Tag to 10.10, The Hunter Games.

Dean slams the laptop shut, sure that if he has to read one more dead end piece about the Mark of Cain he's going to take his pocketknife and poke out his eyes or cut the Mark off his arm….possibly even a combination of the two. He sighs heavily and reaches for another beer. The bottle has barely touched his lips when Sam breezes into the room, snatching it from his grasp.

"Dude, what the hell?"

Sam never breaks stride as he hurries across the room, apparently claiming the beer as his own. "Come on. We have somewhere to be."

"I can't drink my beer first?" Dean grabs his jacket from a chair and follows after his brother.

Sam finally pauses and glances back at the table where Dean's empties litter the area surrounding his laptop. "I think you already had a few."

"Your point?"

"You're driving."

"Okay, point taken." Dean shrugs into his jacket. "So, where we going in such a rush?"

"I'll tell you when we get there."

Dean rolls his eyes. "Awesome. You know I hate surprises, Sammy."

"What?" Sam's voice is an octave higher than normal. "No, you don't."

"Okay, sure, if you bring me a piece of pie, which I should point out, you always forget….I like those kind of surprises but the ones where you wake up as a demon? Not so much." Dean eyes his brother suspiciously. "What are you up to?"

"About six four, now can we go?"

Sam looks slightly nervous but Dean decides to let it slide and punches his brother playfully on the arm. "You're such a comedian, Sammy. Better not quit your day job."

Sam snorts. "Yeah, right back at ya."

Dean laughs, amazed he can find humor in anything with the Mark of Cain hanging over his head. Almost immediately the laughter dies on his lips and he wishes Sam hadn't stolen his beer, driving or not.

"So, where to?" Dean asks as he cranks the Impala. Her engine purrs smoothly and Dean is soothed by the sound.

"Just drive." Sam is busily texting someone and points vaguely in the general direction of the road.

"East? West? A little more specific, if it's not too much trouble." Dean glares at his brother and Sam gives him a sheepish grin.

"Sorry. Turn left at the end of the road. I'll let you know when to turn again."

Dean settles into his seat, comforted by the sound of the Impala tearing up the blacktop beneath him, and the presence of his brother beside him. If he was always on the road, he thinks he could forget about the Mark for more than a few seconds. He wonders if that is Sam's plan, just to get him out on the road, driving aimlessly, melting away some of the stress from long nights of useless research and the guilt he's carrying from being a cold blooded killer.

He reaches for the radio, cranking the volume to just below ear bleed level. Sam is still glued to his phone and Dean wonders what's so damn important that he can't pull himself away from it and enjoy the ride and then it hits him. Sam has found out something about the Mark of Cain but instead of getting Dean's hopes up, he's keeping him in the dark on what is bound to be another wild goose chase.

Dean turns down the radio and sighs. "Sammy….."

"Yeah, Dean?"

"Is this about the Mark?"

Sam finally looks up from his phone. "What do you mean?"

"Did you find out something I should know? Are we following a lead?" Dean gives his brother a sideways glance. "You can tell me. I won't break, you know."

He wishes that last part hadn't come out sounding so pathetic. He desperately wants this to be about the Mark, for Sam to have somehow found a way to get rid of it and even though he just told Sam otherwise, he is afraid of breaking because for him, breaking means more people are going to die by his hand and he just can't live with that.

Sam shakes his head, his face a mask of sorrow. "No, Dean, I'm sorry."

Dean tries to blow it off, hoping Sam doesn't notice how tightly his hands are gripping the steering wheel.

"But since you brought it up," Sam turns toward him, the way he always does when he's about to get serious. "I've been thinking about what Metatron said…..the river ends at the source."

"Yeah, so have I. He has to be talking about Cain, don't you think?"

"I thought so at first but now I'm not so sure."

"Who else could he be talking about? Cain gave me the Mark. He's the source."

"No, Dean, he's not." Sam says quietly.

It takes Dean less than two seconds to realize what Sam is saying. "Oh, hell, no. Don't even go there, Sammy. No way, not a chance."

"Lucifer is the one who gave Cain the Mark, Dean. Maybe he's the only one who can remove it."

