Chapter 2 – Letters, Meetings, and Adjustments

Dean held up the letter for his brother to see. "What the hell is this?"

Sam looked at the envelope in his brother's hand. He knew better then to say anything smart but he couldn't stop himself. "An envelope would be my guess." Sam said dryly.

Dean's eyes flashed with anger and Sam knew instinctively that he'd crossed the line. He gulped nervously as he watched Dean try to tame the anger that was threatening to spew.

"If I were you little boy, I'd watch my attitude; you're in enough trouble as it is. What is the meaning of this letter?" Dean demanded again.

Sam looked at the envelope closer and realized what it was, a midterm failing class notice. He looked at the door for confirmation that it was the same one that he had noticed earlier. The Winchester temper suddenly flared up in Sam.

"What the hell man? You can't just read letters that are sent to me! Hell Dean, hasn't dad managed to teach you any manners yet?" Sam said sarcastically.

The youngest Winchester didn't have time to say anything more as Dean suddenly grabbed his upper arm and spun him around. The oldest Winchester brother landed four stinging swats to Sam's backside causing his younger brother to yelp. Sam looked at his roommate and was glad to find him still asleep.

"I told you to watch your attitude mister. I'm not going to warn you again. Do you understand me?" Sam's older brother demanded.

"Yes Sir." Dean's baby brother replied respectfully.

Dean released Sam's arm and Sam took several steps back, trying his best to keep out of his big brothers reach. Dean walked further into the room and the smell of vomit and booze immediately assaulted his nose.

"Were you drinking Sam?" Dean asked with quiet fury.

"No, sir; Ethan, my roommate drank too much and passed out." Sam cringed at the look his older brother gave him.

Sam tried his best to keep the sound of fear out of his voice but knew it was a losing battle. An irate John he could handle but an irate Dean he couldn't. John, his father would scold and maybe spank him, which was always unpleasant, but… an irate Dean was something to be reckoned with. His spankings were every bit as hard as his fathers, but what was worse was the disappointed and hurt look Dean gave him as he punished him.

"I'll ask one more time and Sammy you don't answer me, and you'll find yourself staring at the floor for a long time. What the hell is the meaning of this letter?" Dean asked again, waving the paper in front of his brother.

"I don't know; I haven't read it yet." The younger Winchester defended himself.

"Read it then." Dean demanded, shoving the letter in his brother's face.

Sam took the letter from Dean's hand. His hands shook a little as he opened the letter.

Mr. Samuel Winchester,

I am writing to inform you that as of present you are failing American Politics. Please beware that if you do not raise your grade you will not pass the class and will be forced to re-take the class at a later date. Failure of American Politics will also result in your G.P.A. lowering drastically. You could also be placed on academic probation. Academic probation may also result in the loss of your fully paid scholarship. It is suggested that you make an appointment to see me about this serious problem at your earliest convenience. Please contact me at 555-5555 or see me during my office hours: M – W – F 7 am to 9 am and 3 pm to 5 pm OR T – TH 12 noon to 2 pm

Sincerely,

Ted Ross, Professor, American Politics

Sam looked up at his brother and opened his mouth…no words would come out. He sat down on his bed, knowing the chance of him being able to sit comfortably in the near future was now in jeopardy.

"Want to explain the letter to me now?" Dean demanded, eyeing his little brother, arms crossed in front of his chest and a pissed off look on his face, looking all the while like an angry John Winchester.

"I-I…" The younger man faltered.

Sam gave his brother a look of sheer fear, not of Dean, because he knew he loved him, but of the punishment he knew would be meted out. He and the older Winchester brother had gone over the importance of grades since he'd first entered school. Sam could still recall the first time he'd ever failed a test.

Dean had told him to study but the young boy was his father's son, being stubborn and hard headed. He thought he was prepared without having to study further. When he got his test back two days later and saw the red F and the note saying 'needs to be signed by parent' on it he'd cried. Dean had been sympathetic but Sam had still gotten a spanking. To top it all off Dean made his younger brother copy every question he'd gotten wrong down on a separate piece of paper and then find all the answers. When that was finished Dean looked over the paper and declaring the answers correct, made Sam copy them again. Dean kept the original and made Sam take the copy along with the signed test, to his teacher. The only good thing that came out of the whole ordeal was that his teacher gave him bonus points for all the hard work he'd done.

