WARNING: Spoilers for seasons 3 through 6, but most especially for 6x01 "Exile On Main Street" through 6x13 "Unforgiven".
Author's Note: Happy Holidays everyone, and a Merry Christmas Eve to those of you who celebrate! I wanted to post something for the holiday, so I wrote this little oneshot which takes place over the two days before Christmas in season 6. (Funny enough, not long before I posted this Dragonsrule18 requested a story that basically fit perfectly into what I had already written here. I hope you like this Dragonsrule18!) Enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.
He had seized again, and that had been enough to get Dean back on the clock.
Not that Dean ever really stopped working the job he'd been focused on since childhood, but there were instances which reinvigorated his sense of duty to care for his little brother all over again, and this was undeniably one of them.
Dean could understand where his brother was coming from lately, why he was so determined not to turn a blind eye to whatever messed up things he'd been involved in when his soul wasn't around. But just because Sam's reasons for seeking the truth were justifiable didn't mean Dean was about to let him break himself for the sake of the search. That would be the opposite of doing his job.
But the second time Sam collapsed as the result of scratching at the mental damn in his head - the one barely restraining the wrath of Michael and Lucifer and all the other unpleasantness which the kid had endured in the Cage – Dean decided he needed to take a different approach to protecting Sam from his memories.
It was no wonder Sam was falling prey to the temptation to poke the hibernating bear in his head, considering they'd been hunting non-stop for weeks. Hunting was both stressful and often reminiscent of hellish things. It was becoming rapidly apparent that continuing to hunt while advising Sam not to pay attention to the feelings and recollections the activity was awakening within him wasn't going to work, given it had already failed twice. They needed to find a more reliable method with which to ease the younger man back into things. Maybe even give his mind a break, at least for a short while, and grant him a chance to come to grips with life as a forced amnesiac.
Dean knew he had to go about his job a different way, and he had a plan for where to start.
Stepping outside the motel room where he and his sibling were crashing, Dean tapped a familiar number into his cell phone and waited for the gruff voice of their good friend to pick up the call.
Never one to disappoint, Bobby Singer answered after only a couple rings and greeted, "You toast that Changeling yet?" referring to the case Dean and Sam had last been working. They hadn't hunted that particular variety of beast in several years, not since Dean himself was on Hell's waiting list, and the elder Winchester wondered if that had anything to do with Sam's recent brain scare. Sometimes memories of his soulless time would slip through cracks in his mind's wall and cause problems, other times it was anything relating to Hell itself that could trigger the mental leaking.
Pushing his theories aside, Dean responded, "We got her, yeah. Thanks again for the help with the police, Agent Willis."
Bobby scoffed on the other line. "Just doing my job, son," he replied in a voice one part Fed mockery and one part relief that they hadn't ended up in prison for impersonating FBI.
"I was calling about something else actually," the younger hunter stated, drawing a curious, "Oh?" from his elder counterpart.
Dean set about explaining to Bobby his idea for how to help distract Sam from the dangerous desire to unlock his recent past.
When he was finished detailing the game strategy, Bobby pointed out, "It's the twenty third. Even if you're here by tomorrow night, that still only leaves us about twenty four hours."
"I know, I know. But it'll be worth it, won't it?" Dean offered an optimistic counter. "Besides, I'll pay you back for all of it," he added sincerely.
Bobby only laughed then. "I've never asked for your money before, boy, and I ain't starting now. I'll do what I can. Just drive here safe and I'll see you both soon enough," he answered, making Dean aware they were in agreement about what had been proposed.
"See you soon," Dean echoed before disconnecting the call and heading back towards the motel room, ready to do the work he'd always been the most invested in.
OoO
Driving for the better part of the entire following day, Dean eventually turned the Impala into the welcoming driveway of Singer Salvage. Sam, still exhausted in the aftermath of his recent seizure, had slept through the majority of the trip down to Sioux Falls. He'd missed the few pit-stops Dean had made to purchase presents which were hidden away in the trunk at the moment, and he remained in slumber even as their tires crunched over the faintly snowy gravel pathway and into the scrap yard.
The property's perimeter fence was already decorated with a thin string of colorful Christmas lights, all shades of red, green, and white. Even the sign over the entranceway was draped in coils of electric color. All of it glowed cheerfully in the darkening evening air.
"That's the spirit, Bobby," Dean approved under his breath, smiling at the effort the man had already put into executing the ideas the elder Winchester had shared with him.
Resting his right hand gently on his brother's shoulder he encouraged, "Wake up Sammy! We're here."
"Huh? Yeah, I'm up. I'm- Wait there's…lights?" Sam questioned, blinking away sleep as they pulled into their usual spot in front of Bobby's home and saw its porch wrapped in ropes of decorative brightness identical to those on the fencing.
"Yup, there's lights," Dean confirmed as if it wasn't out of the ordinary at all.
Sam didn't argue, just stared confusedly at the decorations for a moment while Dean swung open the car door and stepped out. Sam followed suit then, still eyeing the lighting with a mixture of bafflement and wonderment.
It was far from the pained crease he would get before a seizure though, and that made Dean feel like his work was going well so far.
They climbed the steps of Bobby's back porch and knocked on the door, only for it to open wide a minute later to reveal the man himself bundled in winter clothes like he'd only just gotten back from being outside battling the chilly elements.
