Disclaimer: Yeah... if wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak XD

Sam is 10, Dean is 15

Thank you all SOOO much! Your support has been truly touching and there's no really way I can fully express my gratitude :)

I think maybe... one more chap, MAYBE two before the end... followed by a sequel. :)

Dean's birthday, part two. This chap was actually quite different than I had originally planned. An unexpected twist, but it fits in surprisingly well in my opinion :P

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE/NEW YEAR!

Enjoy chapter twenty-five!

Mary stumbled in with her bags. "God, it's cold..." she mumbled.

"Need a hand?"

Mary glared at her husband. "Gee, you think!?"

John smiled as he took her bags away from her. "What'd you get?"

"A cake, some snacks and a few... uh... presents." Mary looked around. "Where are the boys?"

"They're in their room," John said with a smile as he placed the bags on the table.

"Why are you smiling...?" Mary asked suspiciously.

Still smiling, John shook his head, turning to his wife. "Man I wished you were here."

Mary got excited. "Did something happened?"

John gave a soft chuckle. "Mary... he spoke."

For a split second, Mary felt a stab of regret that she wasn't there to witness the event. But it soon faded. "What'd he say?! What happened!?"

"I didn't actually here him..." John said. "He just... started to talk, then said something to his brother really quietly and..." John laughed, "You should have felt the joy radiating off of those two. God..."

Mary fell into a chair with a laugh. "This is good, right? I mean, this has to be good..."

John smiled. "I have no doubt about it." He leaned forward and grabbed one of the bags. "Now, let's see what you got..."

---

Dean and Sam were both worn out emotionally, but it was a good worn out.

They were asleep on the bed, Sam nestled in Dean's arms. They were both sleeping peacefully, their minds blissfully blank of any past horrors and filled with only the aftereffects of their earlier ecstasy.

There was a soft knock on their door. "Boys?"

Dean was instantly awake, his brother almost immediately after. "Y-yeah?"

Mary opened the door a crack and stuck her head inside. "I'm not bothering you, am I?"

Dean shook his head. "No. Why?"

Mary gave a sideways smile. "Well, it's just that it's two-thirty and I thought you boys might be hungry."

Dean's eyes widened a little when he realized how long they had slept. "S-sorry."

Mary scoffed. "Don't be. It's your birthday. You're allowed certain liberties," she said with a wink. "You hungry?"

Dean shrugged. "Are you?"

"That depends. What do you guys want for lunch?"

Sam looked up at his brother, Dean returning the gaze. "Just... some sandwiches... I guess?"

Mary nodded. "Alright. Some sandwiches, comin' up!" With this, she closed the door and left.

Dean sighed. He was still having trouble wrapping his head around this life the Winchesters have provided for them. It almost seemed like a dream. Albeit a boring one, but sometimes boring was good, especially when compared with the alternative.

Sam reached up and grabbed Dean's shirt, tugging it gently. "D-De...?" he barely forced out, his body tensing instinctively.

Dean smiled, wrapping his arms tightly around his brother. "God, I'm so fucking proud of you..." he mumbled into Sam's shoulder.

Sam hugged his brother in return. "D-De..." he said, this time, a little stronger than before.

Dean tightened his embrace, tears leaking out and soaking Sam's shirt. "You know you're good..." Dean whispered. "You're not doing anything wrong..."

Sam buried his face into Dean's chest, absorbing every last drop of Dean's joy and pride. And every ounce of it made Sam want to talk even more just to make Dean give off even more of these feelings. He swallowed hard at the thought, feelings of anxiousness starting to creep into his mind.

Feeling his brother growing a little anxious, Dean quickly reassured him. "Hey, it's okay. You're doing good, great. Don't try and rush it... you're doing great.

Sam nodded, once again settling deep withing the recesses of his big brother's mind letting it penetrate his being completely.

---

Mary smiled as the boys came down the stairs. "The sandwiches are on the table. Help yourselves, don't wait up for us!"

Dean looked over at the table, which had a gigantic plate with at least a dozen or so sandwiches on it. He raised an eyebrow. Wow, that's... a lot. Sitting down with Sam squished firmly at his side, Dean reached out to take one of the sandwiches but then hesitated. He looked at Mary, who was doing something in the kitchen. She... said to... Dean swallowed and withdrew his hand, deciding to wait until the Winchesters join them.

