(((So I'm going to be as mellow as I can dealing with Mary since we'll be getting the rest of the story next week and in the promo the boys are obviously working with the British, seriously, they are way too good for Mary. First part is gonna be the boys with Mary, second part just some bromance ;). So here goes...)))

THE FACE

Sam feels the way Dean tenses beside him and knows his brother's unerring instincts were right. Something was off with their mom. He can also hear Dean's teeth grinding against each other so he knows he's going to be doing the talking. He respects his brother; sometimes Dean's only form of self-control is forcing himself not to say a word.

Still it takes all the strength in Sam's body not to yell 'bullshit' at their mother when she gives the half assed excuse of 'we're family' and he can practically feel Dean rolling his eyes thinking...

That's cute, mom.

Sam's coming to understand that Mary Winchester has no concept of family at all. Not a Winchester concept at least. They're both left there listening to her because they can't really do anything else, she didn't know them, she didn't know what they had done to people who had done much less. She didn't know what happened to people who betrayed them back in the apocalypse days...the British, their mom didn't know what they were getting into, didn't realize the borderline sociopathic obsession they harbored for their 'family'.

And that terrified Sam. Because honestly, he couldn't have predicted his next move let alone Dean's.

His brother is a ball of furry and hurt and disbelief beside him and Sam really should tell Mary to shut the hell up before Dean snaps and does something they'll all regret. God, before he himself does something they'll all regret.

"What the British men of letters are doing, it's a better way."

And then Dean does it. And god, Sam would kiss him but for well, obvious reasons.

His brother grabs one of the beers their mom brought, pushes the cap off with his thumb, turns his back and walks away while taking a long drag from it. Despite the situation Sam watches Mary's face with a small satisfied smirk, she's appears to be entirely outraged that Dean has turned his back on her mid explanation.

He's aware that Dean appears to be the head of their operation and he's okay with that, really Dean is the leader. The last calls are made by Dean and Sam usually follows through...though his brother would never acknowledge that.

So Mary gives Sam an exasperated look and hurries after Dean. Sam follows, he's got to see how this turns out, knows from the tight pull of his older brother's shoulders ahead that Mary has no idea what she's in for. She thinks she's about to get yelled at, thinks she's about to get thrown out of the bunker but no, she doesn't know Dean like Sam does.

She doesn't know Dean. She knows him as a son, partly she knows him as a brother from watching him with Sam. Mostly she knows a little kid. She does not know the warrior, the demon...the righteous man. And that's it isn't it? The reason why people look to Dean and feel like they have to explain themselves to him...because he's just so good. He can make 'the face' because he's never done something like that, he's never completely betrayed his loved ones, he's done nothing but love and protect and kill in the name of what's right.

Dean is that man. Has been since John put Sam in his arms and told him to run...since the very first time he saved his little brother's life. Since then Dean has been unerringly doing the right thing for Sam, for other innocents like him. He's never changed, his foundation is the same then, now, in the future. Was the same in heaven and in hell...in purgatory. Sure those places twisted him, made him into something darker then his true form but deep down Dean never stopped being Sam's brother, fighting for the innocent.

And that was what made him the righteous man.

And that was what Mary didn't understand, couldn't, probably wouldn't ever. Dean was infinitely good. Something her, John or Sam would never understand, or be. Because it was them, the three people closest to Dean, the ones who should have always been there for him and yet weren't ever, they were the ones who created this amazing person...this 'being' who was better than them, who was better than anyone.

And Sam strove every day to make it up to his brother, to live up to Dean's example...they were the Winchester's, the way may be bloody and paved with violence, they may have to eat some humble pie, work with Crowley and Rowena with whom they were sworn enemies...but they did what was right.

Dean stops in the kitchen, sets the beer down on the counter. Mary stops facing him and Sam slides into a seat at the table watching his brother carefully, ready to back him but prepared to play intermediator too. Inside he's thinking after their mom leaves, maybe he and Dean should have a throwing competition.

Dean runs a hand over his mouth in an effort to calm himself, Mary watches him expectantly but Sam can tell she's getting fed up with Dean's silence. Sam sighs and meets Dean's eyes when he looks at him, tilts his head in a question and a go ahead. I'm with you, no matter what you say. And he's confused because he sees an apology in his brother's eyes. May sighs, watches them in their millisecond interaction.

Knows she's no match for them, for their bond. Knows deep down she'll never be as good as them. Knows that she and her sons will never get back to the little bit of trust and easy understanding they had before, knows she's officially destroyed their slim chance of really becoming a family. Knows that she has crossed some invisible line, a line that was all too clear to her sons. One that wasn't clear to her, and she knows now it's because really, she has no idea what family means.

Dean is still silent, looking at her with that face so she turns to Sam.

"Look, I know what they did to you was wrong and I'm sorry..."

"No."

And that's what breaks Dean's control, Sam could have told Mary that. Not a smart move to belittle the wrongs done to Dean Winchester's little brother.

