A/N: I know I've been a little behind on these one shots, I've been incredibly busy as of late. Thanks for sticking around though! This one is forLewlou15, who requested "Dean takes the Impala shortly after his sixteenth birthday. Dean drinks a beer (underage) and Sam has soda, and have their first ever conversation on the hood of the Impala under the stars." Well, here it is! Thanks for the great request! Huge thanks to BranchSuper, LilyBolt, twomoms, judyann, mb64, mandancie, and deanstheman for your recent reviews! And thank you to all who read, follow, or favorite my work as well. You are all awesome!

Chapter 14 – Starry Night

Of course it was Dean's idea. Always one to go a little on the "wild side", drank a little too much even at the young age of sixteen (though never enough to arise suspicion to their father, of course), spent a lot of time with pretty girls (which, Sam had to admit, had made him rather jealous; the guy had gone from being at his side twenty-four seven to hardly home at all), and cut class practically on a daily basis. He had always been known as a sort of rebel, a nineties version of James Dean, complete with the cool ride (well, his father's cool ride which he had been known to "borrow" on a few occasions, though always without a scratch on her and a full tank of gas), whereas Sam was the epitome of the nerdy sidekick, complete with the mop of hair. In fact, he was only missing the bottle cap glasses. On many of Dean's wild excursions, Sam would finish his homework, or curl up with a good book. True, the kid was only twelve, but still, other than hunting, those who didn't know Sam Winchester would easily assume that his life was quite dull.

Dean, despite his wild demeanor, had always considered Sam to be his number one priority, regarding his personal safety or otherwise. It didn't take long for him to see the disappointed looks when he snuck away to be with the latest junior or senior at the local high school, looks he was trying so hard to pass as cool. He's sixteen, he'd told himself on more than one occasion. Guy's into girls now. He doesn't want to hang around with his dory little brother. But even when he tried to hide his bright eyes by burying his face into his textbook or staring at the TV, Dean knew. His big brother instincts were on overdrive; he saw that his little brother was hurting, and trying so hard to be tough about it.

It didn't take Dean long to pick up the phone and break off his date with Cindy Harrison. Sure, she was one of the hottest girls in school, the one who had agreed to the movie and some "alone time" after. But hot chicks were commonplace in Dean Winchester's point of view. And there was only one Sammy. Cindy was at first, upset, and then royally pissed, but Dean didn't care. He'd likely never remember her in a month or so, and yet he would never forget the way Sam's eyes lit up that February night when he suggested that they take the Impala for a spin.

"Seriously?" A wide grin spread across Sam's face and he dropped his history textbook haphazardly on the couch beside him.

"Damn right. Let's say we blow this place."

"Won't Dad be pissed that you're taking the Impala?" Suddenly a tad anxious; Dean quickly shrugged him off. "Nah, he's huntin' with Bobby, remember? Left the Impala for a reason."

"Yeah, just for emergencies." But Sam was smiling. Already he was reaching for is jacket, not noticing the bottles of Coke and Millers he had slipped behind his coat. A few minutes later, they were on the way, Dean singing loudly (and very off key) to AC/DC as Sam pretended to be irritated. But secretly, he was happier than he'd been in a long while. He was spending time with Dean, Dad wasn't around to force him into weapon's training or research…life was good.

They drove around the back roads for a while, stopping only for a bite to eat at a local burger joint, before Dean finally parked her on the side of a dirt road, near a farmer's field, the Nevada winds blowing at the ghosts of last year's crop. It was a beautiful winter night, the sky bright with stars. Sam stared at the vastness in wonder, drinking in the beauty of the scene. "Look, Dean!" he suddenly spoke up, pointing at one of the constellations. "See those three stars, lined together?"

"Yeah?" Dean didn't really care about astronomy, but Sam had taken an interest in the subject a year or so ago, and had always wanted to go star gazing with his older brother. Actually, Dean had forgotten. He looked down for a moment, ashamed, but had his gaze skyward before Sam could catch on. "What about it?"

