He objected.
"Not with without digging it out some more." Kicking at the snow piled around his feet Sam held his ground.
"Yeah, I know that, dumbass!" Dee shot back, shaking her head and pulling a tape from her jacket pocket, pausing before fully pushing it into the car stereo.
"We're not going anywhere! Just get in, okay." She insisted.
With a final, skeptical pout Sam complied. Blowing on his gloveless hands to keep away the cold he slid into the only slightly warmer passenger seat.
"What's this about Dee?" He questioned, genuine concern clearly beginning to creep into his awakening mind.
Dee smirked, it wasn't like the kid was completely off base assuming that there was something serious going on. It wasn't like their lives were ever exactly devoid of that, especially in the last few years. After she had come out as trans and Sammy's objections to hunting had grown more frequent and more vehement there had been a lot of times when family drama could only be solved by the two of them. Solved away from John, in the Impala, in the middle of the night.
This wasn't one of those times though. It wasn't one of the times when Sammy's righteous indignation at the kind of life they lead had boiled over or John just couldn't get that he had a daughter not a son and why that mattered so much. This, Dee was determinded would be something good.
It's not like they'd ever exactly done Christmas. They'd always had other things to worry about and it had never been on their father's radar. There was something about it this year though, something that Dee just couldn't shake. Maybe it was that their lives seemed to be on such a separate trajectory to their dad. Maybe, she needed some way that could not hurt so much.
These were thoughts she didn't need so instead, Dee just carried on smirking and clicked the stereo into life.
"This." Was her only verbal explanation.
Speakers clicked and hissed and for a moment they sat, silent and expectant. Dee knew she was far too pleased with herself and she couldn't help but laugh as Sammy raised an eyebrow in hesitant confusion before the speakers began to blare. Bells and guitars began to chime out of the stereo as Dee watched Sammy's confusion disappear and he shook his head smiling down into his lap in a vain attempt to hide his amusement.
"Mullet rock Christmas songs?" He questioned, giving up on hiding his smile and turning to face his sister.
"That's what you got me out of bed for? Really."
"You bet your ass!" Dee confirmed, gleefully moving to the music.
"You're incredible you know?" Sam answered back, again exasperated.
"I, am, awesome." Dee slowly replied, pausing between each word as she reached into the back seat.
She retrieved two bottles, bottles of cheap beer that could have been bought at any liquor store. These bottles however were topped with large red ribbons, the kind you usually find on gift wrapping. Dee secured one on the dashboard in front of her and held the other out to Sam.
"Tis the season Sammy." She declared.
Sam squinted skeptically taking the bottle, bitting his lip before speaking.
"Dee, I'm 16. A little young don't you think?"
Dee paused from opening her own, almost spilling beer in her lap as she let out a laugh and an emphatic reply.
"No! No Sammy your not." She insisted.
Sam didn't look convinced so she tried again.
"This from the guy who at 12 told me to forge prescriptions for hrt! Who regularly digs up graves and burns up some poor bastards body! Quit being such a nerd, you're easily old enough. Anyway, the point is it's Christmas!"
Sam looked at the bottle, spending enough time contemplating the weighty issue that Dee again began to speak.
"It'll put hair on your chest!" She chimed musically.
Sam raised a sarcastic eyebrow as he finally acquiesced.
"and that's why YOU drink it?" He replied.
Dee rolled her eyes and shook her head mid slug.
"Ha, ha." She answered before continuing. "No I'm just awesome and I don't care what anybody thinks."
"Right..." Sam replied. Dee was pretty sure he was just humoring her as he discarded the ribbon adorned cap onto the dash. Smiling again he took in the snowy scene before them.
"Merry Christmas Dee." He declared, tentatively bringing the bottle to his lips
Dee rested her bottle on her knee and stared back at Sam in amusement
"Really, that's what your going with." She replied, deadpan and determined to hide any appreciation of his hokey gesture.
"Why not, god bless us all, every one."
Sam just stared back with his bitch face as she continued to speak, gleefully lisping in a mock childish voice.
"or, ooh ooh, how about teacher says, every time a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings."
Sam took a slug of beer, giving Dee time to laugh her ass off before he spoke.
"Jerk." He declared.
"Bitch." She replied with a smile before adding.
"Merry Christmas Sammy."