Bingo Gals: Dean is very sneaky and really good at hiding things but Sam does find out eventually.

Vrskaandrea: No their feelings never go past the friendship that has been established over the last 20 years. This situation is more of a convenience/blow off steam kind of thing. As for Sammys reaction...well, considering it was an accident that he found out, Dean never intended to tell him, I'm not 100% sure I've got it correct but I guess we will see what you guys think.

Vegas Granny: Always! Dean will always protect Sam, no matter what bidy he inhabits or who he is with. ❤️

CHAPTER 25

Sam slammed the book closed and pushed it across the table.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed.

He took a drink from the glass of whiskey in front of him then leaned forward resting his head in his hands. He's been so sure, but yet again another dead end. Sitting up he reached out and picked up his phone, dialling his brother.

"Hey Sammy, what's up?"

"Where are you?" He asked.

"We're in Michigan. Why, what's wrong?" Dean asked suddenly sounding concerned.

Sam blinked a few times to keep the tears of frustration at bay.

"It was a dead end Dean. I'm sorry." He said to his brother.

"Hey don't be sorry. Just one more dead end closer to the solution, right?" His brother reassured him over the phone.

"Yeah I guess. Is Caleb still with you?"

"He is, why?"

"I just...I'm pissed and I just need to kill something slow and bloody. I'm going to bring Caleb's truck and meet you." Sam downed the remaining whiskey in his glass.

"Okay, cool. Well, we're headed to Park Falls in Wisconsin. Meet you there?" Dean said.

"Yeah. See you there." Sam disconnected and immediately went upstairs to pack.

•

"Everything okay?" Caleb asked where Dean finished his call.

"Sams lead was another dead end so he's gonna meet us in Wisconsin." Dean said.

"I'm sorry man. I know how much you want this to end." Caleb sympathised.

"Yeah." Dean tapped his phone against his hand a few times before putting it in his pocket. "So you want to grab some grub before we blow this joint?"

•

They stopped in at a diner next town over for a late lunch. After a quick meal and some subtle strategising for their next hunt they were paying their cheque at the counter when Caleb heard his name being called. Turning his stomach dropped when he saw fellow hunter, Joshua.

"Hey buddy, what're you doing here?" Joshua asked, pulling the other hunter in for a manly hug.

"Just finished a hunt in the area." Caleb answered his friend trying to block Dean from view. "You?"

"Just passing through. Got a lead so headed upstate to follow up." He leaned around Caleb and looked at Dean. "Not going to introduce me?"

"Ahh, yeah. Joshua, this is my friend..."

"Dana. Dana Smith." Dean said with a falsely bright smile, holding her hand out.

"Hi Dana. Pleased to meet you. So how do you know this piece of crap?"

"Oh we're old friends." Dean said.

"Huh, I thought I knew all Caleb's friends. Guess he must have been hiding you somewhere deep." Joshua replied looking Dean up and down.

"Yeah, well you know what I'm like, I don't like to share." Caleb said, not so subtly stepping in between them.

"Oh hey man, are the Winchester's here? I saw the Impala out front." Joshua asked.

"Um no." Caleb said slightly panicked.

"Really? Cause I though Dean didn't let anyone drive that car 'cept him or Sam."

"Oh well see, Deans sick so he's back at Bobby's and Sams here, just not here, here. He's at the library and we had actually better go and pick him up." Caleb said as he grabbed Deans arm and practically began dragging her to the door.

"Deans sick? Is he okay?" Joshua called out.

"Yep, just the flu!" Dean called as Caleb dragged her out of the diner.

•

Dean and Caleb arrived in Park Falls a few hours before Sam and checked into separate rooms. Caleb was lounging on one of the beds in the brothers rooms as Dean sorted through her clothes, separating the dirty stuff from the clean pieces, planning on doing some laundry before Sam arrived.

"So you gonna tell Sam?" Caleb asked, tossing a screwed up gum wrapper at Deans head.

"Tell Sam what?" Dean asked stuffing the dirty clothes into her duffle.

"About us, what we've been doing?"

"We've been hunting, what's to tell?" Dean answered.

"What about the other stuff?"

"Nope, not saying a word." Dean said slinging her duffle onto her shoulder. "I'm going to the laundry. Move your arse."

Caleb stood, picked up his own bag and followed Dean from the room.

"Why?" Caleb asked when he caught up to Dean.

"Why what?"

"Why aren't you going to tell him?" Caleb persisted.

"Because we have a strict 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, but tell you what." Dean said stopping at the laundry door and facing her friend. "If you're so keen on him knowing, you tell him."

"Oh, I'm not telling him." Caleb said following Dean through the door.

"Why not?" Dean asked.

"Because I have a strict 'avoiding being punched in the face by Sam because I de-flowered his sister' policy." Caleb said.

"That's a good policy." Dean remarked as she dumped her laundry in a machine.

•

Dean waved the cup of coffee under her brothers nose.

"Come on sleepy head. Wakey-wakey." She whispered.

Sam slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times as he tried to stretch, wincing as he did so.

"Careful there brother." Dean said.

Sam sat up carefully and looked at his brother sitting cross legged on his bed, holding two cups of coffee.

