I actually got the idea for this one while writing another story, and it wouldn't elave me alone, so here it is.
Title: Man's Best Friend
Summary: With no idea where his father is, Dean must turn to Sam for help when he finds himself in a spot of trouble. Problem is, Sam's not sure he wants his brother around. Fortunately, Sammy's new friend is more than receptive to the idea of keeping the sad-looking stray.
A/N: This story is a short (4 chapter) pre-series AU set while Sam is at Stanford.
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or its characters. They belong to Kripke, and he rocks.
Man's Best Friend
June 25, 2005
He wasn't really sure what he'd expected to find at his brother's California apartment, but it certainly hadn't been this. She was pretty and blonde and tall and smiling and clinging tightly to his little brother's arm. Something just didn't add up. How did Geekboy get that? It was against all the laws of nature, against everything Dean had learned in high school.
He couldn't help but stare as they started walking away, not even noticing him as he sat on the opposite side of the street. They looked so happy, so safe, so normal. If he'd had a choice, Dean would have turned around and walked away, would have let them be, would have let Sam get what he wanted.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice. He had a tail. And four paws. And a cold wet nose. And fur.
So, yeah, leaving was totally out of the question, especially since he'd practically crossed the country to get to his brother for help.
Trying his hardest to look innocent, even though he was a particularly imposing German Shepherd at the moment, Dean trotted across the street towards the couple, unable to stop his tail from going nuts as he approached the brother he'd thought he would never see again.
Sam stopped in his tracks as soon as the large dog came into his field of vision and blocked his path on the sidewalk. The older hunter could smell uncertainty coming off him and had to marvel at his new 'doggy senses.' There was definitely an upside to the curse.
The blonde girl with his brother knelt down on the sidewalk and held out a hand toward him, smiling radiantly as he plodded forward. He could sense Sam stiffen as he reached the girl, his head down, tail still wagging.
"Jess," Sam hissed urgently. So, that was her name. "Don't. It could be dangerous."
"You worry too much, Sam," Jess replied, scratching Dean's head as soon as he was close enough to reach. Oh, yeah, the situation definitely had its perks. "Look. He's sweet."
"He's big," Sam said, stating the obvious and apparently forgetting for the moment that he was over six feet tall.
"He doesn't have a collar," Jess said, ignoring Sam as her hands searched the thick fur around Dean's neck, "just this." She pulled his necklace away from his body, showing it to the hunter, whose eyes went wide.
"Dean?" Sammy whispered, finally kneeling down in front of the dog and looking him in the eyes. Dean stared back, wishing, not for the first time in his life, that he was psychic so that Sam would know exactly what he was thinking. He wasn't sure, but had a pretty good idea that nodding in front of the pretty blonde was a bad idea.
"What?"
"Um, Dean," Sam said hastily, catching his mistake a bit too late and fumbling for a good cover story, "my brother. He has a necklace just like that. Never takes it off."
"That's what we'll call him, then," Jess announced happily, letting the necklace fall back into its designated space and going back to petting the dog.
"No."
Dean blinked up at his little brother. He knew. He had to know. The necklace was a dead give-away. Besides, they'd faced weirder situations in their lives than getting magically transformed into a different species. Then again, Sam had left weird behind and opted for normal. But this was kind of important. He had to have realized that much, at least.
Whimpering, Dean ducked his head, tail sliding in between his legs, trying to look crushed. Sam didn't seem too moved by the display, but his friend did.
"Why not?" Jess asked, wrapping her arms around Dean and looking up at Sam with large, expressive eyes, actually turning his own patented puppy-dog look against him.
"Because if you name him, it means you want to keep him. And we can't keep him."
"We can put up posters, though. He's clean and friendly. Someone must be missing him, Sammy. We'll give him a home until someone claims him. Please?"
"No."
Dean couldn't believe his ears. Even as a dog, his brother wanted nothing to do with him. Whimpering again, he squirmed out of Jess's grip and headed slowly off down the sidewalk, tail laying limp behind him as he went.