Dean can see the terror in Sam's eyes but he also sees the determination, the hope that they might actually have a chance. "Sammy, if that's the only way this thing can be removed, then I'm stuck with it. We're not letting Lucifer out of that cage."

"But what if—"

"Dammit, Sam, I said no!"

"You don't have the final say in everything, Dean!"

"In this I do. This is on me…..my fault. I'm not letting Lucifer anywhere near you because of something stupid that I did."

"You're not the only one with something at stake here, Dean!" Sam is almost yelling and there are tears in his eyes. "I can't lose you again, Dean. I just can't."

"Sammy…."

Sam's phone buzzes in his lap and he grabs it up, but not before giving Dean a look that says the discussion is far from over.

After a very one sided conversation that Dean can in no way decipher, Sam puts down his phone. "There's a Biggerson's up here on the right. Let's stop there and get something to eat."

Dean thinks his brother has finally snapped. "Since when have you ever wanted to eat at Biggerson's?"

Sam shrugs. "I eat there all the time."

"Because I don't give you a choice." Dean reaches over and feels his brother's forehead. "What's wrong with you, Sam? Are you sick?"

Sam slaps his hand away. "I just want something to eat. Is that a crime?"

"Yes, yes, it is. I'm driving right past this Biggerson's unless you tell me why you're being so weird."

Sam reaches for the wheel. "Dammit, Dean. Stop the car."

"No." He elbows Sam back to his side of the car.

"Stop the car, Dean."

"No." Biggerson's looms large on their right.

"Stop the fucking car, Dean!"

"Alright, that's it!" Dean swings the car into the Biggerson's parking lot and shuts off the engine. "Start talking. What the hell is going on with you?"

Sam stares off into the distance, biting his bottom lip as if he has about a thousand things to say but he doesn't know where to start.

"Do you know what day it is, Dean?"

"What?" Whatever Dean expected Sam to say, that wasn't even close. Dean shrugs. "Friday? Saturday? What the hell difference does it make?"

"No, the date, Dean."

Dean glances at his watch and there's the date, staring up at him….the 24th. "Aw, hell, Sammy. What have you done?"

Sam opens the car door and Dean follows his lead. "Happy birthday, Dean. Now try and act surprised."

"What do you mean "act surprised?" Dean whispers as they step inside the doors of Biggerson's.

Sam smirks. "Maybe you won't have to act." He checks his phone. "We need to go to the back room."

"Biggerson's has a back room?" Dean eyes his brother skeptically. "That sounds shady, bro, even for you."

Sam gives him an exasperated look and heads toward the back of the restaurant. Dean follows at a distance. When he sees Jody Mills peek around the corner, he finally realizes what his brother has been up to.

"Dude, you didn't."

Sam feigns innocence. "Didn't what?"

"Invite people here…for my birthday." Dean frowns, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Do you really think that's a good idea…..you know….considering?"

"Considering what, Dean? That you're my brother and I thought you could use a day away from the normal hell that's become our lives?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of the fact that I'm a nuke just waiting to go off. I shouldn't be around people, especially not people who are our friends."

"Dean, you're not a monster. You're not going to hurt these people."

"How can you know that, Sammy?" Dean finds himself inching toward the exit without even realizing it until Sam lays a restraining hand on his arm.

"I trust you, Dean."

There's no guile in Sam's face…..he's telling the truth. Somehow, after everything that's happened, Sam still trusts him. Surely, that's reason enough to trust himself. He'd managed to control himself with Claire's friends so why would he even entertain the thought he could hurt his own? It's because he knows the darkness within him, he knows how strong the pull can be, he knows what he's capable of…..but so does Sam. And Sam trusts him.

"How, Sammy?"

"Because I know you, Dean."

"Psst….guys…..you coming or what?" Jody peeks around the corner again, a huge smile on her face. "I'm tired of listening to Castiel fret over this cake. Get in here and tell him it's the best damn thing you've ever seen so he'll shut up."

Dean raises his eyebrow at Sam. "You put Cas in charge of the cake? Oh, this should be good."

Sam throws up his hands. "He wouldn't shut up until I gave him something to do. It was either cake or balloons so I gave him the cake."

