Dean's Wish
AN: Since I missed writing a fic for Dean's birthday, (sorry, hon!!), I thought I'd write one for Jensen's birthday instead. As far as Dean goes, better late than never, right?:)
Sam was driving down the road, while Dean lay passed out in the passenger seat. The two of them had been through a lot the past few months. Sam's thoughts were constantly on his destiny and the yellow-eyed demon. Dean was running himself ragged trying to be Sam's only protector, to stay a step ahead of the demon. He was going to keep his brother safe, even if he grew exhausted as a result of it. What Dean didn't know was that Sam was as worried about his older brother as Dean was about him.
So as Dean slept, Sam drove toward what he hoped would help Dean smile, relax for a while. A few hours later Dean stirred next to his brother, slowly waking up. His eyes were blown wide and an especially bright green at having just woken up.
"Hey, you're awake," Sam said with a smile.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Dean muttered, turning up the radio. Bryan Adam's Please Forgive Me flooded the car. Dean stared at Sam in disbelief.
"Sam, you aren't seriously listening to soft rock in my car!?" he growled. Sam, continuing to smile, switched it over to a classic rock station. Dean settled back into his seat once Rush's Fly By Night blared from the speakers.
"You really are surly today, huh?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, so? What's your deal, Mr. Sunshine?" Dean barked gruffly. Sam shrugged. "I'm just in a good mood today. Happy, ya know?"
"What're you getting at, Sam?"
"What day is it today?"
Dean glared at him. "Don't do this, Sam."
"Dammit, Dean! It's your birthday! Did you honestly think I'd forget!?"
"A guy can dream," came the grumbled response.
Sam sighed heavily. "What is it, Dean? Seriously, what's your problem? Do you want to talk about it?"
"Gee, as tempting as that offer is, Dr. Phil, I'm gonna have to pass," Dean said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Fine. It's your birthday, you want to be an ass, guess you can do that," Sam said with a shrug.
"Where the hell are we, anyway?" Dean asked.
"Arizona."
"Ari…what the hell, Sam!? We're supposed to be in New York right now. We don't have time to mess around. Why the hell are we in Arizona!?"
"You'll see."
Dean was strongly tempted to demand that Sam pull over so he could take over at the wheel again. Sometimes his little brother could be thoroughly annoying. And what really pissed him off is that Dean had no idea what was going on.
A little bit later Sam stopped the car, got out, rounded the car and opened the passenger side door for his brother.
"All right, Sam, now could you please tell me what we're doing here?"
"Nope, not yet. Now close your eyes."
"What!? You can't be serious!" Dean demanded.
"Just do it!" Sam said, a hint of a smile in his voice. Dean begrudgingly did as he was told. Sam grabbed a hold of his arm and they started walking.
"Sam, if you make me trip I swear to god I'm pulling your sorry ass down with me," Dean grumbled, keeping his eyes closed.
"That's fine. Just don't open your eyes," Sam replied with a chuckle. A few minutes later they stopped and Sam gently let go of his hold on Dean's arm, making sure his older brother was steady on his feet.
"Can I open my eyes yet, Sammy?" Dean asked, an amused grin on his face.
"Yeah, go ahead."
Dean slowly opened his eyes and immediately felt a lump rise to his throat and tears well in his eyes as he took in the beauty before him. The sunlight danced with the sparkling, moving water and embraced the hills softly and lovingly.
"Oh, my god…Sam. This is the Grand Canyon. You brought me to the Grand Canyon."
Sam nodded, flashing his brother a half-smile. "Yeah, it was either that or going to L.A. so we could bang Lindsay Lohan. I figured, as much as you liked the idea of Lindsey, in the long run you'd appreciate this more. "
Dean's head snapped up and he stared at Sam in wonder. "How do you remember shit like that?"
Sam shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're my brother, Dean. And despite everything that's happened to me recently I do remember that. Always."
Dean smiled weakly. "Oh, boy, here we go," he muttered, feeling a Lifetime Moment coming.
"Dean, I know you worry about me and want to protect me. It's part of being an older brother. I get that. But you know what? I worry about you too. I remember what you told me in Rivergrove. You're exhausted, man. I understand about being tired of this life. All too well. I paid for it, brutally. Before I was on this revenge kick my motives were pretty selfish. Not to say that this revenge path is all that different. I guess what I'm getting at, is that I want to help you. I want to be there for you the way you've continually been there for me. Now could you please tell me why you have such a problem with us celebrating your birthday? Taking a few days off to relax, when just a few months ago you were begging for it?"
Dean sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "You're not gonna let this go, are ya, Sammy? Fine. Doing things like that…celebrating my birthday I mean, it's just so normal. And as much as I want a normal life I just, I just don't know if I'm cut out for it, you know? Our whole lives have been devoted to hunting evil, that the thought of a real nine-to-five job or something like that scares me. It's overwhelming. And the only thing that's keeping me going at all is the thought of finally getting that nasty, evil yellow-eyed son of a bitch. There are times I miss Mom and Dad so much I can barely breathe, but you come first, Sam. Always have. And right now I need to keep you safe."
"Yeah, I know, Dean. But can't you just put all of that aside for one day? Or try to at least?" Sam whispered hoarsely. Dean clapped him on the shoulder, a real smile lighting up his face. "For you, Sam, anything. Just no more soft rock, okay? At least, not in my baby."
"All right, deal. Happy Birthday, Dean."
"Thanks, Sammy. Check out this view," Dean encouraged. And the two of them watched the sun set over the Grand Canyon, as it painted the valley in lovely shades of pink, purple and gold.
On the way back to the car, Dean's broad smile was hard to miss. Sam felt ten times lighter, having been open and honest with his brother. He knew Dean felt the same way, by his now cheerful attitude. Though Dean would deny it until his very last breath, he had needed this excursion and was grateful to Sam for realizing it and wanting to help his older brother out. They climbed into the Impala, Dean once again behind the wheel, and they headed to New York, Kiss's Strutter filling the car.
THE END