"Dean? What's all this?"

"Happy Birthday Sammy!" Dean exclaimed holding out one of the mugs to her brother.

Sam carefully reached out and took the offered cup from Dean.

"Thanks!" He said with a wide grin.

Dean stood and grabbed the pillows from her bed.

"Here, sit forward a bit." She said. She placed the pillows behind Sam so he could sit comfortably then sat back on his bed.

"How are the ribs?" She asked leaning forward to examine the bandage tightly wound around her siblings chest.

"Not too bad." Sam said sitting back against the pillows. "How's the shoulder?"

"Lovely shades of blue, green and purple!" Dean answered, pulling the sleeve of her shirt off so Sam could see the bruising on her shoulder.

They had been hunting some ghouls when they came across a demon who thought it would be fun to throw the brothers around a bit before they were able to exorcise it.

"Nice." Sam said, sipping his coffee. "Hang on, this coffee is in a proper mug but it sure isn't the normal motel crap. Where'd you get it?"

"I went out early to do a supply run and I found these cool coffee bags at the grocery store. They're like tea bags but with coffee. It's like brewing a coffee in the cup!" Dean said raising her mug and speaking as if she was in an advertisement.

"Why'd you do a supply run. We have heaps of salt and ammo." Sam asked his brother.

"Not that kind of supply run, a 'supply run'." She answered complete with finger quotations.

Sam just looked at her blankly.

"Feminine hygiene products." Dean sighed.

"Oh."

"Any way, while I was at the store I took the liberty of buying you a special breakfast to celebrate your big day."

Dean got up and walked over to the table. She picked up a couple of disposable plates and returned to Sams bed.

"What decent coffee and breakfast in bed?" Sam said acting surprised.

"Yeah, anyway, I know I said special but it's really just some packaged pancakes, premade 'fresh' fruit salad and spray cream." Dean said handing a plate and can of cream to Sam.

"Thanks Dean this is awesome." Sam smiled.

They ate quietly for a while.

"Hey Dean, remember my thirteenth birthday?"

"Haha! Sure do. Man I must have blown up 200 balloons. I was light headed for days!"

"Oh my God and dads face when he walked into the cabin and found himself knee deep in them!" Sam laughed.

The boys sat and ate and reminisced about birthdays past. It dawned on Sam that there were a lot more stories about celebrating his than there were Deans.

"This was great Dean. Thanks." He said putting his fork down on his plate. Dean reached over and took Sams plate then jumped up from the bed.

"It's not over yet little brother." Dean threw the plates in the trash then grabbed a plain paper bag from her duffle. "Presents!"

She bounced back down onto the mattress and handed Sam a small, badly wrapped parcel from the bag.

"So the curse didn't improve your gift wrapping ability."

"Just be thankful it's wrapped and not just in a plastic bag." Dean said poking her little brother in the shoulder.

Sam opened the wrapping and took out a beaded bracelet. He held it up and looked at it in the light.

"Wow! This is awesome!" He said.

"You really like it?" She asked.

"I do, it's really cool."

Dean bounced on the bed, clapping her hands and squealing.

"Wow, that's really girly, please don't do that again." Sam said, staring at her.

"I don't care!" She moved next to Sam, wriggling under his blankets, being careful not to jostle his ribs. "Each of these beads are made with special crystals and rocks and wood and stuff that are supposed to have healing properties and they all have different runes and sigils on them for protection. They're all from different cultures all over the world. See?"

She pointed at each of the beads.

Sam held it up and examined it closely.

"This is amazing. I've never even seen some of these. What's this one that looks like a letter D?"

"That one would be a letter D." Dean shrugged.

"Of course, because you're my biggest protector!" Sam chuckled at his own joke. "Where did you find it?"

"I, um, got it from an Inuit Sharman."

"Cool, where?"

"Ahh, Alaska." Dean answered. She took the bracelet from her brother.

"When did you go to Alaska?" Sam asked puzzled.

"Um, I had Cas zap me there." Dean said fiddling with the strand of beads. "I spoke to the Sharman then Cas went back and got it."

"But we haven't seen Cas since..."

"I know. I got it before the cemetery." Dean said, looking down and fiddling with the bracelet.

"For all his quirks I miss him." Sam smiled.

"Me too."

"So how do you think he would react to you like this?" Sam asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Like this." Dean turned slightly to face Sam and handed him back the bracelet, then with a straight face he tilted his head and in his best Castiel voice said. "Hello Dean."

Sam laughed and Dean joined in.

"Anyway, the Sharman said the knot had to be tied by someone who cares about you." Dean said.

"Will you do it?" Sam held the bracelet out.

"Of course. There's a special way to tie it." Dean took the bracelet and wrapped it around Sams wrist then tied an intricate looking knot. "It adjusts. You just slide it like this, see? That way you can take it off if you need to. But don't. This is for your protection and it's been to Heaven and everything so it's all charged up and ready to go."

"It's been to Heaven?" Sam asked.

"Yeah the Sharman said it's powers work at their best if it is blessed in holy water so Cas took it to Heaven and Joshua blessed it in the waters in his garden. No water holier than his."