Mary's head jerks to look back at Dean, and her oldest takes a step towards her, a hand unfisting long enough to point at her. Sam can see how intimidated she is as she attempts to meet his gaze.

"No." Dean repeats. "You can go behind our backs, you can disappoint every expectation we ever had but you can't do that...you can't lessen the wrong done to him...you can't hide from the fact that instead of working with us to better the world, you went to people who wanted us dead."

"Dean, I wasn't saying it didn't matter..."

"That's exactly what you were saying mom, that's exactly what you've been saying every time you work with them...that you don't care they tortured you sons, you don't care that your only family won't have anything to do with them...and why are you confessing now?" He shrugs sending her a cold smile, "It's because they told you it wouldn't work like this, isn't it? That this won't work...this...playing hookie with both of us.

"And you can't even choose." The cold disdain on Dean's face hurts Sam and it isn't even leveled at him.

Mary stands speechless as Dean takes another step towards her.

"Have you ever been tortured, mom?" He asks in a sickly sweet tone, and Sam swallows because he knows this bit of Dean, he knows that syrupy voice...the one that uses innocent sweet sounding words to cut and teach mental lessons harder than actual physical torture.

"Hmm?" He adds, waiting for her answer.

"N, no." She answers around a thick swallow of her own.

"No." He says again, agreeing. "We have been through things you can't even imagine...we have done things you can't even imagine." He lets that sink in. "And that's why I get it why you like the brits, I do, you don't get your hands dirty if you do it their way. But you went behind your 'family's' back," he throws the word back at her filled with cold poison. "Behind their backs with the same people who tortured your baby...so let me ask you. What kind of mom does that make you? How dirty are you now?"

Even the air is sucked from Sam's lungs at the words. He watches Mary stand frozen looking into Dean's eyes because he's standing towering over her now, her mouth open and closing like a fish. She's realizing she's made the ultimate error...she's made Dean Winchester stand up for his little brother. She's never met and will never again meet such a formidable force.

"But here's the thing mom..." he starts again. "...we're going to give you and the British men of letters another chance." Mary looks at him sharply and Sam does too. Wants to see where this is going, because this is the man Sam was talking about earlier. This wall of righteous anger and cold calculation, standing up for others while making sure justice is handed out.

Dean breaks his icy glare to glance at Sam and when he sees his brother is still there beside him, he turns back to their mother focused again.

"We're gonna give them another chance, not because we have to, or we want to, or we trust you, not even because we love you...but because we're bigger then all this." He shrugs, relaxes and takes a step back from her. Glances to Sam, motions between him and his brother.

"We are bigger then you and your lies."

"Thank you." Is all Mary manages to choke out.

Dean raises his eyebrows, "DO NOT thank me." He scoffs, "It isn't for you."

His eyes land on Sam and they're in understanding with each other in that moment. And Sam shivers with the love there burning mixed with the cold cunning. Dean and Sam both know alike...this is the cruelest revenge they could extract from the British Men of Letters or their mother. Sam didn't place much faith in the Bible but the 'heaping burning coals on your enemies head' bit he could totally get behind because it was damned efficient.

He can see it written all over Dean's face, this was for him. This was their chance to avenge Sam's torture both psychologically and physically. And well, if it heaped burning coals on their mom's head at the same time, they weren't complaining. Even without words they feel the flame of satisfaction flare up between them.

It doesn't make them feel like the best of people. But hell they weren't, they were the Winchester's; Hell's master torturer, the Boy King. And as Dean leaves the room eyes on Sam, both feel a cold thrill up their spines.

It's a high that masks the pain and shock of being so cruelly betrayed...it's a drug they've dealt in before. Retribution covering the pain of the damage already done. They try not to think about what they will have to deal with when the high fades.

When Dean's alone in his room looking over the dashed hopes of a life with their mom in his mind's eye. When Sam is gazing into a cold cup of coffee desperately trying to figure out what kind of mother doesn't even love her child enough to care if they were tortured or not? When they're both left wondering, what did we do to deserve this?

He glances to his mom when Dean's gone and stands himself to take his leave. He just can't. And he's got nothing to say that Dean hadn't covered.

"Sam, I'm..."

He holds up his hand with a small smile on his face. "Don't mom. It's been just me and Dean for a long time, it doesn't really matter."

"Yes it does, I..."

"You're right." Sam interrupts, "It does matter...to you. Because it says a lot of about you, mom. But you don't have to apologize to me, it's always just been Dean and me. Dean taught me to walk, he taught me to read, he coached me through my first crush, he taught me about sex...he took the GED so I would have the chance at a full scholarship to somewhere insane like Stanford...every moment of everyday of his life has been about protecting me, he gave his life for mine over and over again. So that's why it doesn't really matter to me, I'll always have him..."

He stops in the door frame and looks back at her with a cold smirk, "And that's also why he gets to make 'the face' at anyone who questions that."

...tbc

Hope you guys enjoy! Please leave me a review?! ;):)