Title: Summer 1992
Rating: Teen
Summary: Six months after Sam found out the truth about -Sam. wee-Dean. Abuse. Some words taken from S3 E8
AN: Warnings of some child abuse.
*SN*
Part 1
"You're in my spot," he heard another child say.
Sam was sitting on the floor at the back of the local library in Jackson, Mississippi.
Earlier that day, he had let it slip to his father that Dean had told him the truth about monsters. After giving out to Dean, things went from bad to worse and John inadvertently hit him across the cheek. Later that night, Sam decided enough was enough. His father had lied to him and worst of all his big brother had lied to him. He grabbed what little food was in the fridge and using his brother's knowledge, had broken into the town's public library. He found an aisle at the back containing reference books that looked as though they were hardly used. He rearranged the tables so that if someone did approach unexpectedly, he could quickly hide.
That was close to twelve hours ago.
Sam raised his head to the stranger's voice and silently swore. The tables didn't do their job properly. He was going to have to rearrange them again.
He noticed her feet first. They were scratched and black with dirt. "Where are your shoes?" he asked sliding over on the carpet.
"I only wear them for church on Sundays," she replied in a cute Jackson accent. "Who are you hiding from?" she sat down beside him and pulled up her knees in a similar position. She wore a white night dress with long sleeves. Her long blonde hair was tied loosely and was draped over a shoulder.
"My dad," Sam told her.
She nodded sadly. "Me too."
Then without saying another word, Sam wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.
*SN*
There were three things Dean hated about living on the road. The first was staying in motels. They were moldy, damp and smelled of old lady. He missed having a staircase and a porch. When their mother died, they stayed in a rented house as long as they could before the funds ran dry. Now they spent their lives either in motel rooms or in the Impala.
That was the second thing he hated. Although, he loved the Impala, its roar was soothing but sleeping in the back seat really twisted his neck. Unfortunately, he wasn't tall enough to sit in the front, so he and Sam had to share the back seat with the rest of their processions.
The third thing was seeing the effects of alcohol on their father. When he would come back to the room smelling of stale cigarettes and alcohol, they knew to stay out of his way. Most of the time, he would pass out face down on the bed and sleep it off but there were other times when he was verbally abusive.
None of this mattered, though, because having his little brother around made it all bearable. Even when he had to share a single bed in a smelly motel room or the back seat of a car with his brother, he loved it. The Impala's roar may have been soothing but waking up with Sam's blonde hair tickling his nose was comforting. He couldn't even go to sleep without hearing Sam's light snoring first. This was why he didn't want Sam to know the truth about monsters. He didn't want him to worry. That wasn't his job. It was the big brother's job to worry about what was lurking outside the door.
So, when he woke up late one morning in the summer of 1992 without a tickle and a snore, his heart nearly stopped.
*SN*
It was Christmas Eve when Sam found their father's journal and asked Dean for the truth. "We have the coolest dad in the world. He's a superhero," Dean beamed with eyes of admiration. He hoped Sam would feel the same but he didn't. He was hurt that the truth was kept from him for so long. He was hurt that no one trusted him enough to know what was really going on. "If they got mom, they can get dad. And if they get dad, they could get us." The worry in his brother's voice tore at Dean's heart. He hated seeing his little brother upset no matter how small the problem. "It'll all be better when you wake up. You'll see. I promise," Dean said with such conviction, he believed it himself. The truth was they were vulnerable to attack. Two small boys in a simple locked motel room with only one gun for protection wasn't exactly safe. But Dean wasn't going to worry his little brother with that fact.
Dean threatened Sam and made him promise not to tell their father he knew the truth. It worked for a while, at least. A case took them to Jackson, Mississippi at the start of summer. The humidity was becoming unbearable, even at night. Sam's whining caused a few arguments in the motel room. John, not being able to take it anymore, growled at him to stop and stood to leave. It was then that Sam slipped up. "Why are we here anyway? Are you hunting another monster?"
John stopped with his hand on the door handle. He tilted his head to the side and slowly turned around. "What did you say? Where did you hear that?" Mistake number two came when Sam looked to his brother for help. Dean stiffened and dropped his eyes hoping his father wouldn't notice. But he did and roared abuse at him. Dean should have stood up to him. He should have taken the abuse and taken his punishment like a man but when John swung his arm through a pile of cans sending them flying in the air, he ducked. Unfortunately, one can kept flying and hit Sam by mistake. All three gasped and froze.
Dean tossed in the uncomfortable chair. The events of the day were repeating in his dreams. He watched Sam cover his cheek with his hand and look to his brother in horror but Dean was too shocked to move. He didn't even help him to the bathroom or to the kitchenette to cool his cheek with ice. Silently, they ended the day like every other with cheap food and bottles of cola. Dean even gave Sam his bed to sleep alone while Dean took the chair.
The quiet sobbing woke him up. He looked over at the single bed and noticed it was empty. Dean rubbed his face and realised it was his own tears that woke him. He checked his watch. It was close to ten in the morning. He looked over to his father who was passed out in a sea of beer cans. He looked behind him and saw the bathroom door shut. He stood and tapped on it softly. It slowly swung open to reveal nothing. "Sammy?" Dean whispered careful not to wake their father. It was then that he noticed that Sam's bag and clothes were missing. He searched the room for a note but couldn't find anything. It hurt that Sam would run away from him but to not even leave a note was devastating.
He grabbed a sheet and pencil to leave a note for their father. 'Gone to zoo with Sammy' was the only thing he could think of saying. They had snuck into zoos before. It sometimes took them the whole day to wait for a large group of children that would force the zoo keeper to open the gates. So this excuse would give him a good eight hours to find him. The last thing he wanted to do was to tell their father he had lost his little brother. As he stepped outside their room, he brought his emulate up to his lips and did something that was out of the ordinary for him. He whispered a prayer for his brother's safety.
*SN*
AN: This fic is only a few chapters long so your reviews are appreciated.