His plan had failed. He hadn't been able to get Sam to help him. He had nowhere else to go, no one else who could possibly know the truth. He had no idea where his father was. Sam was the only one in the family who'd actually put down roots.
Maybe he could find a nice family somewhere, people who would want him. Sure, he'd have to live out the rest of his days as a family pet, but it was better than being a stray in an alley. At least with a family he'd get food and shelter.
"Look what you did," he heard Jess whine behind him, "Dean, wait!" He stopped in his tracks and turned slightly. He was starting to like this girl. "See, he already knows his name. Sammy, please?"
Sam sighed, staring down at Dean like he was something disgusting that had accidentally been stepped in. "Fine. We can keep him. But only until we find the owner."
Jess made a weird squealing noise that Dean was sure only he could hear and crossed the small space he'd put between himself and the couple in record time. "Did you hear that, boy?" she asked, obviously excited.
Dean perked up instantly, finding her happiness to be contagious. Hell, even Sam was smiling. "You weren't lying when you said you'd always wanted a dog, huh?" Sammy said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "My girlfriend," he explained to Dean, his smile widening.
Dean barked once, hoping that Sam got the message. He wasn't stupid. He'd figured it out. He looked over at Jess, who apparently didn't see anything wrong with Sam talking to a dog like it was his best friend (or older brother).
"Come on, boy," the blonde said, heading off in the opposite direction that she and Sam had originally been going.
"Wait," Sam said as she started heading down the street, Dean at her heels, "weren't we gonna-?"
"We have to get supplies," she grinned, "look at what a good boy he is. It's like he understands me. Someone must be missing him."
"Supplies?" Sam asked, easily catching up to them.
"Food, a bed, a leash and collar, maybe some toys-"
"We're not keeping him, Jess."
"Don't you want him to be comfortable?" she asked, flashing that sad puppy face at him again.
"Yeah, I guess so." He looked down at the dog. "You'd better appreciate this."
o0o0o0o0o0o
It had been almost a full week since Dean had shown up outside his brother's apartment building. In that time, Sam had promised him that they would 'talk,' which probably meant that he would talk and Dean would listen. The only problem was that they had to have their 'conversation' when Jess wasn't around. Add to that complication the fact that Sam had classes to attend and work to do, and Dean actually started to think that he would be covered in fur for the rest of his life.
Fortunately, Sam finally got a break from his classes, and Jess went out for a girl's night with her friends. Sitting down cross-legged on the floor and staring at his brother, Sam sighed. Dean cocked his head to one side and sat up, not really feeling like moving off the bed Jess had insisted that Sam buy for him. It may not have had sheets or pillows, but damn was it comfy.
"Witch?" Sammy asked. Dean nodded. "Let me guess. You have no idea where dad is?" Another nod. "And that's why you came to find me?" Affirmative. "You want me to find a way to change you back?"
It was the question he'd been dreading for a week, one that he'd never thought would bring him this much trouble. If Sam hadn't taken his sweet time in actually sitting down and talking to his brother, maybe it wouldn't have been a problem. Actually, it would have been just great. Dean would have nodded and Sam would have researched and they would have been going off their separate ways again before the end of the month.
But Sam had waited. He'd let Dean into his home for a week, had taken him shopping and bought him something. Even though they were gifts for a dog, they were the first things Sam had given him in nearly seven years.
He'd actually had a home for a week, a real home. The same roof over his head every night when he went to sleep, food in his belly when he needed it. No more hustling pool for money. No more worrying about money. Sam had it covered.
He'd spent the week curling up on the couch with the happy couple, basking in attention and love and praise. He knew it was stupid, but it seemed like he'd been waiting his whole life for someone to call him a 'good boy.' He'd spent the week being loved and wanted and part of something bigger than himself and hunting. He knew he wasn't really welcome, but he had a family.
