By lunchtime, everyone had gathered in the library. Cas and Jack were sitting at the end of one of the big tables, speaking quietly. Jack looked full of nervous energy although Cas appeared to be his usual unflappable self. Mom and Jody were chatting animatedly at the other end. It was good to see them renewing their friendship after everything that had happened between the two women. Rowena had her notes spread out across another table and Sam was beside her poring over the papers and cross-referencing things in a book almost as big as he was. The kid was up on his knees in the chair so that he could see.
Dean was sitting at the far end of the room. Somehow, even though the library was full of people he cared about, he felt out of place. Then he felt a light tug on his sleeve. It was Leah. If he felt awkward, he could only imagine how strange this all was to the little girl. Her eyes roamed the room, lingering on Sam for a minute before looking up at Dean. The poor kid looked kind of crazy. She was wearing one of Mom's shirts, tucked into the heavy canvas skirt she had arrived in. Even though the sleeves were rolled up multiple times, the shirt still hung on her like a sack. But it was her hair that was the most distracting. At some point she had taken out her braids and the long, thick strands were a tangled mess, criss-crossing over her forehead and draping in disarray across her thin build. She cast a final glance at Jody and Mom, then sighed.
"Are you Sam's big brother?" she asked. He got the impression that speaking to him had been her last resort, but he didn't take it personally. After all, her whole life had been turned upside down over the past few days.
"That's me," he said with a smile, trying to be friendly. "I'm Dean." He offered his hand and after a slight hesitation she solemnly tucked her tiny one into it.
"I'm Leah," she said distractedly, biting her lip and shuffling her feet a bit. He sensed that there was something she needed but was too afraid to ask.
"Everything okay, sweetheart?"
Reluctantly she brought a hairbrush out from behind some fold of her voluminous skirt. "I need some help with my hair," she whispered bashfully. Dean muffled a smile. The girl was decidedly unsure about asking him, but this was something he could help with. It would be nice not to be sitting useless while everyone else was being productive.
"Sure, I can give you a hand with that." He held out his palm for the brush and she gave it to him before turning away to expose the matted snarl at the back of her head. Gently, he ran the brush through the heavy hanks of hair, careful to not pull too hard. Because of his stupid wheelchair, he couldn't reach the bottom, so he stopped and pulled one of the wooden library ones over.
"Here, climb up so that I can reach." Holding onto his arm for balance, she clambered up and turned away again. Dean wheeled a little closer and with the improved angle was able to hold a chunk of hair in one hand while he worked the knots out with the brush. Soon he was able to take long strokes through the stands and although she swayed slightly with each pass, she seemed happy enough to let him work.
Turning slightly, she offered him a couple of hair elastics and it was his turn to hesitate. Dad had taught him to braid as a kid of course. It was a good way to add strength and durability to rope or other fibers, but he'd never braided hair before. Lisa had always worn her curls either loose or in a ponytail, and his experiences with other women didn't tend to focus on hair care. But he shrugged to himself. How different could it be? He was only going to attempt one because there was no way he was likely to get two to come out evenly.
Carefully brushing the hair away from her face, he divided it into three healthy hunks and twisted them over each other until he had a decent looking braid. Maybe it wasn't the neatest job he'd ever done, but hair was a lot more slippery than jute or hemp. Tying off the end, he gave her a pat on the back to let her know he was done and offered her a hand as she climbed down. Leah drew the heavy plait over her shoulder and inspected it briefly before breaking out into a broad grin.
"Thank you," she said before impulsively leaning in to hug him. Dean resisted the urge to ruffle her hair, not wanting to make a mess of what he'd just accomplished.
"You're welcome, kiddo. Anytime." Problem solved, she danced away to one of the comfortable chairs at the side of the library. Mom had picked out a couple of age-appropriate videos on Dean's tablet and Leah had been mesmerized by them. As she wasn't normally allowed to watch TV, in a couple of moments, she was fully engrossed.
"Dean," Cas called, waving him over. Dean wheeled over at his gesture. "If you're ready, Jack can finish healing you." Although the angel's words weren't very loud, they drew everyone's attention to him, making Dean squirm. Mom and Jody moved closer, and Sam got up and came to stand by his side. Even Rowena propped her chin on one hand and watched avidly.
Jack stood over him, reaching out with his fingertips, to press them against his forehead. Dean was already sweating from a combination of nerves and in anticipation of the scorching heat from last time. He rolled his shoulders in an attempt to relax but found himself gripping the arms of his chair anyway. The familiar warmth of Jack's particular brand of healing began to wash through him. This time, it seemed to be a bit more directed. Only his legs started to burn although thankfully it wasn't the inferno-like feeling from Jack's previous attempt; more like wearing black jeans on a sunny day. It wasn't until his feet felt stiflingly hot that he realized this was the first time he could feel his toes since his injury. He wiggled them in his socks as the heat ebbed away and Jack removed his fingers. Everyone was staring at him.
"How do you feel?" Sam asked anxiously.
