Hi guys! Here's the next chapter. I'm not quite sure when the next chapter is going to be up. I know what it's going to have in it, I just gotta find the time to write it. I sort of felt like Dean was being abandoned so I did something (you have to read to find out... hehe.) but hopefully you guys can let me know what you think of it. Hopefully you'll think it's okay. Also, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the reviews, hits, favorites, etc... you guys are awesome!

So who is disappointed that there are NO commentaries with Jared or Jensen? I am! If they are on the DVD and I'm just being an oblivious little idiot could you please tell me where because I can't find them and I'm quite sad about it. Thanks! Who watched the gag reel? I thought that was hiliarious, I love those two dorks!

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you thought of it. Thank you! :)


It had been three days since Sam had returned to school and it was going smoother than he had thought it would. People would still stare and whisper as he walked down the halls until one of his friends would glare until the other person turned away. Sam kind of felt like he had his own personal security detail when his friends walked him to class just to make sure no one bothered him unnecessarily and he liked it. He felt protected, something he normally only felt when Dean was around. He was glad he had his friends; he knew he wouldn't have lasted this long without them.

"So you'll talk to Dean and then call me?" Kate asked as they walked out of science.

Sam nodded. They'd just been assigned a project where each team had to make a mousetrap racecar for their gravity unit.

"Awesome, have a good Thanksgiving. Bye Sam!" She said climbing into her mother's suburban. "And don't forget, call me!"

He smiled nervously and walked to the car.

"Hey," Dean smiled when Sam climbed in. He was beyond happy and relieved that so far every day when he'd picked Sam up, the kid had had a smile on his face. Hopefully, it was a sign that things were moving in the right direction.

Caught up in his own thoughts it took Sam a minute to respond.

"What are you smiling about so much?" Dean asked amused.

"Hunh, oh um, nothing… I'm just thinking." Sam answered.

"Thinking about what?" Dean asked. "Or should I ask who?"

Sam blushed causing Dean to smile.

DW/SW

The next day, Sam and Dean loaded up the trunk with drinks and headed to Mike's house for Thanksgiving. "Hey," Mike smiled and let them in. The place felt familiar to Sam and he found that he was a lot more at ease than he was last year. Everybody who had attended last year came again plus a few new guests. Mike's sister, Jenny and her husband, Mark had brought their two month old twins, Sarah and Emily and Mike had a surprise for Dean.

"Sam! How have you been my dear?" Carol asked as she placed a coke in front of him. Dean watched and smiled. Carol had taken an instant liking to Sam, although Dean wasn't quite sure how you couldn't like the kid. Mike had told Dean that his parents had had a few choice words to say when they'd found out about the bullies and Sam's troubles at school.

"I'm okay. Glad it's the break." Sam answered before taking a sip of his drink.

Seeing that Sam was okay with her, Dean wandered out into the house finding Mike talking with his sister and brother-in-law. He found it entertaining that his friend was holding a baby. "Isn't she cute?" Mike asked as he proudly showed off his niece.

Dean laughed a little. "She's a keeper." He smiled.

"I know she's just too precious!" Amy, Chris's new wife squealed. "I honestly want to take them home!"

"We just got married, don't go getting any ideas." Chris replied.

"I'll be back in a couple minutes, I'm gonna go check on Sam." Dean told Mike after listening to the conversation for a little while.

"Dude, I'm sure he's fine." Mike said earning a glare from Dean. He put his hands up in mock surrender.

Dean walked into the kitchen only to have Sam start laughing the moment he walked into the kitchen. "What?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Sam replied, a smile on his face as he stared at his older brother.

"We were just telling him stories Dean about you and Michael when the two of you were little." Bob, Mike's father explained.

"Oh god, do I even want to know?" He groaned knowing that a few of the stories were quite embarrassing. He stayed in the kitchen for a little while longer not minding being embarrassed if it would make his brother smile. After all, everybody had stories like that. "'Kay, I think I've had enough humiliation for one night." He winked at Sam and then grabbed his drink heading back out to the patio.

Mike looked at Dean. "So, how is he?" He asked.

"He's fine. Your parents are telling him stories… 'bout you and me." They both grimaced.