"Joshua did that?"

"Apparently he likes us." Dean shrugged.

"I love it, thanks Dean." He shoulder bumped his brother.

"That's not all!"

Dean grabbed the bag and pulled out another present. She passed it to her brother.

"This feels suspiciously like a book." He said.

"So?"

"So that means you would have actually had to step foot in a book store."

"I do read you know!" Dean replied. "Anyway, stop ruining it and open your present."

"You seem more excited about this than the bracelet." Sam teased.

"Well that's because the bracelet was practical and this one is more 'Sam'." Dean pushed on her brothers hands trying to get him to open the second present faster.

Sam unwrapped the gift and stared open mouthed at the book in his hands.

"Dean..."

Dean looked at her brother nervously.

"Do you like it? I mean I know it's a bit ratty, I got it at a second hand book shop but I saw it and I thought you would like it. Do you?" She asked worriedly.

"This is a first edition Hemingway." Sam responded, looking at the preowned hardback copy of 'For Whom The Bell Tolls'.

"Well it's not a 'first edition' first edition but it's like the first edition of the modern print or something like that. At least that's what the guy at the store said."

"Thank you Dean, I love it!" Sam threw his arms around his brother and hugged him tightly, not caring about his ribs or Deans shoulder.

•

With no immediate hunt imminent, Dean had decided to spend the entire day celebrating Sams birthday. He had found out there was a small Museum/Art Gallery in town and Dean figured it would be something Sam would enjoy, so they spent the morning wandering around looking at the pictures and exhibits. Dean was surprised that she enjoyed it too. She listened intently to Sam as he described everything he liked about the picture or exhibit they were standing in front of and even managed to add some comments of her own, silently pleased when Sam didn't shoot down her opinion. He was, in Deans eyes, the most educated and cultured of the two.

After the Gallery Dean took them to a 'hippy cafe' that sold tofu sandwiches and wheat germ smoothies, but it made Sam happy so Dean kept her mouth shut and choked down her lentil burger, which wasn't actually that bad.

"So what are we doing now?" Sam asked, putting his fork down on his empty plate.

"Movies, your choice."

"Really? My choice? Dean you hate the types of movies I watch."

"Not all of them. Just the foreign ones and the documentary types and those stupid suspense dramas where you really have to concentrate on the whole thing..but it will be fine. Whatever you want to watch brother, really." Dean said with the most genuine fake smile she could muster. It almost fooled Sam, almost.

"You know there is one that I have been wanting to see." Sam said. "Come on, let's see if the cinema is showing it."

Dean dropped some cash on the table then followed Sam out the door, silently dreading what movie Sam had chosen but she figured the Gallery wasn't as bad as she thought so maybe she could survive this. She was pleasantly surprised when Sam asked for two tickets to the latest action movie and after two hours of popcorn, explosions, gun fights, car chases and hot chicks they returned to the motel.

"Thanks Dean this was the best birthday ever!"

"My pleasure, little bro. Glad you had fun."

Dean suddenly groaned and wrapped an arm around her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked worried.

"Yeah just cramps." She answered and began digging around her duffle. "Damn it!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"I can't find my Naproxen." Dean said. "Sammy? I hate to ask but could you go to the pharmacy and get me some?"

"Of course I can." Sam said. His brother must be in a lot of pain to actually ask him for relief and Sam was not going to let her suffer. "I'll be right back."

"Thanks." Dean said pulling out the heat bag and heading to the microwave.

As soon as Sam was out the door and she heard the Impala pull away Dean threw the heat pack down and started preparing the room for Sams last birthday surprise.

Just 20 minutes later Sam burst back in.

"I got you the... What's all this?" He asked looking around bewildered.

"Surprise!" Dean shouted. "You didn't actually think I'd let your birthday pass without cake did you?"

"But you were just crippled with pain, how did you do this."

"Yeah, might have just played that up a bit, but thanks." Dean snatched the bottle from Sams hand and dry swallowed a couple of tablets. "Any way, Happy Birthday!"

Sam looked around the room. There was a 'Happy Birthday' banner on a wall and steamers and a dozen or so balloons hanging around the place. The table had a cheap, brightly coloured plastic cloth over it with confetti thrown on top. In the centre was a supermarket cake with 'Happy Birthday Sammy' hastily written on it in icing and candles burning brightly.

"This is awesome." Sam said. "How did you manage all this?"

"I'm just good like that." Dean shrugged. "Now blow out your candles and let's eat some cake."

They sat at the table and Sam blew out the candles and cut his cake, grinning madly at his brother.

"Um, you have a little something right here." He said touching his jaw.

Dean swiped at her face with her hand and looked at it.

"Yeah, it's the icing stuff I used for the writing." She licked her hand clean then took the piece of cake Sam held out to her.

"I had a really great day today. Thank you." Sam said.

"You're welcome, but don't get too used to it, back on the hunt tomorrow." Dean said waving her fork around.

"Okay, But waking up to coffee being served to me in bed is something I could get used too."

"Haha! No." Dean deadpanned back.

They ate Sams cake and drank some whiskey and enjoyed their rare day off together knowing everything can change in the blink of an eye.