My disclaimer: I do not own the sweethearts.
This is the third story in the Shared Comfort Series. (#1 is entitled Shared Comfort and #2 is entitled The All Better Blanket).
Tangled Christmas Lights
"Dean, we've been driving around forever" Sam whined, as they turned yet another corner, Dean's eyes searching.
"Dude, keep your hair on" Dean replied, smiling over at Sam. "Hey, there it is" Dean said in excitement, causing Sam to sit up straighter and look around more closely.
"What am I suppose to be looking at?" Sam asked in confusion, seeing nothing but a frozen over lake, with a small cabin off to the side.
"There, look, it's an ice rink on the lake" Dean confirmed, as he parked the car and got out. Sam sighed, following Dean. "What the heck are you doing man?" Sam asked, stretching, as Dean rummaged around in the trunk.
"Here, these ones are for you" Dean said, as he handed a pair of worn ice skates to Sam. "I'm sorry they're not new Sammy" Dean apologized as he shut the trunk lid with one hand, holding his pair of skates and a thermos with the other.
"Dean, I've never skated before" Sam murmured, looking down at the skates he held. "I know that Sammy, that's why I'm going to show you. Now c'mon" Dean encouraged, as he tugged Sam along down to the lake.
Sam kept glancing over at Dean like he'd lost his mind. Dean was busy humming and tying up his skates, as Sam worked the laces through the holes of his, before finally finishing. Now, the fun started. While Dean was hockey player quality on his blades, Sam was having trouble even standing, feeling unsure and unsteady.
While Dean waited for Sam to get a bit more steady, he skated over to the cabin, more like a shack really. He noticed a pile of tangled Christmas lights sitting in the snow. Somebody was either coming back to untangle them "good luck with that" Dean thought, or they'd just abandoned them out of frustration.
Dean turned to watch Sam, as Sam gingerly started to move around the ice. He better get over to him, before he cracked his head open from a fall. As Dean skated over and circled around Sam a few times, Sam waved him off. "Dean, I'm not sure about this. I don't know, I'm…" and before Sam could finish, his feet went out from under him, Dean catching him before he fell. "I got ya little brother" Dean said smiling, as he righted Sam up. "Sam, just watch" Dean continued, as he skated in slow strides. "Now you try" Dean said, as Sam took hesitant strides, Dean's hand behind him, ready to catch him if he should fall. Sam turned to look at Dean, smiling widely, as he began to move more securely. They skated side-by-side, Dean slowing his pace considerably to match Sam's. It was just the two of them, on the frozen lake, skating in circles, just hanging out.
"Want some hot chocolate?" Dean asked. "Sure" Sam said in agreement, as they made their way over to where the thermos laid in the snow, Sam deciding to take off his skates and put back on his boots. As they sat together on the snow bank, drinking their hot chocolate, no words were exchanged; they were just enjoying each other's company.
"You getting cold?" Sam asked. "Yeah, a little Sammy" Dean responded. "Why don't you head up to the car. I just want to take a few more spins and then I'll be up" Dean said, as he stood, watching Sam make his way back up to the car.
Dean made his way over to the shack and the pile of tangled Christmas lights. He decided his karma could earn a few credits and sat down on the cold snow covered ground and began the process of untangling them.
Sam was sitting in the car, waiting for Dean. "What the hell was he doing?" Sam thought to himself, as he got out of the car. "Dean! Dean!" he yelled out. There was no answer.
As Sam made his way over to the shack and came around the corner, he stopped short. His mind disconnected from the view in front of him, comprehension failed him. Dean was sitting cross-legged in the snow, his head on his chest, Christmas lights tangled in his hands.
Fear and terror competed equally for Sam's attention, as he leaped towards Dean on shaky legs, falling to his knees beside his big brother.
"Dean…Dean" Sam cried gently, as he slipped his hand inside his brother's jacket, placing his hand over his brother's heart. "Dean…please" Sam's voice quivered, as he closed his eyes, trying to feel Dean's heart beating.
Dean slowly opened his eyes, confusion and uncertainty his first thoughts, before registering that Sam was beside him and that Sam was crying.
"Sammy" Dean whispered. "Dean…thank God…I thought…I thought" Sam bit his lip, as he looked at Dean with concerned eyes. "What happened?" he managed to ask.
Dean was trying to think quickly, this episode had scared him, as much as it had Sam, he didn't want to scare Sammy anymore than he already had. He wasn't sure what had happened, he just knew he wasn't feeling well.
As he gazed at his baby brother, he took in the still there hot chocolate mustache, the tears tracks and the quivering bottom lip. "Hey Sammy, it's okay. I'm okay" Dean lied, as he pulled his hands out of the tangled mess in his lap and moved one to cover the hand still over his heart and the other to wipe at Sam's tears.
Sam knew Dean well enough to know that he was lying, he was trying to protect him from whatever had just happened. Deep down terror was clawing at Sam's heart. He was going to lose his brother…he couldn't lose his brother…oh my God, he was going to lose Dean! "Sam, I'm here, I'm still here" Dean whispered, as he shifted closer to Sam.
The end.
Author's Note: Thank you for your support of the Shared Comfort series. I truly appreciate your reviews, favourites and alert listings. I hope you enjoy reading this third installment. Wishing you all the best.