"Did they tell him the one about us when we were five and thought it would be fun to drive our little cars down the sidewalk butt-naked?" Mike asked.

"Yup." Dean replied. "Oh well, he's having fun and that's all that matters."

"I want you to meet someone." Mike said.

"Dude," Dean groaned. "I don't need help meeting people."

"No you don't Dean but you never go out, now come on I promise she's great and hot too." He whispered the last part. Dean sighed and followed Mike. "Rachel, this is Dean, the one I was telling you about."

She turned away from the conversation and smiled at Dean. "Hi,"

Dean smiled back. She's not hot, she's fucking gorgeous Dean thought as he introduced himself. Rachel had sparkling green eyes, sort of reddish brown hair and a fantastic smile. "So, are you new to town? I think I would have remembered seeing you before."

She nodded. "Just moved here last week actually."

"Where ya from?" Dean asked watching as Mike silently slipped away.

"Cicero, so not too far away." Rachel answered.

"If you want I could show you around some time." Dean suggested.

"I'd like that." Rachel smiled again.

"Dean, I hate to interrupt but would you mind holding her for a few minutes?" Jenny asked.

"Oh sure Jenny," He said setting his drink down on the coffee table to free up his hands. First he took the burp cloth and set it over his shoulder. Once that was settled, she gently passed the baby girl over to him. Emily opened her eyes revealing them to be a light blue color and at first Dean thought she was going to start to cry but Emily sighed and settled back to sleep.

"Do you mind if I go get something to drink?" She asked once they realized that Dean knew what he was doing and Emily seemed content.

"Go ahead." He whispered softly not wanting to wake Emily.

Jenny smiled, thanked Dean and stood up walking into the kitchen.

"You look good with a baby." Rachel commented.

Dean laughed a little. "Yeah, not really used to this but seeing as I'm basically her uncle, I gotta get used to it."

She nodded. Mike had explained how close he and Dean were and how they had practically grown up together.

"So what made you move to our little town?" He asked after a couple minutes had passed.

"School, I'm going to the local junior college. It's cheaper here than in Cicero." She explained. "What about you? What do you do?"

"Mechanic, I've got my own shop too… inherited it from my dad." Dean answered.

"Oh, that's pretty cool. So you're a car junky?" She asked.

Dean smiled. "Pretty much, always been a fan of classics. My brother thinks I'm a little obsessed."

"Your brother, is he here?" She asked.

"Ah yeah, I think he's either in the kitchen or outside. Are you an only child?" He asked.

"No, I've got two younger sisters and an older brother." She replied.

"Cool, big family." He said shifting Emily a little. They continued to talk for a few minutes and then Jenny came back. She set her plate and her drink down on the side table. "Thanks so much Dean. I hardly ever get a few minutes. I hope she wasn't too much trouble."

"She was fine, don't worry about it." He said gently handing the sleeping baby back to her mother.

"Um, do you want to get some food?" Rachel asked.

"Sure." Dean said grabbing his coke. "Bye Jenny."

"Bye Dean." Jenny said.

"Give me one sec," Dean said seeing that Sam wasn't in the kitchen anymore. He walked out into the yard where he spotted Sam playing fetch with Ranger and Bella. He smiled a little while he watched Sam for a moment, glad to see his brother enjoying himself again. "Hey, dinner's ready kid."

"Oh okay," Sam replied throwing the ball one last time before following Dean into the house. "Um Rachel this is my younger brother Sam. Sammy, this is Rachel." Dean said introducing the two of them.

"Hi," She smiled sweetly.

He smiled back and picked up a plate.

After the three of them had gotten their plates full, they walked to the dining room where the rest of the family was seated. Mike smiled when he saw Rachel and Dean together. He'd met Rachel at a party recently and though they hadn't clicked romantically, they'd become friends and he thought she'd be perfect for Dean. His friend needed to get out and meet some people.

Sam sat back and watched as his older brother flirted with the young woman. He felt jealous in a way, wishing he could be like that with Kate. Soon enough the evening winded down and the guests were slowly leaving. "We should go out sometime." Rachel said smiling.

"We should." Dean agreed.

