Dean pulled up behind a black pick up and looked over at his sleeping brother. They had been on the road for eight hours. He was truly surprised that Sam had fallen asleep. Dean shook his head still confused why this move was so important to Sammy. This morning as their Dad had failed to show up for yet another day, Sam had simply freaked out.
They were supposed to be here four days ago, but Dad had gone on a last minute hunting trip. Sam had taken it personally. It had taken Dean the better part of two hours to finally calm the thirteen year old. Dean had set Sam to finish packing, Sam had only calmed when Dean had told him that he would leave by noon with or without their father. Luckily their Dad had turned up around eleven o'clock.
John made a suggestion to Sam that they wait another day, before leaving. Sam had simply ignored his Dad and had climbed into the Impala, trusting that Dean would keep his word. Dean had suggested to his Dad that it was better to get there sooner than later, and he had climbed into the driver's seat. John hadn't been happy but he'd had little choice but to go along with the boys.
Dean saw his dad get out, and start towards the apartment complex that they were going to stay in. Dean leaned over Sammy, quietly not a breath of noise escaping him. Closer and closer until he was merely inches from Sammy's sleeping face. The he waited.
Sam came awoke slowly noticing the lack of motion and noise, as he opened his eyes. He screamed, Dean was only inches from him staring at him intently. "God, Dean stop doing that. You're killing me."
Dean let out a snicker and reached out ruffling Sam's hair "I just like to hear your voice crack Sam, makes me laugh every time. Let's go Samantha we're here. Where's here again?" Dean asked over his shoulder as he moved to get out of the black classic car he drove.
Sam pushed open the car door, wincing slightly at the loud squeal it made in the quiet night. "Lake Park, Iowa population 1,500 well 1,503 actually. We're about three and half or four hours from Pastor Jim. That was Dad's only condition, if we were going to stay somewhere we needed to be near Jim." Sam rushed on talking a mile a minute as he accepted a box from the back of his Dad's pickup. "The great thing is the high school runs from ninth to twelfth grade. We'll be in school together. That's cool right Dean." Sam asked his big brother, practically jumping up and down.
Dean simply nodded "Yup, that's cool Sammy, good choice." Dean once again felt puzzled why this mattered so much to Sam. Normally a move brought out the worst in Sam. As a toddler he would stop sleeping and refuse to be separated from Dean. As a young kid he would go quiet not talking to anyone, but Dean for Days. Teen Sam though, he simply pouted, there was no other way to describe it.
This time though Sam had been the one to suggest the move. A fresh start he had called it. As Dean walked into the one room apartment, he really wondered just why Sam had picked this place. To Dean it looked the same as every other place they had stayed in since Lawrence. The only difference being whether Sam and Dean had to share a bed or if there were two twins in the one bedroom.
Later that night Sam lay in bed listening to Dean's even breathing. There were more nights than Sam cared to think about that he would lay listening and pattern his own breathing to that of his brother. He did it tonight without even realizing, Sam lay and thought about the future.
Dean would graduate this year, and Sam knew that would mean that Dean would begin hunting on his own. So far, it had always been Dean and Dad, often Sam would accompany them. It made Sam's stomach hurt to think that Dean would go off on his own, without Dad to keep him safe.
About, three months ago Sam had started having dreams, nightmares really and in each one Dean lay dead in a pool of his own blood, the figure of some supernatural creature leaning over his still body. The dreams came almost every night and there were a dozen different versions. Dean dead by a werewolf, dead by a banshee, dead by a black dog, you name it and Sam had dreamt it. At this point the youngest Winchester simply had to close his eyes and he saw his big brother dead.
Sam could feel his breath hitch in his chest; he quickly forced himself once again into Dean's breathing pattern. Sam felt calmer already; he knew that it was near impossible to keep Dean from hunting. It was all the older boy had ever wanted from life, Sam was harboring a wish that if Dean could just experience being a normal kid, that he might see just how twisted their lives had become.
Sam already had plans to leave this life and all it entailed behind him. The only thing holding him back was the thought that if he walked away from hunting he was also walking away from Dean. Sam swiped a hand across his wet eyes, and closed them pressing his palms deep into his sockets, trying to push the images in his brain away. As Sam finally drifted to sleep he said a silent prayer asking God to watch over Dean and keep him safe.
Dean drove towards the rising sun the light almost blinding him for a moment before he could grab his sunglasses and pull them on. As he drove he began looking for a place to grab some breakfast. He still found it hard to believe that he was doing this. That he was traveling hundreds of miles to return to her. What if San was wrong and she didn't need them there. What if she turned them away?
Dean pushed away the nagging thought that kept recurring to him, wishing he had Sammy's sense of confidence. As Dean slowed and made a left into Esther's parking lot he pulled into a space. Watching Sam sleep for a few minutes Dean grinned and leaned towards Sam, closer and closer quietly not a breath of noise escaping him. Closer and closer until he was merely inches from Sammy's sleeping face. The he waited.
Sam came awoke slowly noticing the lack of motion and noise, as he opened his eyes. He screamed, Dean was only inches from him staring at him intently. "God, Dean stop doing that. You're killing me."
Dean slapped his leg and let out a laugh, "Oh, Sammy that just never gets old does it. Come on Sleeping Beauty it breakfast time." Dean opened the door to the Impala and headed into the restaurant.
Sam grinned and watched Dean's retreating back, it was nice to see Dean so lighthearted. It was a rare occurrence lately. Sam opened his door to follow his brother into the restaurant, he was already planning his payback.
