Warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1

Many thanks to rascalflattsgurl43 for the speedy and accurate beta on this story

Chapter twenty five Counting cards

Sam drove straight to the beach they had used the day before and found it empty again. Before Dean settled down to sleep, he pulled out his wad of cash and split them, handing half to Sam.
"What do you want me to do with this?"
"Keep it. It's for you. For putting up with me and what not."
"It doesn't cost anywhere near this to look after you Dean. Besides I wanted to."

Sam tried to hand the cash back, but Dean refused.
"No you keep it. You might need it."
"What about you? It would keep you in motels for a long time. You wouldn't have to go out and hustle pool either. Dad would like the extra money too." Sam's bitter tone at the end of his exchange caught Dean's attention.
"Why let dad have it? You deserve it more." Dean surprised himself at what he said.
"Do you remember something Dean?"
"No that just came out. Just like the gambling last night. I have no idea how I was doing it but I seemed to know what cards were coming out."
"You were counting the cards Dean."
"Counting cards?"
'What the hell?' Dean thought.

He knew what it was of course, but thought it was out of his league.
"Yeah you worked out how to do it when you were twenty or so. Actually when you were nineteen you started doing it. By twenty you were doing it so naturally dad couldn't even tell you were doing it. He accused you of reading his mind a few times after the cheating accusations were proved wrong."
'Reading his mind over counting cards? Great one dad.'
"How?" Dean asked.
"Which one?"
"All of it."
"Dad had a professional gambler check the pack then watch you play he said there was no way you were cheating. He thought you might have been counting cards but he couldn't have been sure. Dad never believed the counting cards part but I asked you once and you showed me. I have no idea how you picked it up. You tried to teach me but it went in one ear and out the other."
"It's weird, I don't even know I'm doing it. How am I doing it if I cant remember learning it?"
"Which is why you are so good at it. No one knows you are doing it. Somehow you worked out a way to keep it on a subconscious level maybe thats why you can still do it. It would be extremely difficult to catch someone who looks like they are just relaxing and having a good time. It took lots of practice. This shows it works."

Sam waved the stack of cash at him.
"Huh. You keep it Sammy. I'll get more tonight."
"If you're sure."
"Yep."
"Okay."
Dean decided to sleep after they had both stored their cash and Sam felt himself drifting off as well. They had a swim, or a paddle in Dean's case, at lunchtime before they ate then relaxed on their towels as the afternoon started. Dean woke mid-afternoon and drank some water and had a snack.

Sam was completely out of it but his back was getting a little red so Dean rubbed more sunscreen into his back and legs then draped a towel over the length of him just in case. A grumpy sunburned Sam he didn't need. They seemed to be getting on well and Dean didn't want to spoil it. Dean reapplied his own sunscreen and read his journal for a while. He started getting slight flashes of memory after twenty minutes or so. He shut the book and closed his eyes as he was getting a nice headache. He lay down and thought about what he had read as the sun warmed his skin and sent him in to a restless sleep.

When Sam woke late that afternoon, he noticed Dean was mumbling in his sleep. He listened hard to try to glean what Dean was dreaming about but it was sounding very muddled up. Sam picked up his book and read until Dean yelled 'NO' fairly loud and sat up looking ruffled and unsure of where he was. Sam went to his side and reassured him he was okay. Dean eventually calmed down.
"That will teach me to read this shit before I fall asleep."
Dean slapped the cover of the notebook lying on a rock close by.
"You were reading your journal? No wonder you had nightmares. It's amazing you could read that thing with handwriting like yours."
"Ha, ha."

Sam's joke had done the job of lightening the mood. They had another short swim before packing up and going for showers by the roadside then changed in a gas station bathroom before going back into Las Vegas. When they got to the strip, Dean insisted they go to a different casino than the night before. It was close by the one they were at the morning before but smaller and more expensive looking. Dean didn't seem fussed by the fact there was more security at this establishment. He just nudged Sam with his elbow and told him to be careful.

Sam was more than happy with the eatery as it had a much better selection of salads and healthy food which was free to people who bought a certain amount of gaming chips. Dean and Sam easily qualified for free food and drinks while they were there. When they had eaten their fill, they headed for the gaming tables. Dean headed for Blackjack again but Sam decided to have a look at the video poker machines which were a new addition. Sam played for an hour before checking on Dean. He couldn't find him at first but then found him coming back from the direction of the bathrooms. Sam followed Dean to the poker tables where they sat and took the table apart for two hours. Dean went in search for a new table of victims while Sam went to get more food and drinks.

TBC