Sam was brought out of his reverie by the sound of Dean clearing his throat. The young man gave Dean his best puppy dog eyes look…it was a losing battle for Sam.

"Buddy boy you are in so much fucking trouble." Dean said his voice full of anger.

"Please don't be mad at me Dean." Sam's voice held all the sadness he was feeling.

Tears came to Sam's eyes and Dean, seeing this, took a deep breath. "I'm not mad at you Sammy. I'm worried about you and why you're failing a class." The older brother reassured his younger brother.

"I don't know Dean…honest." Sam couldn't stop himself from sounding every bit the five years old he was feeling like at that moment.

"I want you to go get ready for bed. In the morning I will come back and make sure you're ready to start the day. I will walk you to class and then you will come back here, pack an overnight bag, and stay with me at the hotel. Do you understand me little boy?"

"Y-yes; Dean…I'm sorry."

Sam couldn't stop a few tears from falling down his face; his big brother's disappointment was obvious to any who observed. Dean sighed and walked over to his kid brother.

"It's gonna be alright Sammy. Go do what I said. I'll wait for you here."

Sam nodded his head and hurried to obey his still irate older brother. When he came back to the room Dean had taken it upon himself to get Ethan situated in bed. Dean said nothing as he pulled back the covers on Sam's bed and waited for his younger brother to get in. Sam had to resist the urge to laugh as he climbed in bed and Dean laid the blankets over him.

"I'll be back in the morning; no wandering the halls, no 'studying', no getting out of bed unless there's a fire." There was sternness in Dean's voice that Sam recognized, although he hadn't heard it in some time.

With that Dean turned off the light and walked out of the room. Sam sighed and turned over on his stomach. 'I better get used to sleeping this way.' He said to himself, drifting off to sleep.

Dean drove to a motel that was several blocks from the school. He didn't understand why but he knew Sam was testing him. 'And I know just what to do about that.'

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The next morning came too early for both Winchester boys. True to his word Dean showed up at the dorm at seven. Sam was already awake but didn't want to get out of bed. When Dean entered his brother's dorm room, Sam looked up, trying his best to avoid his big brother's eyes.

"Get up, get showered, get dressed; it's time to start the day; that's an order."

Sam rolled his eyes but managed to keep his mouth shut. He got out of bed and went past Dean, trying his best to keep his backside away from his big brother. It only took Sam fifteen minutes to come back to the room; he would have returned sooner but he was trying to stall for all he was worth not wanting to face his brother's wrath.

"Do you need to get him up?" Dean pointed irritated at Ethan.

Sam nodded his head before going over to shake Ethan's shoulder. "Ethan, come on man, it's time to get up."

Ethan swatted at Sam's hand and pulled the cover's up over his head. Sam tried again.

"Ethan! Come on man, we gotta go and we're gonna be late for our American Politics class. You know we have that exam today." Sam bit his lower lip trying not to get irritated.

When another shoulder shake didn't wake up the sleeping boy Dean motioned for Sam to scoot back; Sam obeyed quickly.

"WAKE UP!" Dean demanded. With one quick fluid motion Dean took the covers off the boy's bed.

Ethan suddenly sat up upright, "What the fuck man!" His eyes darted back and forth between Sam and the young man with his blankets. "Give me back the damn blankets!" Ethan demanded.

Dean's eyes narrowed and Sam stepped in between the two hastily. "Ethan, this is my older brother Dean; Dean this is my roommate Ethan."

Ethan glared at the brothers, "I don't give a crap that he is. I want my blankets back NOW!"

Sam swallowed nervously but Dean got mad. As quick as Ethan's temper rose, Dean was in his personal space. "You're not getting your blankets back boy. Get up and get ready for class. Sam and I are going to eat breakfast. I expect you there in half an hour."

Dean stood glaring down at Ethan until Ethan looked away. Satisfied that he would be obeyed Dean led Sam to the cafeteria. To Sam's dismay Dean made sure he ate an "actual breakfast" of eggs, sausage, toast, fruit, and juice.

Figuring Dean would leave him alone after that Sam got up and attempted to leave but Dean wouldn't allow him to.

"See you later Dean, I've gotta get to class now." Sam stated looking at his brother.

"Not quite yet Sammy boy, You still have a bit of time and your roommate and partner in crime hasn't shown up yet to eat his breakfast. I'm making sure personally you two get to your class this morning." The older Winchester boy told his little brother sternly.

"I don't need a baby sitter. I'm not five anymore you know!" Sam said hotly.

"It's too early in the morning for you to be giving me attitude dude. Start showing me the respect I taught you little boy, or you'll find yourself unable to sit in class." Dean's voice held an edge that demanded immediate obedience.

Sam nodded his head and quickly sat back down. After a couple of minutes he pulled out his American Politics text book. Dean raised an eyebrow in question.

"I-I have a test in the class; it starts in forty-five minutes." Sam's voice was shaky from fear that Dean would suddenly remember about the letter.

If Dean did he didn't have time to say anything because Ethan showed up looking far better then he should have. Dean got up and led Ethan through the line. As with Sam, Dean made sure Ethan had an actual breakfast.

Ethan looked slightly green by the time they got back to the table but didn't say anything. Dean put a glass of water and three aspirin in front of the younger man and looked pointedly at them. He looked away after Ethan had downed both the water and the aspirin.

Nothing was said among the three of them. When Ethan was done with his breakfast he got up to leave, but Dean stopped him saying, "I plan to escort the two of you to class, so sit down until I tell you we are ready to leave."

Ethan gave him a dark look, but sat back down. Sam watched him nervously; his eyes darting back to Dean every few seconds. Dean said nothing more until he saw the time.

"Okay gentlemen, let's go," Dean's tone, once again, left no room for argument.

Sam said nothing as he led the way to his American Politics class, with Ethan in tow. When they got to the door the professor smiled. "I see the two of you decided to grace us with your presence yet again, Sam; Ethan. To what do we owe this honor?"

Sam glared at his teacher fully intending to snap back at him but Dean laid a restraining hand on his arm. Ethan glared at the professor as well.

"Hi, I'm Sam's brother Dean." Dean smiled at the professor with all the respect he could muster.

"Nice to meet you Dean; afraid you're brother and his roommate would lose their way?"

"Yes, actually, I was. May I have a moment of your time?" Dean smiled and made his voice as sincere as he could.

"Dean?" Sam looked at his brother obviously confused.

"Go in to class, the both of you." Dean glanced at his baby brother and recalcitrant roommate.

Ethan entered the classroom, glancing back to see if his friend was following.

"What are you going to do?" Sam's voice was pleading with Dean to not do what Sam thought he was gonna do.

"Don't worry about what I'm going to do, you get inside your classroom…NOW Sammy," Dean's tone left no room for argument.

Sam hung his head as he walked in. He made sure to look none of his fellow students in the eye. 'I wonder if I can actually die of embarrassment', the younger Winchester mused.

Dean flashed the professor an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about Sam's behavior Mr.…?"

"Ted Ross…and its professor."

"Right; I was wondering if you'd be willing to meet with me and Sam at some point this week."

Professor Ross was thoughtful for a moment. "I can see you at noon in my office. Sam knows the way."

"Thank you Professor Ross. Please tell my brother I'll be here when class is over."

Dean quickly left campus and went back to the hotel to rest. With the hunt earlier that week, the all night drive to Bobby's, and then the drive to Stanford, Dean was pretty tired.

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Before Dean knew it an hour and a half had passed; he knew Sam's class lasted two hours. He hurried back to the room where he had left Sam. The class was still in session. The door was open so Dean stuck his head inside. The site he found made him angry…Sam had his head on the desk in front of him…and was sound asleep and so was his roommate.

Dean held his temper in check while he waited outside the classroom. When class was over the students and the rather irate professor walked out. The professor threw a glare at Dean but said nothing.

When the last student was out Dean went in and kicked Sam's chair first; Sam woke up with a start. Then he went over to Ethan's chair and did the same.

"Have a nice nap sleeping beauty?" Dean's words were laced heavily with sarcasm.

"You too mister?" Dean glanced over at his brother's roommate. "You might want to go back to your room and sleep off the rest of the hangover."

He then turned to the two, "Did you take your tests?" The older Winchester brother glared at the two roommates.

Two sets of eyes looked at the ground faces flushed.

"So, you didn't take the test, you fell asleep instead. Great!" Dean said sharply He turned to Ethan, "You, I want to see return to your dorm room." He turned and pointed to his younger brother, "You will come with me."