A box was suddenly dropped in front of him, white tissue paper wrapped around it.

"Happy birthday, kid," John said, sitting across from the boys.

Dean blinked, staring at the box stupidly. "What the hell's this?"

"It's called a present," Mary said, sitting down next to her husband. "Open it."

Dean swallowed hard, still just staring at the present. A strange feeling filled up his stomach, and he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad feeling. "I--"

"How about you open it before any 'thank you's?" John said with a smile.

Dean nodded, carefully pulling the box closer to him. Flipping it over, Dean carefully pealed the tape away, while unfolding the tissue, being careful not to rip it. When he finally peeled the tissue paper away, he just stared at the box bewildered. "Wh-what is this?"

"It's a Walkman," John said. "And since we're not sure what music you like, we'll go out together and buy some cassettes later."

Dean stared wide-eyed at the picture on the box. "You... you bought me this?"

Mary smiled. "You deserve more, Dean. A lot more. But this is a start."

Dean shook his head. "I d-don't--"

"You have survived... so much. And you've looked out for a younger brother at the same time. You're an incredible boy and this -- " she indicated the Walkman, " -- is a way for us to show how true that is to us."

Dean swallowed again, a large lump having formed in his throat. "Th-thank you."

"You are very welcome, Dean."

Sam stared into space, but he was listening very intently to every word that was being spoken. The more that was said, the larger this strange feeling in his chest grew. Sam recognized it, but he had never before felt it growing inside his own being. He could feel Dean, his elation at Mary's words, his deep sense of gratitude for the gift... for some unknown reason, it was all fueling the fire that was flickering deep in his chest. Until it finally exploded.

Sam grabbed the Walkman off the table and threw it against the wall, surprising everyone at the table.

"Sam!" Dean yelled in shock. He grabbed his brother's arms and held him close. "Sam, what's wrong!?"

Mary merely sat there in shock, not every expecting Sam to act out like that. His face was red and scrunched up in anger. An emotion she had never seen across the boy's face, and she wondered what on earth happened to make him angry.

John nearly yelled at Sam out of gut instinct, but bit back his tongue, knowing it would do more harm than good. He watched Dean struggle to keep his brother in his arms. Sam was twisting and turning, kicking his skinny legs against his brother's. What on earth's going on?

Dean tried to reach his brother's mind, but found himself blocked by a wall of fury. No matter how hard Dean tried, he couldn't seem to break his way through. God, is this how Sam feels every time I snap?

Not even a minute passed before Sam stopped his struggling. He was panting in his brother's arms as his face returned to its normal color, his features relaxing. He could feel his brother mentally questioning what just happened, but Sam had no answer to give. Not even he knew why he just did that. So instead he just turned around and pressed his face into Dean's shirt, having the sudden impulse to hide himself.

"What happened?" Mary asked quietly.

Dean shook his head. "I dunno..." he mumbled, never taking his eyes of Sam. He stroked his hand through his little brother's hair. Sam was starting to tremble, his fear starting to build from the confusion of the sudden outburst. Fear of why he snapped, and fear of what the Winchesters' reactions were.

"May we go to our room?" Dean asked quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"Sure," Mary said. "Just holler if you need anything."

Dean nodded, muttering a small apology before quickly ushering his brother upstairs. When they got to their room, Dean quickly shut the door behind them. "Sammy?"

Sam stepped away from his brother to look up into his face.

"What just happened?"

Sam shook his head, his eyes brimming with tears. He didn't know what just happened. He didn't know why he did that. And now the Winchesters were gonna hate them! After everything they've done, he blew it! He ruined another chance for his brother to be happy and -- !

"Sam!" Dean squeezed Sam's arms comfortingly. "It's gonna be okay. We'll figure this out and we'll deal. I..." Dean licked his lips. "I don't think the Winchesters are mad."

Sam nodded, still not quite sure. He wrapped his arms around Dean's waist, squeezing him hard. He prayed that his brother was right.

1-2 chapters left! stay tuned! XD

Constructive criticism is my friend! so be truthful!