AN: Sorry for the wait, I hope this chapter makes up for it... enjoy!

Knowing that something is a bad idea and acting on it are often two different scenarios, especially when you have a big brother who keeps insisting that he knows what's best. Now though, as Sam leaned back and watched Dean take a shot at the eight ball and missing spectacularly, he couldn't help but wonder what had him so freaked earlier. The same people were there since the last time he'd been there, and no one gave them a second look which put him at ease at least a little while he drank the beer his brother thrust into his hand. Moving in to take his shot though, Sam suddenly felt as if they were being watched, and it wasn't a feeling he liked too much. Looking around he was about to forgo the rest of the game when a hand reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Sammy, you ok there dude?" Dean asked. He'd watched his little brother go from tense to relaxed, to wound up like a coiled spring all in less than half an hour. If he didn't know better he'd swear that Sammy was just about to bolt, which made no sense whatsoever. Looking him over, Dean worried that maybe this had been too much too soon, but then understood that his brother really did need some time away from the house.

Sam knew that Dean was watching him closely, but he wasn't sure what to tell him at the moment, somehow he didn't think that the excuse 'we're being followed' would go over real well especially since he didn't have any proof. Looking at his brother he nodded before returning to his shot and sinking the eight in the corner pocket making Dean groan while handing over ten bucks.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, Dean racked the balls and waited for Sammy to break before he asked, "So, you going to tell me why you dropped out?"

The sudden question threw Sam so much that he managed to completely miss the cue ball and thankfully caught himself before he damaged the felt. Whipping around to face his brother he could only ask, "What did you hear?"

Dean knew a stall tactic when he heard one, but it didn't deter him. "Sammy, what's going on? Is there something that you don't want to tell me, 'cause man, I really thought we were beyond that."

Feeling as if his whole life was spinning out of control, Sam had no idea how to get it back to the way it was. Finally, he nodded before he grabbed his beer and leaned against the pool table. "Dr. Malloy found me at the bookstore earlier this week before everything started happening, he was letting me know which books I really needed and which ones I could do without." Pausing for just a moment he looked up at Dean, "I really thought he was just trying to help."

"What happened, Sammy?" Dean asked, already knowing the professor's side, but wanting to hear what his brother thought.

"He wanted to talk to me and I don't know… maybe I'm making something out of nothing, or maybe I should have just nodded and bought my books then made sure I didn't see him around campus… it's just really screwed up Dean!" Sam said quietly, wishing they could just finish their pool game, go home and forget the whole week had ever happened. He knew Dean was still waiting, but he wasn't sure how to approach it, how to explain that all he wanted to do was go to school and hopefully one day be able to help other kids like Ellie, especially ones that had been dumped into an unsympathetic system.

"Sammy…"

"He talked to me about how some students benefited from extra guidance, and I could tell he was talking about me. I swear Dean… I didn't do anything to…"

Dean stepped closer and put a hand on Sammy's shoulder effectively stopping the kid in mid sentence. "Sammy, I already know, you don't have to say any more, but I do want you to listen ok?" he asked and then waited to watch his confused sibling nod. "Dr. Malloy was planning on volunteering to be your mentor, or at least that's what he told me. I can see why you might have thought something different, but I have to tell you, if he really was making a pass at you then he's the best actor I've ever met."

Mulling over Dean's words, Sam wondered how he could have messed up so badly. Embarrassment crept in and he could no longer look at his brother. 'Man, what the hell?' he thought to himself, truly wondering why he would have even thought that…

"Hey! Don't you do that Sammy, it's not your fault, you didn't know, ok?" Dean said forcibly as he continued to try to break through the wall that he'd seen his brother erect in a matter of moments. "Sammy… I mean it! You did what you had to do, and that's ok. Now I need to know if you still trust me. Do you? Trust me?"

Pulled out of his thoughts, the answer was instantaneous, "With my life Dean."

Nodding, Dean smiled, "Ok then. If you're unsure about what to do, then maybe you could trust me a little bit to help you make that decision. I think you should go and enroll again, get your books, and do that geeky thing you do, ok?"

Puzzled, Sam looked around before asking, "What geeky thing?"

"You know, study as much as you do. I swear I've never met anyone who studies for a test before the subject has even been covered." Dean laughed, and then suddenly stopped when he noticed he was the only one laughing. "Sammy?"

"I don't get it. It takes me longer to understand what they're talking half the time. Sorry if it embarrasses you." Sam said quietly as he pushed himself away from the pool table and headed towards the door leaving a stunned Dean in his wake.

"What the hell?" Dean asked to noone; wondering how his little brother could ever think he was an embarrassment.

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Craig couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of doing something similar sooner, but at the same time felt thankful that Mary was on the ball. Now all he had to do was find out a little bit more about Ellie's biological mother and it should start the ball rolling enough to figure out who was really pulling the strings.

Leaning back, he stretched his arms in the attempt to loosen some of the tension that had taken hold since taking on the Winchester case. Unfortunately it didn't seem to help and he really had to wonder if maybe he should go to the gym for an hour before tackling the next leg of the investigation. He'd always been up to a challenge and knew that this case was definitely going to be one, but there was no way he was going to fail; there was too much at stake.

