The wooden floor was warm under his bare feet. He ran a hand over his arm thinking he should have put back on his shirt but the air is still hot, more humid than it's been all week. Made it would rain, that would be nice a thunderstorm would clam his nerves. He finds father Jim in the kitchen with the rest of them, all laugh and talking. Dean slides into the room and clears his throat they all look his way, Sam's eyes bright and hopeful, his dad silent and thoughtful and the rest of them all watching. It creeps him the fuck out. Jim smiles his rough smile at Dean.

"Dean, comes on in."

"I'd rather talk to you alone father."

Jim nods pats Sam head and follows Dean out the house down the dirt road almost to the driveway. He doesn't ask questions. Dean stops suddenly turning to face him eyes bright and worried.

"Something's going on it that fucking house father Jim. There's not possession I cheek twice, they're not under a spell I cheek, they're not on drugs, at less none that I could find. I don't know what it is but they're not… they're not right."

Jim gives him a patient serious look and Dean knows he is taking his words into consideration.

"Dean I'm not going to patronize you but have you considered they might just be taking a vacation."

Dean glares at the older man. "My dad never takes fucking vacations."

Jim gives him a look, Dean juts out his chin defiance write all over his 17 year old face. And Jim thinks not for the first time John was lucky Dean was so though the boy was to pretty for his own good.

"Your Daddy's leg was almost shattered"

"That explains taking time off for him to rest up but he's letting Sam run around like a fucking brat with that assfuck Jo and he doesn't even give us any training sessions."

Jim meet Dean's determine gaze. "You're worried good. Never take things at face value but Dean the facts have spoken. He's taking a break trying to give you and Sam a little rest. Sam was get antsy with all the moving he is trying to give the kid some peace of mind, rest up his leg a bit before getting back on the road he is still you daddy boy."

Dean turns away from him arms coming up to cradle his upper body. He looks uncertain, young in the light of the fading sun. "What about Sammy."

"What about Sammy?" Jim tries to keep his voice level, he had not been expecting a question about the youngest Winchester, Dean always seemed to have the handling of Sam under control.

"He's different Father I mean… He's Sam still an annoying noisy brat but there…there are these looks he give me something and I can't figure them out."

Jim nods trying to remember the way Sam watched Dean when he came into the kitchen. He can't place the look. "I'm sure it's nothing Dean. Sam is growing up maybe he's just starting to see you in a different light."

Dean turns to look at Jim, his eyes open and desperate, a deep kind of sad that makes Jim wants to hug him, thought he knows the boy would never accept it.

"I don't want him to see me in a different light I want him to…"

Dean cuts himself off dragging both hands through his too long hair.

"I get that he's getting older but he should still… He should still be Sammy. I shouldn't look at him and." Dean cuts himself off taking a violent swing at a rock send it skidding across the yard, he pacing in long forceful movement in the space between Jim and the main road.

"You shouldn't look at him and what Dean." Jim raise his voice just enough to carry to where Dean stands by the main road hands jammed in the pocket of his jeans pulling them down just enough to expose a trail of blond hair leading down till it disappear into his fade jeans.

Shake his head he give father Jim a slightly confused look. "Forget it Father let's go eat dinner."

He starts of back to the house making sure to walk a wide circle round Jim. Jim watches the boy go concern edged into his face. Dean had never been one for secrets.

Dean makes his way to the house, the ground was hard under his bare feet it kept him aware. He had been stupid almost said too much back there. He was getting sloppy all this smiling senile hunter business had him on edge, he was going to fuck up and it was going be soon. He gave the darkening sky a wishful look a thunder storm would make things just the edge of better.

He takes his food to the barn, no one seems surprised to see him go. He sits on a stack of hay in the under shadow of the loft. Pablo rarely used the old barn he had a new one for storing the animals. The one held hay and an old tractor he never got around to tossing or fixing. A few chickens run in every now and then. Dean sends them on their way with a kick to the butt. He eats the chicken, rice and beans. When he's done he leaves the plate on the floor and sips his beer. John had let him start drinking earlier in the year, he figured if Dean was going to do it anyway , at least if he did it front of John he's know how much the kid could take. The barn door creeps open. Dean watches Sam slide into the big space. He carries a plate of cookies in his hand. He makes his way slowly over to where Dean sits.

"Pablo though you might like some of these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies your favorite."

Dean eyes the cookies before look up at Sam who seems pretty much like his Sammy, pleading puppy dog eyes and pout in place. Dean gives him a small smile and takes the cookies, he pats the seat next to him, Sam beams at him, a bright open smile and sits close enough for their naked arms to brush against each other. Dean doesn't mind, he misses his little brother.

They eat the cookies in silence. When they are done Dean dumps the plate next to his first one and opens another beer. Sam gives him a questioning look and Dean let him have a sip. Sam takes a quick sip and makes a face at the taste before handing the bottle back to Dean.

"Are you mad at me?"

Sam's voice surprises Dean, the barn was getting dark, the shadow stretching out in front of them. They hadn't spoken since Sam had first offered the cookies.

"No Sammy I ain't mad at you."

"You act like you are."

"I'm being stupid, it's hormonally teenage shit don't take it personal…I'm a teenager we get that way"

Sam gives him a look Dean can only half read in the lack of light. "You're not stupid Dean."

Dean cracks a smile for the kid. "Come on Sammy lets head in, it's too dark in here to see much."

Sam takes the plates Dean takes the beer bottles and they make their way along the path to the house.

When they get to their room Sam lights a candled and changes into a thin pair of pjs bottom. The room is over heated, the small space trapped all the heat of the sun from the daylight hours. The floor was warm under Dean's feet, he kicks off his jeans and pulled on a pair of boxer sitting on the bed he watched Sam dig around their pile of sheets and pillow looking for the book he had been reading last night. He gives up with a frown. Dean pushes past Sam making sure to elbow him in the side, Sam shoves him back, Dean pushes him hard enough for Sam to topple over into the pile of pillows and sheet. Sam make an annoyed sound in the back of his throat, Dean ignore him and wiggle around trying to get comfortable, he ends up on his back looking up at the pale yellow ceiling. Sam sits next to him feet tucked under him, hands clutching Dean's sketch pad.

"You were drawing today."

"Yeah." Dean doesn't look at him, his body goes tenses, know what coming next.

"Can I see it?"

"Yeah."

Sam flips open the book to the most recent picture, the sketch Dean had made of him in the barn from the night before. Sam stares at it for awhile before closing the book. He puts it careful on the stool by the bed and stands to blow out the candle, the room is suddenly perfectly dark. Sam crawls back into bed, tucking himself under the thin sheet. Dean rolls on his side his back pressed to Sam's, he can feel the heat coming of Sam's skin. He lays there in the dark with the press of the heat bearing down on him, waiting for Sam to say something, waits till Sam's breath evens out into sleep and only then does he allow the tension in him to uncoil, sleep draws him under, he drifts.