Burgers and Brothers
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Dean expertly flipped over the sizzling hamburgers on the little grille that he had come across in the old-fashioned kitchen. It must have been one of the first prototypes on the market but it did the job just as good, if not better than the modern ones.
He cut the fresh rolls, garnished them with lettuce, cheese and ketchup and piled on the two steaming rosettes of grilled meat.
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It was too girly a thing to ever admit to, but Dean had always enjoyed cooking. Of course he had chalked up plenty of practice.
Sammy had been on the receiving end of his efforts since he was a kid and then he had honed his skills during the year he passed with Lisa and Ben.
Pottering about her kitchen had been one of the few moments when he had been able to block out the thoughts of the agony that his little brother had to be suffering in the Cage; the simple tasks of cutting, washing and preparing the food soothing his soul and giving him a few minutes of respite.
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Today however, his heart and soul were at peace as never before.
Sam was only a few yards away, happily wallowing amongst the ancient tomes in the library as contentedly as a pig in a mud bath and Dean himself was experiencing a moment of complete and utter satisfaction, wishing that time could stand still, right here right now and he and Sam could feel as good as this for ever.
He closed the rolls and stood back to admire his handiwork. Yep, two of the most appetizing burgers ever; now he would see if they passed the real test, that of one prissy little brother who had made the adoration of a plate of lettuce his eating god!
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Sam was engrossed in a book, his back curved over the table, oblivious to the world and Dean's feel-good notched up to a higher level. He couldn't remember seeing Sam so...fulfilled. His little brother had been through so much, they both had, and finally something good had come their way.
Dean pushed away the niggling doubt that it might only be a lull before another storm threw them once again into the roaring seas of hurt and pain that they had been forced to swim in since they were children but even if that happened, nothing could take away these moments.
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He sat down next to his brother, his other half; his soul-mate and pushed one of the burgers under his nose.
"Hey, princess! Special delivery from the castle's kitchens! Think you can pull that face of yours out of ...," he lifted the cover of the book to read the title. "Execration Texts'. Hmm, good job I brought you something to sink your teeth into. It must take all your energy to get through such mind-numbing stuff, Sammy," he teased knowing exactly how Sam would react, but this time he was utterly mistaken for instead of the expected bitch-face, Sam smiled up at him, a beautiful heartfelt smile that he hadn't seen on his brother's face for ages and which melted his heart.
"Thanks, Dean," Sam answered." That smells real good."
"Well if you like the smell, just wait till you taste it," Dean grinned, his smile matching that of his brother.
He looked on expectantly as Sam picked up the burger and brought it to his lips.
"Dude," Sam huffed. " Are you gonna stare at me the whole time while I eat this?"
Dean didn't think that his smile could get any wider but it did, he was just so happy, for himself and for Sam.
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He sent out a thought to Henry who had come through time to look for John but had found his grandsons and death instead; although he had at least managed to pass on his legacy. Dean swore to use this inheritance to the best of his ability.
"Hey," Sam said, bumping his shoulder."Where were you man? You not eating?"
"Huh, just thinking Sammy. We've been really lucky to get all of this. We gotta take care of it; use it for good."
"We will, Dean. We gotta keep it to ourselves though; if anything leaks out we'll get hordes of supernatural fuglies turning up at our door, trying to get their hands on its secrets and we don't even know ourselves yet what's in here."
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Dean nodded in assent as he sunk his teeth into the fragrant burger. "Oh man, do I make an awesome burger or what!" he groaned as he chewed the delicious mix of fresh bread, tasty meat, ketchup and cheese
"I've never tasted anything so good, Dean," Sam confessed as he chewed contentedly. "The diner burgers are trash compared to this...this... apotheosis of a burger.!"
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Sam's compliment made him bristle with pride. He could still take care of his little brother just as he used to, even although the word 'little' could no longer be applied to his ginormous sibling.
His eyes went back to watching Sam tuck into the burger. He wasn't just pretending to enjoy it to make Dean happy, he was truly relishing it.
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Dean sighed contentedly and only the four walls of their new home were witness to the brothers as they shared a meal together, something that in most families would just be ordinary administration but for Sam and Dean, it signified so much more; love, brotherhood, eternity.
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