"Like a million bucks!" he responded with a delighted laugh. Moving carefully just in case, he brought his feet underneath him and stood up. He was a little woozy, but nothing a burger and a beer couldn't fix. Standing there whole and upright was amazing, and he couldn't help laughing again. He slapped a hand on Jack's back and tugged the kid in for a one-armed hug.
"Thanks, man," he said. Jack blushed and smiled. Mom came around the table and stepped into Dean's arms once he'd let the kid go. He happily hugged her too.
"It's good to have you back, honey," she said in his ear. With a final squeeze he let her go.
"It's good to be back," he announced.
"Hey, look who's on his feet!" a voice said from the hallway. Bobby rounded the corner with his arms full. "Since yer mobile now and all, maybe you could give me a hand." Both Dean and Sam hurried over to help, laying the bags and boxes on the table. The delicious smell of General Tso's chicken, kung pao noodles, egg rolls, and a ton of other dishes from the Chinese place in town made Dean's stomach rumble. Mom and Jody went to get plates, cutlery and napkins from the kitchen and soon everyone was sitting around eating.
xxxxxxx
After lunch, people dispersed while Dean put the leftovers away. Jody excused herself to make a few phone calls, Rowena retired to Sam's room to continue her work and monitor her spell. Bobby and Mom went for a walk, Jack went to lay down, and Cas decided to introduce Leah to some classic Disney movies. Which just left him and Sam. Sammy had been perched at the kitchen table, unnaturally quiet, just watching him as he worked. It was obvious the kid had a lot on his mind, but Dean knew that there was no point in asking. His brother would either tell him what was bothering him, or not. The guy was prone to brooding, but Dean thought maybe there was a way to help things along and encourage Sam to spill whatever was bothering him.
"Hey, feel like going for a drive?" If anything would get Sam to overshare, it was the comforting growl of Baby's engine and a long stretch of asphalt. For a moment, Dean thought that Sam might beg off, but eventually he shrugged.
"Sure. Let me just let me check on Leah," Sam answered.
Five minutes later, Dean was pulling the car out of the long tunnel from the garage. The sun was shining, warming up the chilly interior. Dean kept the music low and pointed the Impala north towards Nebraska, following the blacktop between endless farmer's fields. There was something reassuring about being on the road that let Dean shed some of the stress of the past few days. He was grateful to be back behind the wheel. Nothing made him feel as free as driving his Baby, and for a minute there, it had looked like his driving days were over. Sam was sneaking peeks at him, but Dean avoided looking over. It was awesome to feel his brother's presence but jarring to see what looked like a stranger riding shotgun. Sure enough, after about 10 miles, Sam sighed heavily and began to talk.
"I'm sorry, Dean," he began, his little boy voice at odds with the solemn, regretful tone.
"Sorry for what?" Dean asked lightly. He was feeling pretty good right now, unusually optimistic and whatever was bothering Sam, well, together they'd find a way to fix it. Still, he kept his speed steady so that he could focus on Sammy.
"For this!" he muttered in disgust. Glancing over, Dean saw Sam pluck at the skin on his scrawny arm. Bobby had brought him a few t-shirts and a pack of underwear from town at lunch, but even the child sized shirt was a bit too big on his slim frame.
"It's fine, Sam," Dean tried to reassure him, but Sam snorted, having none of it. His response was bitter.
"How is it fine? I could be like this permanently. There is no guarantee that Rowena can come up with a way to put me back into my body." Shaking his head, Sam ran his hands down his torso impatiently.
"So, we summon Billie, have her put you back." That would be trickier than it sounded, but they'd accomplished harder things.
"We have no leverage, Dean. She did this to me for a reason. If she wanted me back to normal, don't you think she would have made it happen by now? Maybe this is part of her plan? Maybe this is her way of keeping me around but making me useless." The kid sounded so depressed that Dean pulled over onto a flat part of the shoulder and put the car in park. He needed to see his brother to set things straight.
"You're not useless, Sam. And, okay, let's say it's true and you can't get back into your regular body. You're still you!" He shifted in his seat to face Sammy. The kid met his eyes for a moment before turning away to stare out at the freshly harvested field.
"Am I?" Sam' voice was quiet and sorrowful. "I can't hunt like this. I'd have to relearn how to shoot, and fight and all my other skills. Let's say I somehow could, I'm not going to be strong enough to help you for a long time." He started getting worked up, ticking things off on his fingers. "I can't pretend to be a Fed, or interview witnesses, or go to a bar. I'm too small to even drive the damn car! How the hell am I supposed to watch your back, huh?" A stray tear leaked down Sam's face and he dashed it away angrily. Even with a stranger's face, it killed Dean to see his brother cry. He dug into his pocket and dangled his bandana at Sam who snatched it and wiped his face in irritation.
"C'mon Sam. Sure, it's not ideal, but we can figure it out." Dean meant it.