As the two younger men entered the house, Bobby declared, "Glad to see you two. Snow's supposed to hit hard in the next few hours and I was worried you'd be caught up in it."
"Nah, it was pretty smooth sailing," Dean assured. "Did you just get done putting those up?" he then asked about the lights outside while removing his leather jacket and hanging it on a hook on the wall.
"Nope. Did that a few hours after you called. But I did just get done hauling that inside," the host spoke while leading the way into his sitting room, until they all stood before a large evergreen tree positioned in the back corner between the fireplace and the couch.
"Bobby, why'd you do all this?" Sam's voice piped up in query, though for all his befuddlement it was clear he had no complaints. Dean watched his little brother gazing at the tree with wide, surprised eyes, and knew then that his work was definitely unfolding the way he'd hoped it would.
Nonchalantly Bobby replied, "Because I can," before he changed the subject, saying, "Alright, I've done all the heavy lifting. I'm leaving the decorating up to you two. There's boxes behind the desk of stuff I grabbed at the tree place. Get crackin'. I'm gonna fix us some grub." Without further instructions he headed into the kitchen where he put his portable radio on a holiday station and started making whatever he would be offering for dinner.
Sam looked at Dean, this time with an expression that the older brother had seen there only rarely before. It translated along the lines of excitement, but with a hint of something deeper.
Something that let Dean know his idea had most certainly been a good one.
"You heard the man. We should 'get crackin''," Dean quoted, striding over to the desk to retrieve the crates of red and green Christmas baubles Bobby had provided. He spotted a package of gold garland and a gold star topper, too, and he almost couldn't believe how much Bobby had committed to this. He made a mental note to help with anything he could in order to repay him for facilitating all of this.
Without any complaint, Sam and Dean began unloading ornaments and dangling them all over the fir tree's many branches. Neither had ever thought they'd care so much about evenness of ornament dispersement, or the symmetricity of a garland wrapping, or what angle a star should be placed at on the highest bough… Yet by the end of the hour they spent working on Bobby's tree they'd each discovered a passion for such holiday aesthetics that they couldn't deny.
Their efforts were fruitful though, and when Bobby called them all to the simple Christmas Eve meal of a chicken and rice casserole he'd whipped together for them, the tree in his study looked like something out of a Hallmark card. At least that's what Sam said, and Dean knew that meant it was a job well done.
The three men ate their food in the living room after Bobby lit a fire in the hearth behind his desk. They drank a few beers as well and enjoyed the cozy evening while the weather outside turned colder and the ground whiter.
Eventually, after Dean had voluntarily washed the dishes much to the surprise of both his brother and Bobby, the oldest of the trio announced he was heading upstairs to sleep. Rising from his seat on the couch, Bobby stated, "Well I'm turning in for the night. Still gotta wrap a few things before bed, and I'm already yawnin'."
As Bobby made for the staircase Sam declared, "Hey, thank you guys for this," causing both the older hunter and the older brother to face him.
Dean corrected his sibling, "I don't get credit for this one. Bobby did basically all the work here. I just ate his food and used his decorations." He then turned his attention to the other man. "Seriously, you're awesome," he proclaimed, meeting Bobby's gaze and attempting to convey the immense gratefulness he felt through his own.
Bobby waved off the gratitude and credit with a humble, "Don't mention it. It was your idea. I was just doing my job, going along with it." He then climbed the stairs to his room, leaving Sam and Dean alone in the study with the fully dressed tree glimmering by the light of the roaring fire.
Dean realized that was the second time Bobby had mentioned "doing his job" recently, and it occurred to the older Winchester that for all Dean viewed taking care of Sammy as his duty, Bobby really did view looking out for both of them as a duty of his own.
The elder brother took a moment to observe Sam watching the flames with relaxed eyes - for once not troubled by memories of Hellfire or general horrors, but with a hint of genuine contentment and satisfaction there instead - when it dawned on him that he was feeling much the same way.
And Dean found himself extremely appreciative of the fact that Bobby was just as good at his job as Dean always aimed to be.
Secondary Author's Note: Thanks for reading! If you have a moment, please do leave feedback. It's always appreciated. :) And Happy Holidays again to you all! P.S. If you're interested in knowing, this was the request I received from Dragonsrule18 after I'd already written this story:
"Can you write one where Bobby tries to give the boys a great Christmas? It can be either Wee!Chester or somewhere between seasons four and seven."
Special Note To GuestJ: Thank you very much for your most recent comment on "What Family Is For", and for the faith you placed in me with that request we'd been discussing. I'm honored to have earned your trust. ;) About your Christmas plans... That sounds lovely! I hope you, your husband, your nephew, and all the other family you'll be spending time with get to have a magnificent holiday together. Just be sure to keep warm up there in chilly Canada! lol Thankfully my sister and I do get to see each other. I'll be spending Christmas with parents, my sister, her husband, her husband's family (including his younger brother who is one of my best friends), my roommate (another of my best friends), and my beloved dog-son Frisker. So I'm totally set on quality time with family. :) Thanks again for being amazing! I hope Santa brings you the best of things this year, because there's no way you're not on his 'nice list', my friend. :D
Special Note To TG: Happy Holidays! If you're reading this, I hope you have a terrific Christmas tomorrow if you celebrate. (If you don't I still hope you have a terrific December the 25th.) And may good things come your way this holiday season, because you most certainly deserve them! :)