Chapter 51

Leah was the first to react. "Sorry guys! We're so sorry." she apologized, spinning around so her back was to the couple.

"No we're not!" Dean snapped. "Sam, get your god damn ass out of that bed. "NOW!"

Certain Dean's harsh words were only the beginning, Leah tried to divert him. She made a circling motion with her finger, signaling for him to turn and face the other way. When he failed to move, she gripped him firmly by the shoulders and spoke in a soothing, even tone.

"Dean, calm down. Let them get dressed first, then we'll deal with this." As angry as he was, he was likely to go after Sam and do something both men would regret later.

Dean was beyond the point of being calming, however. As far as he was concerned he'd let things get out of hand and it was time to take action. "Bullshit! I'm dealing with this now!"

He brushed past Leah and headed for the bed. Sam, who had jumped up and pulled on his jeans, was already rushing toward his older brother.

"What the hell were you thinking, busting in like that?" Sam yelled as he stopped just inches in front of Dean. He was furious about the intrusion and more than a little embarrassed at being caught in such a compromising position.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sam! Did we catch you at a bad time?" Dean asked, poking a finger at his brother's chest. "See, Leah thought she heard a scream and was scared Amy might actually be in trouble so we busted in here to save her sorry little ass. Since you said you two only did some kissing how the hell were we supposed to know you were the one making her holler?"

Sam grabbed a fistful of Dean's shirt and yanked upward. He'd had enough of Dean. Enough of his bad mouthing Amy. Enough of his interfering. "Damn it, Dean! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? You're in Leah's house pulling this shit with her little sister and you think I got a problem?" He glanced down at Sam's hand. "You're gonna be the one with the problem if you don't get your goddamn hand off me!"

"What are you gonna do about it, huh? You gonna hit me? Go ahead, Dean. Solve this like you solve everything else! Don't talk, don't even think. When something's bothering you just start beating the crap out of someone. Or maybe just bully them. Isn't that how you handled being jealous of David?"

Green eyes narrowed as Dean snarled. "Watch it, Sammy. You're way out of line here."

"No, Dean! You're out of line."

Dean threw his hands up in the air. "Think so, tough guy? Then do something about it for a change. Go ahead. You're such a bad ass, take a swing. You got one shot then you're gonna be on the ground."

Sam's restraint nearly snapped, but he held himself in check. "You've got this frigging hang up about Amy and you've been on both of us ever since she got here. First you were pissed off because I wouldn't help you chase her away and now you're pissed because I'm with her. This is my life. My choice. When are you gonna realize that and stay out of my business?"

"You are my business, little brother. And I'll do what I have to as long as you keep making dumb ass mistakes like sleeping with this odd little..."

Sam knew what his brother was going to say - freak. That was the breaking point. His right hand curled into a fist and he hit Dean square on the jaw with everything he had. The jarring blow landed hard and Dean would have fallen backward if not for Sam's grip on the front of his shirt.

"Sam! Stop it!" Leah yelled. Rushing over to the men she forced her way in between them before any more punches could be thrown. "Let go of him!" She wrenched Sam's hand loose from Dean's shirt and shoved him away. "This ends now. Go get dressed."

He stood there, unable to move as he glowered at his brother, his body shaking slightly as he struggled to reign in his rage.

"NOW, Sam!" she ordered.

With a barely perceptible nod, Sam stormed over to Amy's bed and picked up the rest of his clothes. "It'll be okay." he told the distraught girl, leaning down to brush his fingers along her cheek. He gave his best attempt at a smile, which instantly faded when he straightened and moved toward Dean. Pointing to his brother he said, "We're not finished."

"Damn straight!" Dean answered. He wiggled his jaw around, testing it after the punch he'd taken. "I owe you."

"Nobody is finishing anything with their fists." Leah interjected. "Sam, meet us downstairs in the living room." She waited for him to leave before facing her sister, who was sitting in the middle of the bed with the blanket wrapped around her. "Amy, get dressed and meet us down there, too. We're going to get this resolved." Her focus switched to Dean. "By talking."

Dean looked offended. "Sam hit ME!" Leah huffed at his childish tone. "What?" he asked her.

"Let's go." Leah snatched his hand and dragged him across the hall to their room. Before they confronted Sam and Amy, she was going to find out what had gotten them to this point. Arms folded in front of her chest, she rested her back against the closed door and gave him a weary look.

"What's going on here, Dean? And I want the truth."

Dean rubbed at his sore jaw and sat down on the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure how to tell Leah what was really bothering him about Sam and Amy's relationship. "This is something I need to work out with Sam."

She shook her head. "Nope. That's not gonna cut it. I know some things are personal, but this isn't one of them. This is about more than your brother. It's also about my sister and I want to know why it's come down to you and Sam hitting each other!"

"Hey, he did all the hitting."

Exasperated, Leah groaned. "For God's sake, Dean! Just tell me why you don't want the two of them together."

"You weren't too happy about the idea, either." He pointed out, attempting to draw her into a discussion of her own apprehensions rather than his.

"She's my little sister! Of course I'm not thrilled at the idea of her having sex, but you don't see me wigging out over this. My concern is that she's young and inexperienced, but it's nothing personal against Sam and you know it. I love him as if he were my own brother. But you, Dean, you have a serious problem with Amy, and it's effecting more than just the two of you. It's interfering with your relationship with Sam and if you don't start talking, it's going to become an issue for us."

She sat down next to him, taking his hand in hers and threading her fingers between his. "I want to understand. Tell me why Sam and Amy being together bothers you so much. Talk to me, Dean. Trust me enough to know I'll listen and help you work this out."

Her words hung in the air as Dean waged an inward battle. Honesty was important to Leah, he'd learned that the hard way, but what would her reaction be if he offered up the truth she sought? She didn't know what Amy could do so what would she say if he told her he'd known about Amy's empathetic powers since they were kids? That, as hard as he'd tried over the years, he couldn't get past it enough to feel anything more than a modicum of tolerance for the girl. He'd been raised to hunt and anything out of the norm didn't sit right with him.

Including, and for some reason especially, Amy.

Then there was Sammy. Once Leah learned of his visions, what then? Would she be as understanding of his resentment toward her sister when his own brother had supernatural abilities? Would she be forgiving of the fact that he could accept what Sam did, protect him at all cost, yet be unable to show Amy the slightest bit of compassion? Hell, he wasn't sure he fully understood it himself, how could she?

"I do trust you, Leah." he finally managed to say. Whether or not anything else would follow was still questionable. He didn't even know where he'd begin.

"But?" She added the unspoken word, fearing that Dean wasn't going to reveal anything to her.

He lifted his shoulders, let them drop. This was all going wrong, and fast. "But nothing. What do you want me to say?"

That broke her heart. Dean had spent too many years on his own, avoiding the deeper intimacies of a serious relationship. He may very well want to confide in her, but she'd never know. He'd never allow her to and that not only left little hope for them as a couple, it left little hope for Dean. He wasn't likely to find solace in anyone's love. There was so little trust, no matter how much he attested to more, and she knew it would most likely always be that way. And what chance did two people who loved each other have if trust was one-sided?

"It's not about what I want you to say, Dean. It's about what you want to say. And obviously, you don't want to say anything." She gave his hand a light squeeze before letting go.

As Dean watched her walk toward the door, he felt as if she wasn't only leaving the room, but him as well. Something had taken place between them, something unspoken but powerful just the same, and although he wasn't sure exactly what it was, he knew it wasn't good.

TBC