"That's Orion."

"O-what now?"

"Orion." Sam rolled his eyes, but grinned at Dean, giving him a playful punch on the arm. "Dude, I can't believe you don't know about Orion."

"No, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me, Geek Boy." Sam stuck his tongue out at his brother, popping open the top to the Coke Dean had handed him. Dean had sat on the hood of the Impala, and Sam followed suit, taking a generous swig of his soda before continuing. "Well, Orion's a hunter. Well, a regular hunter. Those three stars together are his belt." He pointed to another constellation, identifying it as the Big Dipper. "It's called that 'cause it looks like a spoon. And there's another smaller one called the "Little Dipper."

For several minutes, Sam pointed out the different images in the night sky, Dean pretending to understand what his kid brother was talking about. What thrilled Dean, however, was the look on his little brother's face. It was literally glowing, and Dean smiled at the sight. For the first time in what seemed like ages, Sam was honestly happy. And so, for several minutes, the two just sat there, gazing at the beauty ahead, sipping their drinks slowly, savoring the moment. After a while, however, Sam was starting to look slightly uncomfortable. Great, Dean thought, draining the last of his beer .Must've done something to upset the kid. For a moment, he considered saying something, hoping to get his brother to fess up to what was bugging him, but decided against it. Winchesters weren't known to be the sharing and caring type, after all, at least not from his father's generation. But before he could even change the subject, Sam finally spoke up, staring at his empty soda bottle.

"Thanks, Dean."

"Hey, no problem, dude. I had a good time learning about Oregon or whatever his name is."

"Orion," Sam ventured with a slight smile. "But that's not what I meant. I mean, yeah, this was awesome, I had a good time and all. Just…" He paused, peeling away at the label nervously. "Well, you always seem to be busy with girl stuff, and I get it. I really do. It's just that, you know, you used to spend time with me and now…" Sam blinked, trying to hide his rapidly forming tears. "I know, I'm almost twelve, I'm not really a kid and I can't really shadow my big brother anymore. But…" He was about to cry. Great. Eleven-year-olds don't cry because they can't hang out with their brothers anymore. But not many had relationships as tight as his was with Dean. "Just…yeah. Thanks for this. For spending time with me."

Dean could feel that familiar lump in his throat; following his brother's suit, he stared at the stars, not wanting to look Sam in the eye; an action synonymous with the brothers which would continue well into adulthood. After a few minutes, Sam spoke up timidly. "Say something, Dean."

"I'm sorry, Sammy. I know I should've spent more time with you. You're right, I do have the right to go out and have a little fun once in a while, but I guess I've been kind of frustrated, you know? With the job and all that shit. And I kinda vent by spending time with women and staying up all night. But you're having just as tough a time, kiddo. Sometimes I forget about that. And you don't really have the luxury to go out and have sex and all that." Sam grimaced at that, and Dean chuckled. "Wait till you're older, Sammy, then you'll change your mind." The two sat in silence again, this time slightly more comfortable. After a while, Dean continued. "So yeah, I sometimes need to be reminded that you're in the same boat. And that we should hang out more often."

"Yeah?" Sam was trying to sound casual, but Dean could see the sparkle in the boy's hazel eyes.

"Damn straight. You could teach me some more astrology stuff. It actually is kinda interesting."

The rest of the night, the two just talked, about school, the new Batman movie coming out that summer that they were both planning on somehow going to, anything but hunting and the increasing tensions between Sam and their dad. Finally, at around three that morning, Dean finally lifted a sleepy Sam into the backseat of the Impala and made their way back to the motel. Though he didn't know it at the time, this would be one of the best moments in Dean Winchester's life. And when he tucked his tired brother to bed that night, gently brushing aside a stray wave of hair from the boy's forehead, Dean felt, for the first time in months, at peace. Quietly, so as not to disturb his brother, Dean slipped into his own bed, relishing in the warmth of the covers around him. Turning to the sleeping form, he smiled.

"Night, Sammy," he whispered.