And he'd missed Sam so much since the younger man had left, missed him more than he'd thought. In the time that it had taken Sam to talk to him, Dean had realized something. He wanted his brother back, wanted at least part of his family around full-time. He'd never been able to chase that want, though, never been able to tell Sam. More than he wanted a family for himself, he wanted normal for his brother. It was what Sam wanted, and far be it for Dean to stop him from getting it.
He'd let Sam leave because it was what Sam wanted, had let Sam stop calling because it was what Sam wanted, had let Sam be normal, even though he wished every night for his little brother to come to his senses and return. Maybe now he didn't have to.
While Dean had never once in his life been accused of being normal- in fact, it was usually the opposite- he was normal now. Dogs were normal. More normal than older brothers who hunted demons. It was perfect. He could have everything he wanted and not put Sam out. Besides, now that his senses had been heightened, it was easier to spot the subtle signs that something was wrong. He could protect his little brother. Now all he had to do was break it to the younger man.
"Well?" Sam asked, tearing his brother from his thoughts, "you want to change back, or you want to pee on a hydrant for the rest of your life?"
Dean stared at him, whining a little. Sam stared back. "You want me to find a way to fix this?" he asked again, obviously getting annoyed. Slowly, Dean shook his head. Sam's jaw dropped. "Run that by me again?" The dog shook his head. "No."
Whining again, Dean stood up and moved past his brother to a kitchen counter. He put two large paws up on it and carefully nosed a picture of Sam and Jess toward the edge until he could wrap his teeth gently around it. He dropped it off in his brother's lap and sat back down on his bed.
"What's this supposed to mean?" Sam asked, his voice annoyed, eyes questioning and concerned. Sighing to himself, Dean nudged at the photo with his nose. "Yeah, I get it. It's a picture of me and my girlfriend. So what?"
Gulping back his fear, Dean gazed at his brother, looking him the eyes and hoping against hope that Sammy could pick up the hint. Judging by the size of his eyes, he did. "No, uh-uh. You are not staying with us after I change you back."
Huffing, Dean shook his head.
"What do you mean? This isn't something for you to decided, Dean. It's my life, and…" he trailed off as realization once again hit him. "That's not what you're talking about, is it?" Dean shook his head again. "You want to stay… like this?" A nod. "Dude, no way."
Dean cocked his head to one side, waiting for an explanation. "Because you can't live the rest of your life as a dog, Dean. And especially not here." A whimper. "No, it's out of the question."
Whining again, Dean laid back down on his bed and gazed up at his brother with soulful eyes. "You can't like this. You can't like having to wait until someone can take you out to go to the bathroom. To have to wait to be fed. To be expected to play with squeaky toys and chew on bones. You're not allowed on our bed. You can't even talk."
The dog tried to shrug, but it came off looking like a failed attempt to get to his feet. "No, Dean," Sam said, but his voice lacked conviction, "you can't…"
How was he supposed to let his brother know that it was his choice, that he'd actually grown fond of it, of Sam and Jess and their little apartment, of everything that it meant to be there.
"You're serious?" Sam asked, his voice soft. Dean nodded. Sighing, Sam slumped his shoulders. "You know how messed up this is?" Another nod. "You can't… you can't act like yourself, Dean, not around Jess. I never told her. I don't want to. You gotta play the part." Dean nodded, unable to keep what felt like a smile off his face.
"So nothing like you pulled in that game of Frisbee on Friday, ok?" Sam added, more sure of himself as he caught the happiness that radiated from his older sibling, "no more catching it and then tossing it back." Still grinning, Dean nodded. "And stop nodding like that."
Obeying his brother, Dean rolled over, exposing his belly. "You gotta be kidding me, man." One look in his brother's eyes told him that it wasn't a joke. Marveling at how weird his life was, even though he'd run away from home, Sam obliged and rubbed his brother's stomach.
So, that's the first chapter. Any thoughts, complaints, or reviews? I live for feedback!