Picking up the phone, he started on his list of calls to find out more about Brittany but mostly about her family to see if there was any obvious reason why she would come back now after five years. Of course if he could turn up a little bit of dirt on her as well, then it would be an added bonus in his client's favor and he didn't have a problem slinging mud if he had to. From everything he'd learned, Sam Winchester had really tried to pull his life together and was making great strides in that direction, even to the point of impressing many of the academia at the University. He had to admit, after speaking with the young man, he could see why people were often in awe of him; not only was he intelligent and hard working, but also very humble about his accomplishments. Against John's wishes, he had made numerous inquiries to the newfound Winchester and he had to admit that what he had heard initially and what he has seen with his own eyes have been drastically different. Whereas before Johnny Doe was just some street kid with his own agenda, Sam Winchester however was family oriented to the point of obsession, making sure he did whatever he could to make the Winchester's life better. He attributed most of that to the appearance of the very little girl they were fighting to keep.

Halfway through his list he found something more than a little interesting and decided to change tactics. Reaching for his address book he searched for the name that he rarely used, but knew was an impeccable source. Finally finding the number, he placed the call and waited for the groggy voice to pick up. After making arrangements for the other man to meet with him, he hung up and leaned back thinking that finally things were starting to fall into place.

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Dean finally caught up with Sam outside the bar and was even more confused by the forlorn look on his brother's face. This was definitely not the carefree kid they'd met last year and he had to wonder what had caused the change. Then again with everything that had been happening it shouldn't have been a surprise, but now he had to try and figure out how to fix whatever had just happened.

"Sammy, hey c'mon it can't be that bad." Dean said, trying to assure his kid brother that there wasn't anything to worry about. He wasn't prepared for the same brother to turn around suddenly at look at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Not that bad!" Sam exclaimed, not believing what he'd heard. "Not that bad… Dean this isn't a set of broken dishes, this is everything that can go wrong and is. I'm so close to losing everything and you're standing there telling me it's no big deal, well I'm glad it's not to you, but I really thought it was something huge!"

Confused, Dean could only stand there in the middle of the parking lot and watch his brother have a meltdown, with no clue as how to stop it.

Sam stopped and looked at Dean for a moment before he continued. "You know, you have no idea how lucky you have it. You've never had to watch a door at night, wonder where your next meal was coming from, think about if the person you're talking to you is really telling the truth or is waiting for you to let your guard down before stabbing you in the back. You've never had to watch other people talk about what they wanted to do with your life and then wonder if you were going to get old enough to really worry about. I have Dean, I've been there. You got to go to college after going to High School and everything was fine. If I got to go to school I spent most of my time trying to catch up or figure out what they were talking about, most of my teachers thought I was an idiot if they thought about me at all. When I got my GED it wasn't because I thought it was the easiest way out, it was the only way I was going to get out of the system with some sign of an education. Do you have any idea how long I studied for it? How many practice tests I took? Now I have classes that start out confusing and stay that way through most of it, I have a little girl who needs me and I'm so worried I'm going to fail her that I can't sleep, I have a family who I feel like I'm letting down one way or another, and now you're telling me that it's no big deal!"

Dean stared at his brother and wondered how they had missed it, how they all could have gotten so close to him and still miss the signs that he felt out of place. "Sammy, I'm sorry man, I didn't…"

"Dean, this isn't about you. It's one of the reasons why I moved around a lot, I hated the feeling that one day I'd mess up so badly that I wouldn't be able to stay. You know, I never thought about college, it was one of those things that were for other people. Now I'm doing something that not only I never dreamed of, but…"

"Sammy, I'm sorry. I never thought that we'd been laying too much on you. You've been amazing with Ellie, with Mom, hell even the shop has improved with you working there. I know that you don't see it, but you do make things better, I just wished we'd seen what it was doing to you." Dean said as he watched his brother pull himself together and he suddenly realized that he wasn't supposed to hear that outburst; that Sammy had been carrying it around for God knew how long, and that saddened him more than anything. "Ok, you know what… you're right. I have no idea what life was like for you, and I really wished that you'd been with us from the beginning, but we're here now and I'm not going anywhere little brother. So, if you're having trouble with school, or worried that you're not living up to some sort of expectation, then you can talk to me 'cause that's what I'm here for."

Sam looked at Dean and knew that he hadn't expressed himself properly, but wasn't sure how to do it. "Dean, I know you don't get it, and that's ok. I'm the freak that appeared on your doorstep, people have a curiosity about it. Now we have this case to keep Ellie and I'm really getting worried about it. I just don't want to hurt Mom or Dad, you know?"

Dean laughed and shook his head. "Sammy, trust me, you could never hurt them, I promise you. We all want you with us, but most of all we want you to be happy… and this…" he said pointing back and forth from him and his brother. "…this tells me that you're not. So I have to ask little brother… what'll make you happy?"

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A pair of eyes watched intently the scene outside a rundown bar, and wondered just what exactly was going on with the brothers and if there was a way to find out with exposing themselves. No matter how hard the person wanted to intrude, something stopped them as if knowing it wasn't the right time. No, the time had to be right otherwise the plan would be totally destroyed, making a royal mess out of everything in the process. The time would come soon, then everything would fall into place.

Content in the new knowledge, a lone figure stayed in the shadows and walked to a sedan waiting close by. Shortly after, the car drove past the two brothers who were still oblivious to what had just transpired.

AN: Honestly I'm not too thrilled with this chapter, but still hoping it was good... let me know!