"So what? You gonna retire, get a real job, enroll me in school and pretend to be my dad until I'm 18?" There was a mixture of self-reproach and hopelessness in his words, but it didn't sound like a terrible life to Dean. A chance to rest, give Sam a second childhood – a good one, one that he deserved, except they'd both have the advantage of wisdom and experience. This time Sam could finish college, become the lawyer he always wanted to be, have an opportunity at a normal life.
"Well, it wouldn't be the worst thing ever." He gave Sammy half a grin, hoping to cajole the kid out of his tears. But Sammy just shook his head.
"I couldn't do that to you. You got stuck with me once already. You've spent your whole life taking care of me. Maybe it would be better if I went with Leah into foster-"
Dean cut him off harshly, suddenly pissed. "Shut up, Sam. First of all, let's get one thing straight. I wasn't stuck with you." He parroted that phrase back snidely. "I wasn't then and I'm not now. You're my brother, and I would do anything for you, and if you don't know that by now…" Dean scrubbed a hand down his face as he fought to control his temper. He glared out the windshield for a moment before fixing his gaze pointedly on Sam who had fallen silent.
"Secondly," he said, more calmly. "After everything we've been through, you sure as hell are not going into foster care or anywhere else. I would rather have you as a pint-sized version than not at all. Okay?" Sam's expression softened and his mouth quirked into the damp ghost of a smile as he nodded. Dean just rolled his eyes fondly, all his anger draining away. "Good!"
Just then, his new phone buzzed in his pocket. Glad for something to break up the emotionally charged moment, he dug it out. It was Mom.
"Hey Mom, what's up?" He put the phone on speaker so that Sam could hear too.
"Hey Dean. If you boys aren't busy, Jody's got some news about Leah and uh, Rowena wants to talk to you both." At that, he exchanged a glance with Sam.
"We'll be there in about 20 minutes." Hanging up after a quick goodbye, Dean put the car in drive and swung the heavy machine around. Why would Rowena want to talk to them both? He didn't ask the question out loud, but he knew Sam was thinking the same thing. Eager to get home, he pushed on the accelerator and retraced their route.
xxxxxxx
Sam looked around the table where all the adults except Rowena were sitting and waiting. The witch was still sequestered in his room and Jack had volunteered to watch Leah. Part of him felt like he should be with them, watching kids' movies and leaving the decision making to the grown-ups. He felt like a fraud sitting here and had to constantly remind himself that he was a fully capable man in his mid-thirties. He knew that his family was well aware of who he really was, it was just difficult to feel mature when his torso barely rose above the tabletop and his feet could swing freely without touching the floor. The whole physical thing was making him overly self-conscious, and he wished they'd get started.
Rowena had insisted that they hear Jody's news first since it pertained to Leah. The Sheriff joined them, having just finished up a call to her deputy. At least she seemed happy about the information she'd received.
"So, one of my concerns was that the Farlows would eventually get their day in court. That meant there was a risk that the kids would get returned to them. We could have found a way to have 'Noah'," she didn't have to use the air quotes for everyone to hear them, "run away or otherwise get lost in the system, but I was concerned about Leah. Well, it turns out the Farlows are not her real folks." There was a brief ripple of shocked muttering from everyone, but Sam wanted more information.
"What do you mean, Jody?" He of course had only dropped into the family's orbit a few days ago but Leah certainly seemed to consider Abraham and Damaris her parents.
"Back in Hansen, they drew blood from both Noah and Leah and tested the DNA. Turns out Leah Farlow is really Olivia Turner who was stolen from her parent's home back in March 2013. Her parents never stopped looking for her." So, the girl would have barely been 3 years old when she was taken. It made sense that she had accepted the Farlows as her parents. A thought occurred to Sam, maybe Leah wasn't the first child the couple had stolen?
"What about Noah?" he asked.
Jody shook her head. "DNA shows that Noah is their biological child. But the police in Fresno who forwarded my office the information on Olivia's case, figure the two may be implicated in other child abductions." Sam was strangely disappointed to think that the boy he was inhabiting had been the flesh and blood of such warped people.
"So, this is good news, right? The girl can go back to her real parents." What Dean pointed out was technically true, although Sam knew it would hardly be that easy. Leah - or rather Olivia - would have a tough time adjusting. Jody was about to answer Dean when Sam interrupted.
"Does she know?" The girl may not truly be his sister, but he still cared about her. This was going to be a huge shock. Jody rubbed the back of her neck.
"Not yet, I wanted to let you all know first. But I was planning to bring her back to Sioux Falls with me while I made arrangements to get her back to California. Plus, there's an excellent child psychologist I know who I think can help." Professional support would most likely be valuable, but Sam thought it would be better if Leah didn't initially hear the truth from a stranger.
"I'll tell her first," he vowed. She had trusted him thus far and he wanted to do whatever he could to soften what was going to be a shock.
"If you think that's best, Sam," Mom offered in support. Sam climbed down from the big chair, again conscious of every eye on him, but before he could go to Leah, Dean called out to him.
"Sam." He looked over his shoulder at his brother. "Just...don't take too long. We need to talk to Rowena."