"Here's my number, call me." She handed Dean a slip of paper and then walked to her red Jetta.

Dean smiled and put the paper in his pocket though he knew the next couple weeks would be busy. Sam's first surgery was scheduled to happen in a little over two weeks. "You ready to go?" Dean asked turning to Sam.

Sam nodded and walked to the car after he and Dean had said goodbye to Mike.

DW/SW

"I have a question, well a couple questions." Sam said after joining Dean on the couch the next afternoon.

"I'm all ears." Dean said turning to face his younger brother.

"First can you help Kate and me on a project?" He asked.

"What project?" Dean asked.

"It's um, it's for science. We're having a class competition as our unit activity. We're having a car race." Sam smiled; he knew Dean would like that.

"I like your teacher." Dean smiled.

Sam laughed a little. "Anyways, we have to build racecars out of mousetraps." Sam explained.

"Yeah, I'll help you guys. You said you had a couple?" Dean asked.

"How do you know when you like someone?" Sam asked.

"What do you mean by like as in a friend or something more?" Dean asked.

"More than a friend…" Sam answered.

"Well um, what happens when you see her?" Dean asked knowing who the lucky lady was.

"I get nervous… I mean, I know that's not a big deal. I'm nervous around everyone." Sam was rambling.

"Take a breath," Dean instructed. "Kay by nervous do you mean your heart speeds up and your hands sweat?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded.

"Do you think about her a lot?" He smiled when Sam nodded again. "Well, well, I'd say there's a very lucky lady out there." He grinned, nudging Sam in the arm.

Sam blushed. He didn't think he was a good catch at all. He'd never been with anyone before and he had no clue what to do in these kinds of situations. He was the shy, nervous guy, not exactly boyfriend material. And besides that what kind of girl would want a guy with Sam's past? "I don't know if she's lucky if I like her. I mean, I don't know how that works at all and what if I'm just…" He drifted off.

"What if you're what?" Dean asked starting to get concerned.

"What if I'm lying to myself?" Sam asked.

"Sam, you're confusing me. What are you talking about, lying to yourself?" Dean asked.

"I've really only been with guys… what if…" He said turning away from Dean.

"Sammy," Dean said placing his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Please look at me." He pleaded.

Sam slowly turned back around and looked up at his big brother uncertainty shining in his eyes.

"You haven't been with anyone kid. Those bastards forced themselves on you, it doesn't count. It wasn't your choice. If you think you like Kate, I say you give it a shot." Dean smiled a little. "I'm not saying you have to tell her how you feel or anything, just be open. You never know what might happen."

"I wish I could be like you." He said quietly.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"You're confidant and sure of yourself." Sam answered.

"Sammy, you don't have to be like me kiddo, just be yourself. Don't sell yourself short okay." Dean reassured even though he was slightly flattered that his brother looked up to him that much. "Any girl would be lucky to have you be interested in them."

Now it was Sam's turn to look confused.

"You're sweet Sam. You're not like other guys your age and I mean that in a good way. Most of us when we get a girlfriend for the first time we start acting like the top dog and end up being dicks. I know you won't treat Kate like that. And you're funny, you are. Making sure you make your girl laugh is important. You'll do just fine kid, I know you will but just in case this doesn't work out, there's plenty more fish in the sea alright."

He nodded thinking about what Dean had just told him. "I guess I should call Kate, tell her you said yes." Sam said getting up from the couch and walking into the kitchen.

Dean could hear his brother stalling and decided to give him a push. "Sam, would you call the girl already please?" He sighed.

Sam took a deep breath and dialed Kate's number with shaky fingers. "Um… hi, it's Sam, is Kate home?" He asked hoping he didn't sound too nervous.

"One moment please." Kate's mother, Sheryl, said. "Kate, you have a phone call. It's a boy named Sam."

Kate smiled; glad he'd decided to call her. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," He replied back. There was a bit of awkward silence as both were nervous.

"So, did you talk to Dean?" She finally asked.

"Yeah, he said he'd help us." Sam answered.

"Awesome, so when do you want to get started? I know it's not due until after our next break but ya know…" She asked. "We could do it over the break if you're gonna be around."

"I will be." He said. Shit he thought as he remembered that he was supposed to have his first surgery over the break. "Actually Dean just told me that um, he's not sure what we're doing so I guess I'll figure it out and then I don't know, call you later." He said thinking he sounded like a total idiot.

"Okay, that's fine. How was your Thanksgiving?" She asked.

Sam was shocked that the conversation was continuing and it took him a minute to answer. "It… it was fine. We went to Mike's house." He replied.

"Ask her about hers." Dean told him from where he sat on the couch when Sam didn't say anything else.

"Um, how was yours?" He asked.

"Great. I went to my grandparents' house and saw all my cousins so it was fun. Ugh, my sister needs the phone apparently." She said glaring at her sister who was mimicking her. "Thanks for calling and I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah, bye." Sam said hanging up the phone.

Dean gave him an expectant look. "Well…?" He asked.

"She asked if we could do it over the break." Sam said walking over to his brother with a torn look on his face. "I'm gonna be around but not exactly up to doing anything."

"Does she know what you're going to be doing over the break?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head no.

Course she doesn't. I bet James doesn't either. "Are you gonna tell her?" He asked.

"Do you think I should?" Sam asked wanting his big brother's advice. It was something he'd debated a lot about recently. He didn't know if he should or if he even wanted to tell his friends about it. He didn't know what their reaction would be and things had finally started to look better, he didn't want anything to ruin it.

"I don't know Sam. It's up to you but if they ask you to hang out then and you ya know can't. Tell 'em why." Dean answered. "It can't hurt anything."

Sam nodded. "I'll think about it."

Sam spent the rest of the weekend doing homework and hanging out with Dean as the majority of his friends were away for the holiday. Dean scheduled a date with Rachel for the coming Friday and he'd been surprised when Sam had been okay with that. Of course the kid could just be saying so and Dean knew he'd have to watch him closely for any indication of the opposite.

DW/SW

Sam had been listening to his friends discuss plans for their two week long winter break and knew he wouldn't be able to join in. "You can count me out." He said regretting that fact and not meaning for them to hear him.

"What? Why?" James asked.

"Ah…." Sam looked around. Well, I guess I gotta tell 'em now he thought.

"Are you guys going somewhere?" Andy asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, I'll be here."

"Then why can't we hang out?" James asked very confused.

"What about our project? I thought we were going to work on it?" Kate asked.

Sam looked at his friends and suddenly felt like he was letting them down. "I'm sorry." He said before grabbing his backpack and walking away from the table.

"Sam, wait!" James ran up to him and grabbed his arm. "What is it?" He asked. Kate, Andy and Bobby had gotten up from the table and joined Sam and James.

"C'mon man, you can tell us. We're friends right?" Andy asked and Sam thought he saw genuine concern in his friend's eyes.

"I'm um… I kind of have to have this thing done." He said quietly.

"What thing? Are you okay?" Kate asked concerned.

Why the hell are they so concerned about me Sam asked himself. "I'm… I'm fine. It's nothing, just a little procedure." Sam replied.

"What? Procedure? Sam, what's going on?" Bobby asked.

"It's nothing, really, it's just…" He drifted off.

"Just what?" James asked. "Sam, would you please just tell us already because I think we're all thinking you're like gonna die or something!"

"I'm not gonna die." Sam smiled a little.

"Then what is it?" Kate asked softly.

"Dean… Dean called a plastic surgeon a while ago." Sam started.

"A plastic surgeon, what for?" Bobby and Andy asked completely confused.

"Sam," Kate shot them a look and then turned to Sam. "Is it for your you know, your… your scars?" She asked.

Sam nodded as tears pricked his eyes and he hastily wiped them away, not wanting his friends to see him cry.

"Can we ask why you're doing this?" James asked as they all chose to ignore the fact that Sam had tears in his eyes, they didn't think Sam would want them to acknowledge that fact.

Sam was quiet and sniffled a little. "I don't want to have to deal with them anymore and… and I know that this won't get rid of them completely but it'll help."

James nodded. "So, what's gonna happen?"