"Oh, good choice."

Jody tries to suppress a laugh. "I'm not so sure about that. You haven't seen the balloons."

"Sam, who did you put in charge of balloons?"

Before Sam can answer, another figure emerges from the back room, long, lanky and all smiles.

"Dean! Get in here before I eat all this cake!"

"Don't tell me….Garth is balloon man?" Dean whispers out of the side of his mouth.

Sam nods, as a wicked look of delight spreads across his face. Dean manages a smile but thinks if Garth hugs him, he may totally lose the composure he's trying so hard to hold on to. He just can't decide if he's going to burst into laughter or tears at the thought of Sam going to all the trouble to get this misfit group together in honor of his birthday.

Dean wonders if Garth's finely attuned werewolf senses have picked up on his emotional state because at the last second, Garth holds off from his hug and clasps Dean by the arms. "Happy birthday, Dean. Let's get this party started."

Dean nods and rubs his hands together in somewhat reluctant anticipation. "Okay, let's do this."

Dean's glad he had a small warning of what was on the other side of the door at Biggerson's, otherwise he might have broke down in front of them all. Castiel is hovering near the cake, which unsurprisingly is just as awkward as the angel. Instead of the usual "happy birthday," the cake proclaims a message of "congratulations," but Dean figures, in his case, that's probably more appropriate anyway.

Giant teddy bear balloons are tied to the back of each chair and a party hat is perched on everyone's head. Besides Garth, Jody and Cas, the other guests include Garth's wife, Bess, Jody's new ward, Alex and Sheriff Donna Hanscum.

"Mrs. Tran couldn't make it but said to give you a big kiss from her." Sam wags his eyebrows suggestively.

"Dude, don't you touch me."

Sam dissolves into a fit of laughter as Donna steps forward. "Ooh, let me!" She stands on her tiptoes and plants a kiss on each of Dean's cheeks.

"What's with the double dipping there, Hanscum?" asks Jody.

"Mrs. Tran isn't the only one who wants to kiss Dean." Donna's face turns a brilliant shade of red as Jody slaps her a high five.

Dean holds up his hands in mock protest. "Okay, okay, now that it's been established I'm nothing more than man meat, can we cut that cake? I'm starving."

Before Sam can take a seat, Dean grabs him by the arm and pulls him to the side. "Thank you for this. I mean, it's silly as hell…..look at where I'm supposed to sit!" Dean motions toward his designated chair, which has a teddy bear balloon tied to it with the words "birthday boy" printed across the bear's stomach. "But it's what I needed, a distraction from all the crap that's going on right now. So, thank you."

"I didn't just do it for a distraction." Sam glances around the table at their friends. "These people care about you, Dean. They believe in you, just like I do. You need to know that."

Dean swallows hard, unable to say anything in return. He nods and takes his seat as Cas places the cake before him, looking a bit anxious.

"Is the cake to your liking, Dean?"

Dean gives Jody a wink. "It's the best damn thing I've ever seen."

Cas looks quite pleased with himself as he takes his own seat next to Sam. As Dean cuts the cake, he watches the faces of his friends as they talk animatedly amongst themselves and he grins. They're here because of him, because he means something to them and more importantly, they're here because Sam brought them all together. Sam, who thinks he has the power to withstand the pull of the Mark. Sam, who always believes in him when nobody else does. Sam, the little brother he loves more than life itself.

Castiel has said it will take a powerful force to remove the effect of the Mark. Sam thinks that force is within Dean but Dean knows differently. The most powerful force in his life has always been Sam and the bond they share. Sam is the anchor he so desperately needs to get him through this. A look passes between them and Dean knows Sam is having some of the same thoughts as him. He can see the stubborn determination in his brother's eyes that says he will never give up, not as long as either of them are still breathing and for the first time in a long while, Dean feels a tiny sliver of hope. There's nothing he won't do for his little brother, so he can do this. He can beat the Mark with Sam's help. Whatever it takes, he can do it, he has to….for Sam. Sammy will be his force. Sammy will save him.

"And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

I Cor. 13:13

A/N: Cheesy, I know, but I wanted to do something for Dean's birthday. :)

Thanks for reading! Comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated.