I know, I know, it's been forever. Sorry guys... Either way, I'm back :) Thanks for any reviews, alerts, etc. I really appreciate it!
Year 6: Stick to the Sandcastles
Dean leaned back in the lawn chair, yawning and looking up at the sky through his sunglasses. It was so relaxing on the beach. It was a school day, but they had just gotten into town, so the boys were taking a day to rest, leaving the shoreline void of most of the usual screaming children. Instead it was peaceful and relaxing...
"Dean!" He rolled his eyes beneath his shades and ignored his brother. "Dean!" Sam whined sadly. "Please come with me into the water!"
Dean looked down at the boy. He wasn't in the mood to be keeping track of Sam in the strong ocean currents John'd warned them about. "Thought you were making sandcastles, Sammy."
"They're boring."
Dean sighed, threw his glasses onto the chair and stood up. "Come on if you're coming." He said. Sam scrambled to his feet, sending sand flying in every direction.
Dean walked after the six-year-old racing towards the water, less than enthusiastic. He was so tired, but Sam was full of eagerness to see the ocean, and John had ordered him not to let the weak swimmer out of sight.
An order was an order.
"Come on, Dean!" Sam sloshed back out of the waves and took hold of the ten year old's arm, pulling him behind him.
"I'm coming." Dean grumbled. The water lapped at his feet, feeling more refreshing than he ever remembered. Dean's mouth twitched. A happy Sam, cool breeze, and great waves? What did he really have to be disgruntled about.
"Don't go too deep!" Dean called after Sam, who rolled his eyes and dog-paddled closer again. For six, he was fairly good at swimming, but he needed practice.
"Well, what sort of fun am I supposed to have without deep water?" Sam huffed, frowning.
"Plenty," Dean answered. "Tag, Marco Polo, I could show you how to float on your back?" He suggested.
"What's Marco Polio? I wanna play!"
Dean sniggered. "Polo. And I'll show you. You close your eyes, I'll swim around you quietly, and you have to find me."
"Well, if you're silent, then how'll I know where you are?"
"Every time you say 'Marco,' I have to say 'Polo.' You follow my voice."
Sam grinned, eager to start. While he counted to ten, Dean floated to Sam's left slightly, an easy target for his brother's first run. "Okay! Marco!"
"Polo," Dean replied. Sam's head swung in the direction of Dean's voice, hands groping in front of himself like a blind man.
"Marco!"
"Polo."
"Marco!" Sam's hand whacked Dean in the face. "Watch it, Velma!" Dean teased as Sam opened his eyes and smiled proudly.
"Let's see you find me!" He challenged. This wasn't so bad after all. He was actually having fun. He covered his eyes, his body swaying in the waves. "One, two, three..." He heard Sam splash to his right and smiled knowingly.
"Four, five, six..."He slowed down the count, giving Sam a little extra time.
"Seven, eight, nine..." Dean took a deep breath under his hands. The only splashing he heard was fairly far out, so Sam must be being fairly quiet. "Ten!" He called.
"Marco!" Dean waited, expectantly faced towards the direction he'd heard Sam initially. Sam didn't respond.
"Marco! Sam, you have to answer, it's the rules!" He said. Sam didn't answer again. "Marco!" He opened his eyes and twisted his head around frantically, the only sight being the tumbling waves of the Pacific Ocean.
A nearby surfer stopped. "Are you looking for someone?" He asked with a strong accent Dean couldn't place. The man looked about twenty, the slightly worried look in his eyes mirroring Dean's more frantic one.
"Yeah, my brother." His eyes scanned the coast and he swore he could see a small hand raise up a ways away.
"You know, there are some powerful currents around-"
"Sam!" Dean dove under without waiting and swam as fast as he could towards his brother. Sam's eyes were closed, his long hair wet and clinging to his pale face. Dean's arms moved faster than he ever imagined they could, powered by the sight of his little brother, his Sam, bobbing in the waves. He scooped up his brother, half swimming back towards the shore, where a crowd had drawn to watch the turn of events.
Later than Dean wished, he reached the sandy shore again, falling to his knees and laying Sam down. "Sammy..." He said as he was forced away by the lifeguard. With blurry eyes, Dean watched the lifeguard perform CPR. He clutched Sam's hand, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when he felt a small squeeze back.
Sam coughed, spluttering as he sat up. "Dean?" He choked out. Dean pushed the lifeguard aside. "Hey, Sammy, you okay?"
"I'm fine, Dean."
Sam gripped Dean's hand firmly as the older boy helped him to his feet. "Do you want to go home? We should go home." Sam shrugged. He wasn't so keen on telling their dad about his outing.
"I'm going to have to tell Dad." Dean seemed to read his mind. Sam's face fell, still pale, but he shivered even after Dean wrapped a towel around him.
"We're going home." He decided. He couldn't let Sam's puppy dog eyes get to him this time. "We'll come back again, Sam, I promise, and I'll help you get better. Maybe you'll get so good, you'll save someone someday too." Neither knew that time would come over fifteen years later, the memory of this very day being the willpower Sam needed to break through the door between himself and a drowning child. "We'll come back and you can swim again, okay?" He smiled shakily.
Sam shook his head, eyes wide. "I think I'll stick with the sandcastles."
Aww, Sam... I'll update soon. I mean it this time! In the meantime, feel free to review? ;) See you guys soon!