"I um, I go in on the twenty-first. It's an outpatient procedure so I get to come home later that day but um apparently it's gonna be painful for a while afterwards so I don't think I'm gonna be up to doing much." Sam explained. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," James reassured.

"I'm gonna miss a lot of school because there's going to be two more after this one so…" He drifted off.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure you don't miss out on too much." Bobby smiled.

"Hey Sam?" Andy asked.

"Yeah," Sam replied.

"Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?" He asked.

Sam shrugged. "I guess I um, I didn't know what you guys would think." He said quietly now feeling a bit bad that he hadn't trusted them.

"You're our friend Sam. We just want to make sure you're okay." James smiled a little. "So, if you're not gonna be up to hanging out over the break, why don't we make tomorrow be a guy's night out?" He suggested. "That okay with you?"

After a moment Sam nodded. "Yeah… yeah, I guess."

Kate smiled glad that James had asked Sam to have a night out. She knew he needed it. "And don't worry about the project okay, we can figure something out."

Sam felt a wave of relief wash over him and he found he was glad he told his friends what was going on. It was better than stressing over what their possible reactions might be. "Thanks guys." He said with a smile.

"For what?" They all asked in unison.

Sam shook his head. "Just thanks." And with that they walked back to their table to finish their lunch.

DW/SW

"I told them." Sam said as he climbed into the car.

"And what did they say?" Dean asked.

"They said it was okay and that they'd make sure I didn't miss out on too much." Sam explained.

"Told you it was nothing to worry about it." Dean smiled. "So are you and James still hanging out tomorrow night?"

Sam nodded. "And Bobby and Andy… guy's night out."

Dean laughed; he remembered having those in high school. Of course he still had them but the content of the night had changed.

"And um, is it okay if Kate comes over on Saturday to work on our project?" Sam asked.

"Sure." Dean smiled; glad Sam had followed his advice and was starting to trust his friends a bit more.

DW/SW

"Alright, I'll pick you up around eleven okay?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded.

"Bye kid, have fun and call me if you need anything." He said as Sam closed the door.

"You too. Bye Dean." Sam said before walking towards his friends' house.

After making sure that Sam got in okay, Dean restarted the car and drove towards Rachel's apartment close to the local community college. He smoothed down his shirt, grabbed the flowers and walked up to her door. "Hi," She smiled somewhat nervously. "Come in."

"Hi," He replied thinking she looked stunning. She was wearing a white cotton dress that showed off her tan skin in all the right places and a pair of sandals. "You look really, really nice."

She smirked a little. "You don't look so bad yourself handsome." He was wearing a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up at the elbows, a white t-shirt on underneath and dark wash jeans.

Dean laughed a little. "These are for you." He said handing her the flowers.

"Thanks," She said walking into the kitchen. "So, what's the plan for tonight?" She asked as she put the flowers in a vase.

"I thought we'd go grab a bite to eat then walk around for a bit? That sound okay?" He asked.

"Sounds great, okay, let's go." She said grabbing her purse and then they were off.

DW/SW

James had let Sam in and he walked somewhat nervously into the living room. James introduced Sam to his parents and his younger brother and then the two went to hang out in his room until the rest of the guys showed up.

About fifteen minutes later, the four of them piled into James's jeep and drove towards town.

DW/SW

Dean and Rachel had been walking around town for a while, enjoying the other's company. "You want some?" Dean asked seeing the sign outside the bagel shop that advertised hot chocolate.

"Sure." Rachel answered. "Thanks but let me pay, you paid for dinner."

"Nope, tonight's on me but it's alright because you can pay next time." He smirked before walking up to the counter.

Rachel laughed a little and followed him in.

"Hi, ah, can I get two hot chocolates?" Dean asked paying more attention to his wallet than the cashier.

Jack stared stunned and somewhat ashamed when he saw Dean walk in. He panicked for a moment before he let his tough guy mask fall back in place. "So how'd you get her to go out with you? Did you have to hide the loser away for the night?"

Dean's head snapped up and then he smirked. "Make good money here Jack?" He asked.

Jack looked down, a teacher's salary hadn't been much but this was worse. "It's his fault I'm working here."

