A/N: I don't own anyone but my OC's….though I wished I owned the guys….*sighs*
Dean dropped his bags off at the hotel and slipped out his phone. He wondered if Sam would pick up given it had been what a year since they last spoke and that was when Dean needed money. The man flipped his cell open and scrolled down until Sam's number was highlighted. His thumb toyed with the send button for a few seconds before pushing down the bright green button.
"Hello?" The sleepy voice answered.
"Sam?" Dean asked.
"Dean?" Sam sounded surprised but quickly his tone changed, "Alright what happened this time and how much?"
"What? No I don't need anything. I'm back Sam."
Sam sat up and looked over seeing Jess was still asleep. He quickly sneaked out of bed and tiptoed into the hallway.
"You're back here in Davenport?"
"Yeah I just in earlier today and stopped in to say hi to Caleb."
"Well you know he owns the place now right?"
"No," Dean was a bit shocked by his news.
"Well after Antonio died Caleb bought the place and turned it around."
Dean grimaced as he had missed the funeral let alone just now found out the gentle Italian had passed away.
"I didn't know," Dean whispered.
"Well if you had tried to keep in touch a bit more you would've known. Tell me something Dean did you come back for her?"
Dean remained silent and swore he could feel Sam's hard chocolate eyes burning into the back of head.
"If this is what this is all about……" Sam started to say but Dean cut him off.
"Yeah it is alright? I saw her or rather I watched her and she looks great," Dean grinned to himself.
"Did you also see Tristan?"
"Is that her name?" Dean asked.
"Yeah," Sam admitted. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell his brother the rest.
"I saw Jo too and did she have a kid? Little guy with brown hair and blue eyes?"
"Yeah that's Jimmy her son. Her fiancé was killed overseas but he got to see Jimmy when he was born and about three times after that."
Dean sunk lower realizing how much had changed and how much the people he knew moved on in his absence. Why did he stay away for so long?
"Is Brooklyn seeing anyone?" Dean inquired.
"Uh well there's this guy named Ric who has been hanging around the last six months. He's a teacher over at the high school."
"Oh," Dean said deflated.
"But honestly I have no idea what is going on between them. But given how you decided to just up and make tracks I can understand if she's moved on," Sam didn't hesitate to make that point.
"Okay Samantha I get it. Everyone's pissed off at me but I came back. I could've just as easily stayed away and never returned."
Dean was beginning to get irritated with his brother's holier than thou attitude towards him. His brother wasn't holding back anything but he knew Sam had come to love her like a sister in high school and Dean didn't know that Sam was there to help pick up the pieces, both he and Jess.
"Yeah well whatever it is you have in mind you better watch what you say and how you say it."
"I got the message loud and clear. Listen are you gonna be around tonight?"
"Jess and I will be over in Quincy for dinner with her grandparents."
"Have you popped the question?"
Sam found himself shrugging as Dean had turned the tables on him.
"Not yet…." He drawled.
"Well why not?"
"I dunno….Hey this isn't about me Dean. Look I'll call you later after we get home okay? Where are you staying at?"
Dean had to look at his key card to see it was the Super 8.
"Super 8 over there by the river."
"Alright well I gotta get going," Sam said goodbye and hung up. Dean snapped his phone shut and collapsed against the bed. His thoughts went back to that last night.
Six years earlier….
"I got accepted," Brooklyn grinned and waved the letter in her hand.
Dean took the letter and read it feeling dread fill his soul. Brooklyn saw the fear and anxiety ringing his emerald pools. She frowned as Dean handed it back.
"Dean what is it?"
"You're going to go to Michigan?"
"Well yeah they have a great pre-law program. You know I wanted to go to there."
Dean swallowed hard as this had put a damper on what he had in mind after high school.
"Why don't you come with me?"
"And do what!?" He threw his hands up.
"There's a lot up there. Look you know I have wanted to get out of Davenport for four years now."
"And what if you meet someone else huh? Then what!?"
"Whoa hold up there," Brooklyn clenched her jaw tightly, "Who said anything about me wanting anyone else? It's you I want damn it!"
"Oh sure by what leaving and going out of state?!"
Brooklyn couldn't believe this. Where was this coming from?
"But you're not hearing me; I want you to come with me."
"And what leave Sam?"
"He can come with us. I thought about all of this. My grandparents live up there and they have a house."
"Oh so we should just uproot him just so you can fulfill some fantasy notion of yours?!"
"You know what you should just go home and cool off then we can talk about this tomorrow okay?"
Dean pressed his lips tightly and stuck out his hand.
"Dean what are you doing?"
"I am not going to sit back and watch as you go off to Michigan and gallivant around and hope and worry you're gonna hook up with some random stranger."
Brooklyn realized what he wanted and felt her eyes begin to brim with tears. She began to cry as she took the chain off from around her neck and handed his ring back over to him.
"Keep the chain," she said bitterly and ran inside the house. Caleb had witnessed the entire thing and stepped outside just as Dean got in the Impala and sped away. Gravel and rocks kicked up as rubber squealed furiously against the rough road.
Caleb looked back inside to see his sister crying her heart out on the couch. Her face was buried in the pillow but the thin cushion did little to muffle her anguished sobs.
Dean now realized how cold and callous he was to her that night. But he was stupid, so damn stupid to just let her go like that. His hand reached deep within the pocket and retrieved the ring. He was going to propose after high school but never got the chance. It took him six years to get his priorities straight and get over being selfish and thinking only of himself.
Brooklyn was at the table going through the newspaper when there was a knock on the door. She looked up to see Ric waving through the screen door. Brooklyn smiled and waved him in as he had a stack of tests waiting to be graded.
"Lemme guess, you need help," Ric grinned and dropped the stack on the table.
"Yeah," he answered sheepishly.
Brooklyn sat back and crossed her arms while narrowing her eyes in a playful manner.
"Alaric Saltzman, how many times must I bail you out?"
His grin grew wider as she grabbed a stack and took a pen from his bag and started grading. Ric reached over and covered her hand with his.
"But you know I'm good for it though," he stood and leaned over kissing her on the lips.
"Yeah yeah," she smiled sweetly.
Dean felt his heart freeze as he witnessed the kiss they shared. Well he was determined to get her back and kick the hot guy out on his ass.
Ric is the same Ric from Vampire Diaries....I'm just borrowing him ;) Thanks again everyone for the support!
