1992
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Red Roof Inn
2:16 AM
"AHH! Ack! H-Help, AHHHH!"
Dean's blood ran cold. He sat straight up in bed, yanking his knife out from under his pillow and swinging it around wildly. He squinted around the dark motel room and, as his eyes adjusted, saw the faint outline of someone thrashing in the next bed.
"Sammy? Sammy!" He leapt out of bed and dove across the room, landing on the edge of Sam's mattress and reaching for his little brother. He managed to yank him into his lap by the scruff of his neck as the frantic movement stopped. There was a paralyzing moment of silence.
Then, in a very small voice, rife with tears-
"D-dean?"
Sam's face was shiny with tears, but otherwise he was whole and unbroken and fine.
The relief in Dean's chest was so palpable he was sure it was flooding out of him and into the room as a physical matter.
"Yeah, yeah, buddy. It's OK, I'm here."
"I had a bad dream." Sam whimpered. Dean hugged him tighter, smoothing down his hair as he spoke.
"I know, I know. It's over now, I'm here, you're OK."
"Where's Dad?"
Dean bit his lip and glanced over to the sofa on the other edge of the room. The blankets were mussed, but it was deserted.
"He's out right now." He said softly. Sam started to cry once more.
"Hey, hey, it's OK." Dean said hurriedly.
"He's always leaving!" Sam burst out. "I-in my dream, he left us forever. He never came back and the m-monsters came for me and I was all alone."
Dean felt his stomach drop. He gently twisted Sam's shoulders around so they were face-to-face.
"Sammy, you'll never be alone. I will ALWAYS be here." The tears were still streaming down Sam's face. "Do you understand?" Sam nodded shakily. Dean turned him all the way around and held his head to his chest.
"Just breath, it'll be OK. Just go back to sleep."
Sam's breathing slowly became less ragged. Dean tucked his head under his chin and blinked hard.
"Johnny take a walk with your sister, the moon.
Let her pale light in to fill up your room."
Sam's head jerked up at the sound of Dean's singing, rough and slightly flat, but Dean just kept stroking his hair until he closed his eyes again.
"You've been living underground, eating from a can."
Sam nestled against him, his heart beat slowing back to normal.
"You've been running away from what you don't understand."
2013
Springfield, Massachusetts
Route 127
1:54 AM
Sam jerked awake, his eyes full of terror. Dean tensed and reached for the knife inside his jacket, but as his eyes adjusted to the darkness next to him he realized whatever had woken his brother was only in his head.
"You OK dude?" He asked, glancing between the road and Sam. Sam swallowed and looked down.
"Um, yeah. Fine." His voice seemed to grow more embarrassed with every word. "Just, you know..." He faded off. "...bad dream."
"You gonna be OK?" Dean asked, quite seriously. Sam waved him away.
"Shut up. Keep driving."
Sam shifted in his seat and closed his eyes again, but his face was tense and he seemed deeply uncomfortable, whichever way he twist and contort himself in the small leather seat. Dean looked at him, concerned.
"Love, she's slipping, you're sliding down.
Will she be there when you hit the ground?"
Dean didn't realize he was singing until Sam's eyes shot open in surprise. He looked at Dean suspiciously for a minute, as though he was making fun of him.
Dean avoided eye contact as he pulled onto the Mass Pike, Sam cautiously laid his head down again.
"It's all right, it's all right, it's all right.
She moves in mysterious ways."
Dean continued to sing, and his brother's brow relax, whatever monster that was in his head put away for awhile.
Not taking his eyes off the road, he leaned in from the driver's seat of the Impala and pushed on Sam's wrist, unclenching his brother's hands from their tight fists.
"It's alright, it's alright, its alright
She moves in mysterious ways."
He squinted around the darkness of the street, blinking hard and feeling deeply, undeniably thirteen years old again.
Because there had been, were and always would be horrors in the dark, nightmares Sam Winchester couldn't be protected from.
"It's alright, it's alright, its alright."
But that doesn't mean Dean didn't, and doesn't try.
"She moves in mysterious ways."
(The song is "Mysterious Ways" by U2.)