Rachel stood to the side watching quietly, she wasn't sure what was going on.

"It's his fault!" Dean asked incredulously. He leaned over the counter and grabbed the front of Jack's uniform. "Please tell me what a seventeen year old kid did to make you act like a dick? It's not his fault, it never will be and for the record she knows Sammy and she's still going out with me. So who's the loser now Jack? The guy who's on an awesome date with a really cool chick and an amazing little brother waiting for him or the guy working the counter at the bagel shop because he tried to act macho and lost his job?"

"Dean," Rachel said tugging on Dean's jacket sleeve when she saw the manager walking towards them. "Let's go."

He growled and shoved Jack backwards and then stormed out of the place. Stopping by a nearby bench he tried to calm himself down and raked a hand through his hair. "Sorry." He apologized to Rachel.

"It's okay." She smiled sympathetically. "Who was that guy?"

Dean sat down on the bench and motioned for her to join him. "He used to be Sam's PE teacher. The guy liked to play favorites but unfortunately Sam wasn't on his list because sports aren't really his thing. He's more into books and all of that kind of stuff. But the guy made Sam's life hell and when the principle found out, he was fired. He still blames the kid for it."

"Sounds like an ass." She said after Dean was done.

"He is. We used to be high school rivals and he wasn't, isn't too happy that I could beat him pretty easily and took that out on Sam. Anyways, enough about that… how about we go find another place?" He said changing the subject.

She nodded and took Dean's hand as they walked down the street.

DW/SW

"So did you have a good time?" Dean asked when he picked Sam up from James's house after dropping Rachel back off. They'd agreed to go out again but hadn't scheduled it yet.

"Yeah, I did, I really did." He said with a smile.

"I'm glad to hear that kiddo, what did you guys do?" He asked.

"Um we drove around for a bit, went to the drive through and got Jack-in-the-box then we went back to James's house and played video games until you showed up." Sam answered.

Dean smiled. He was glad his brother had found friends who treated him like he was normal because even with his brother's past, he was after all still a seventeen year old kid, who wanted to have friends, go to school and be able to get a girlfriend when he wanted to.

DW/SW

The next afternoon around one, Kate arrived with the mousetrap and they set up shop in the living room. "Okay, let me see the instructions." Dean said after joining the two of them.

"Thanks for helping us." Kate said as she opened her binder and took the paper out.

"Not a problem." Dean said reading through the guidelines. "Let me go get something and then we can get started."

Sam and Kate nodded and watched as Dean walked away both shooting each other friendly smiles. He came back a few minutes later with a small cardboard box and his tool box. "Alright, so what were you guys thinking of doing?" He asked.

Sam and Kate shrugged. "I do think we should make it as aerodynamic as possible." Kate replied.

Sam nodded.

"Okay." Dean thought for a minute. "Alright so if you look at the most aerodynamic racecars, they're all narrow and low to the ground. I think that's what we should do."

Sam rolled his eyes at his big brother. Granted they were working on a racecar but still, at times it seemed like his brother could relate anything to cars.

"Hey, you want my help or not?" Dean asked.

"Fine, fine, fine." Sam muttered. "Do it your way."

"Let me see the mousetrap please." Dean said putting his hand out.

"Okay, what do you guys think about three wheels?" Dean asked.

"Like one in the front and two in the back?" Sam asked.

"Yeah and I doubt anyone will use that design so it'll be unique." Dean answered. "What do you think?"

Sam shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"I say we go for it." Kate said in agreement.

"Awesome," Dean smiled and began to instruct Sam and Kate on how to make their three wheeled racecar. Within an hour it was finished and both were feeling relieved that they no longer had to worry about it. "Let's see how well it works." Dean said.

Sam put the car down on the hardwood floor, pulled back the rubber band and the three of them were surprised that it went halfway across the floor. "I think we've got a winner." He smiled.

"Good job!" Kate said happily as she high fived Sam.

Dean laughed a little at the blush that was creeping into his brother's cheeks.

After Sam and Kate had spent a little more time together eating lunch, Dean and Sam drove Kate home. "Bye Sam, thanks again Dean." She said waving goodbye.


Hey! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know and THANKS again! :)