Sam began to protest, but Dean cut him off, "Not asking; telling." Dean ordered pointing to the open door of the classroom.

Sam said nothing, knowing that to say anything would only serve to further irritate his older brother. Dean stormed out of the room with Sam on his heels. No words were spoken as Dean led the way to the impala.

When they got to the car, Dean held open the back door and beckoned for Sam to get in. Sam crossed his arms, fully intent on showing his displeasure at being made to sit in the back. Dean's eyes narrowed.

"Get in or I'll put you in." Dean's voice was scarily calm.

Sam took a deep breath as he suddenly remembered that Dean had no problem swatting him in public. Before Dean could move an inch Sam dashed into the car; he was careful not to let his backside get anywhere near his big brother.

The car ride to the motel was tense. Sam couldn't help but fidget in his seat. Dean's hands clutched the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white because he was so furious.

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Dean slammed the motel room door shut when he entered the room, Sam preceding him. Dean taking his little brother by the shoulder, spun him around to face him and exclaimed, still furious at his brother's 'I don't care' attitude, "I'm so fucking tired of your disrespectful attitude Sam." The words were said through clenched teeth.

Sam didn't have time for his brother's words to register before he found himself face down over his big brother's lap.

"NO! Let me go Dean." Sam cried, fighting to get off his lap.

"Not gonna happen little brother. I don't know what game you're playing at but it ends right now!" Dean scolded getting a tighter grip on the giant he called his little brother.

The first swat caused Sam to yelp; he kept quiet after that. Dean found a rhythm to spank his brother and began to lecture.

"You had better drop your disrespectful attitude right now!" swat, swat, swat "I will not tolerate it while I'm here." swat, swat, swat "If you think I'm joking then just you try me little boy." swat, swat, swat "You will find it hard to sit though; do you understand me?" swat, swat, swat

Sam could only nod his head in response, his brother was swatting hard, striking three times in the same place before moving onto another. It was really hurting. In an attempt to end the spanking he put his hands behind him. Dean easily captured the hands and soon Sam found his hands pinned to the small of his back.

"You know better then that." Dean's voice was firm as he reached under his brother and deftly unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, drawing Sam's pants and boxers to the boy's knees.

"NO! Please, Dean…I'm sorry!"

Dean brought his hand down to meet the already reddened backside. Sam could no longer hold back his tears.

swat, swat, swat "Ow!" swat, swat, swat "D-Dean, please I'm sorry!" swat, swat, swat "no more! Please Dean!"

Knowing his brother was close to his limit Dean dropped his left knee and raised his right, swatting the tender under curve of Sam's backside.

"Ow! No Dean! Ah! I'm sorry! I am! Ow! I won't do it agaiiiiiiin!"

Sam went limp over his brother's lap and sobbed. Dean landed two more swats to the boy's meatier part of his backside and stopped.

After rubbing his younger brother's back for a couple of minutes Dean helped Sam stand up and straighten his clothes. Seeing the look of anguish in his baby brother's eyes Dean sighed and opened his arms wide. It only took Sam a split second to rush into the open arms.

"I'm sorry Dean; really I am." The youngest Winchester promised, tears still coming down his face.

"I know Sammy. I also know it's not gonna happen again cuz if it does it's gonna be worse for you. Do you understand?" The older Winchester brother asked sternly.

Sam nodded his head. Dean held back a sigh of annoyance as he felt tears spill on his neck. When Sam's tears had ceased Dean pulled back gently and gave him a wry grin.

"Think you'll be all right Samantha or should I take you to the doctors?"

"Bite me Dean," Sam pouted.

"Take a nap dudette; we have a meeting at noon."

Sam opened his mouth to protest but Dean beat him to it.

"Not another word Sam or you'll find yourself face down again. Get under the covers and take a nap…NOW."

Sam sighed and did as his big brother ordered. 'What am I five'? Sam wisely kept his thoughts to himself. Dean sighed and lay down on the other bed.

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At a quarter till twelve the brothers were back on campus.

"Who are we meeting Dean?"

"Your American Politics professor; Professor Ross."

"Why the hell are we meeting with him?"

"Excuse me?" Dean's eyes narrowed, anger in his eyes.

Sam gulped noticeably. 'Shit…me and my big mouth'…

TBC…