Dean thought Sam was stupid. Sam was not stupid. And even though he wasn't a hunter anymore, it's not like he could just switch off 20 years of training. He knew instinctively everyone that was ever in any room with him, knew the exits, knew by a glance if there was anyone in his vicinity with any sort of fighting training whatsoever.
And he most definitely knew when he was being followed.
He knew Dean was following him. Had been for the past two days. He knew Dean had broken in and checked out his new apartment and he would bet his right arm that his brother had done a background check on Jessica by now. Another one, that is.
He knew California had been suspiciously free of any supernatural activity of any kind ever since he moved in here. It's not like he ever went looking for jobs, but, again, he couldn't switch off his training and he did read the papers.
He knew Dean was following and he knew it was the fifth time he did so in the past twenty months. He did it a few days after Sam arrived at Stanford and moved in to the dorms. He did it again a few months later, when Sam got a new roommate. And then when he started dating Jessica. He showed up a fourth time, when Sam got some stomach flu bug and had to stay a night in the hospital. That time Dean followed him for two whole weeks. This time Sam moved in with Jessica, got a new place, and, as expected, Dean had been following him around since the day before.
Sam knew where Dean probably was getting the info. Pastor Jim or Bobby, most likely.
And he knew he should go after Dean and confront him about it. This was not a healthy sibling relationship. If Dean was worried about Sam, he could simply pick up a phone and call.
But Sam was not stupid and he knew his brother better than he knew himself. He knew it wouldn't make any difference at all. He could call Dean every single day, twice a day, hell, he could call him hourly and he was pretty sure Dean would still follow him around in the shadows, doing background checks and taking care of any suspicious activity in a 300 mile radius.
That was just the way his brother was. Couldn't help it. He was perfectly capable of staying almost two years without talking to Sam, but he was completely and utterly incapable of letting him go. Dean had ingrained in his brain that it was his job to take care of Sam and Sam had long ago given up trying to convince him otherwise.
So Sam said nothing. Did nothing.
But Sam was not stupid.
He knew when he was being followed.
And, of course, it helped that his brother's car could be heard from two blocks away.
"Have you noticed that creepy black car on the corner?", Jess asked. "I think I saw it in the campus this morning. And yesterday too. That's just… creepy…"
Sam just had to laugh out loud.
Dean was so stupid.