Wow, sorry for the huge wait between updates. I've had a lot of stuff going on lately, both with school and home. Updates on this story will probably come slowly, but I'll try my best to be regular.
Hope you enjoy this chapter, and please R&R! I love to hear from you guys, especially as this is a subject close to me. Hugs!
"See ya later, Sam," Dean called as he watched his brother walk towards his class. Sam looked back and waved with a smile. Dean returned it. He waited until Sam had disappeared into the classroom before turning and racing for his own school, a few streets away. He knew he was going to be late, as always, but he didn't really care. School was a waste of time anyway.
He reached school just as the bell went. It was pretty good timing for once. He managed to get to his class along with everyone else, instead of walking in ten minutes late as he usually did. The teacher raised his eyebrow as he saw Dean walk in with the rest of the class.
"Not late today, Dean?" he asked.
Dean ignored him, and headed to his seat. Passing by the desks of some of the other guys, he heard them sniggering among themselves.
"D'you hear 'bout the retard school they set up a couple streets over?" one of them said.
"Yeah. They're all mental," said another.
Dean walked by, wishing he could kick the shit out of them. But he didn't; he went to his seat and sat down. He paid no attention as the teacher started the lesson. He instead stared intensely at the group of guys, wondering if they would act on their obviously anti-disabled thoughts. He hoped not, for their sakes.
The day sped by in a blur of colour, boredom and rambling words. By the time the final bell rang, Dean wasn't sure if he'd actually picked up anything that anyone had said. It was all just a swirl of nothing. He raced out of the class before anyone else had even stood up, and ran for the gate. He wanted to get to Sam as quickly as possible. He'd learned the lesson of leaving Sam alone after school for even five minutes.
By the time he reached Sam's school, most of the kids had already left and gone home. Sam was there, waiting out the front as he always did. When he saw his brother, a smile lit up his face and he ran over.
"Dean!" he said, running into a hug.
Dean hugged him back and smiled.
"You have a good day?" he asked.
Sam nodded. He never really said much more than that on the subject of school. Dean shrugged and the pair headed off down the street.
After a few minutes of silence, Sam looked up at his older brother questioningly.
"Dean, why do we have to keep moving?"
Dean bit his lip and looked down at his little brother. Sam had asked him this before, but he'd managed to distract him with something else to talk about. Now, there didn't seem to be anything else to
use. He was stuck.
"Uh...well...Dad has to work, and his work means we have to move around a lot."
Sam paused, looking thoughtful, apparently satisfied. Then he asked, "What does Dad do?"
"Look, Sammy, when you're big enough, I'll tell you, okay?"
Sam huffed, "You never tell me anything."
Dean didn't answer that, because there wasn't really anything he could say. It was true. A lot of the time, he made sure Sam stayed in the dark on subjects like hunting and his mother. He knew Sam wasn't ready to find those things out yet.
/\/\
"We're home!" Dean called, wondering where his father was. He knew he was here; the Impala was still out the front. But there was no reply to his call. He shut the door behind Sam, who ran straight for his room. Dean dumped his bag by the door and went in search of his father.
He found him in his room, books and papers spread out everywhere. He looked up as Dean knocked to announce his presence. He gave his son a small smile.
"You're home. How was school?"
"Alright. Same as always. What're you doing?" Dean asked, curious. His father hadn't told him what they were in town for – only that it was a hunt. That was the only reason they went anywhere.
"Trying to find out where this werewolf lives. It's somewhere in this area," John said, gesturing to the map of the town spread out in front of him.
Dean nodded, wishing he could go with his father to hunt down the monster. But he couldn't, because he had to stay and look after Sam. And since Sam wasn't going on hunts any time soon, he wondered if he would ever get to hunt with his father.
As if on cue, Sam poked his head around the door. He smiled as he saw his father and brother.
"Hi Daddy! Dean, can I have some Lucky Charms?"
John rolled his eyes, and sighed under his breath. Dean resisted the urge to glare at him, because he knew it would only end in another fight, and he didn't want to argue in front of Sam. Instead, he turned to Sam and smiled, nodding.
"Okay. Fine. I'll go find them."
He followed Sam to the kitchen and started looking through the cupboards for anything. He suddenly remembered that the last of them had been used up this morning by his little brother. He sighed and stood up, facing Sam.
"There aren't any left. I'll have to go get some."
Sam nodded with a sigh, and Dean went back to his father to ask for some money. He wondered how his father would react.
"Dad? I need some money to go buy some stuff."
John sighed and nodded, "Whatever. But you can't keep indulging him, Dean."
Dean narrowed his eyes and turned away, growling quietly. Why couldn't his father realise that what was wrong with Sam wasn't something he could change? It wasn't his fault. He couldn't help it. He'd told his father that a million times, but it never made a difference. Nothing seemed to get through that thick head of his. He was just stubborn – a Winchester.
As he grabbed the cash from his father's jacket, Sam followed him, eyes curious and hopeful.
"Can I come?"
Dean paused, thinking. If he took Sam with him, it would make the journey twice as long, and it was already a twenty minute round trip. But if he left Sam with his father, it could have extremely dangerous consequences. He wasn't sure he wanted to take the chance. But night was falling, and walking for nearly an hour wasn't really on his to do list at that moment. He sighed, and bent down to Sam's level. It wasn't far, as Sam was relatively tall for his age.
"Sam, can you do something for me?"
Sam nodded eagerly, and Dean smiled, "I need you to stay here. I won't be long. But I want you to stay in your room, and don't annoy Dad, okay?"
Sam pouted, a little upset, but nodded. He glanced back at the door to his father's room, then back to his brother with concern shining in his eyes.
"Is Daddy still mad?"
"Yeah. A little. Just stay in your room until I get back, okay? Can you promise me that?"
Sam nodded. Dean stood up, ruffling Sam's hair affectionately. Sam frowned and pushed Dean away with a small yelp. Dean laughed quietly.
"I'll be back soon, okay?"
Sam nodded quickly and ran to his room. Dean waited until he'd heard the door shut before he left the motel room, and headed for the shop.
/\/\
Walking home, his hands full with bags of food, Dean wondered if Sam had done as he'd been told. There were times when he totally ignored whatever someone told him, and did his own thing. It hadn't ended well the last time. He hoped Sam had stayed quiet and away from their father – he wasn't sure if it would end any better than it had last time.
He approached the motel door, passing the Impala. He couldn't hear any shouting or yelling. That was always a good sign. He unlocked the door, juggling the bags, and walked inside. He shut the door behind him, waiting for Sam to come running out and ask for his Lucky Charms. But he didn't come. Dean put the bags down in the kitchen and walked towards the room they shared, dread-filled curiosity washing over him.
He paused outside the door, listening carefully in the silence. And, breaking the silence, was the sound of his little brother crying.