Adam walked into the kitchen to find his older brothers scrounging around the cabinets and refrigerator trying to find the last remnants of the food Adam and his mother had purchased at the store two weeks ago. Before...
"Adam." He startled slightly his father's deep voice. He hadn't noticed him at the small table with a cup of coffee. "Go upstairs and get packed, we'll be leaving soon - that goes for you boys too," John said, causing the older boys to turn to face him and nod.
"Leaving? Why? Where we goin?" Adam questioned curiously.
His questions were not answered however, only given a gruff sigh as his father nodded to the older boys again. "Dean, help him."
"Yes sir." Dean said, tossing a half empty package of saltine crackers at Sam and walking toward Adam.
"Come on, kid," he said gently grabbing Adam by the shoulder and pushing him out of the kitchen toward the stairs.
Adam dug through the bottom of his closet coming up with a worn duffle bag. "This?" he said showing the bag to Dean.
"Yeah that'll work." His brother replied, pausing then to look around the room. "Grab your clothes and stuff..." Dean hesitated a moment before clearing his throat uncomfortably "and maybe grab a few pictures of your mom."
"My mom? Why" Adam asked, pausing in grabbing shirts from his closet.
Dean didn't reply and didn't look him in the eye, choosing instead to roughly grab the duffel from Adam's hands and move toward the kid's dresser.
"Dean?" Adam started, feeling more confused. "Dean. Man what's going on? Where are we going? Why do I need pictures! We're coming back... right? We're coming back?"
Again Dean didn't reply and didn't look at him. Adam could feel adrenaline being to pump hot in his veins.
"Dean!" He nearly shouted. "Dean! Come on!"
Dean threw down the duffle, pissed off he was responsible once again for crushing a kid's dreams. Why couldn't his dad man up and do this shit? Dean was forever having to break the bad news about their latest move to Sam and now he was relegated to breaking it to Adam too.
"God dammit Adam, no! We aren't coming back. Dad hunts. We hunt. You can't do that living here."
Adam looked completely stunned and as the realization slowly hit him he felt his legs give out and he collapsed onto the bed behind him. Leaving. Moving. Moving to god knows where. With his dad. A man he barely knew and two brothers he'd only just met. A feeling of total crushing hopelessness overtook him. All he could think of was how much he didn't want this. Any of this. 'I just want my mom.' He thought, feeling a sob building in his chest.
Dean watched Adam absorb what his father's simple words of "get packed" actually meant for him. Never one for chick flick moments Dean still wanted to comfort the kid somehow. He sighed reluctantly and went to sit next to Adam on the bed.
"Look kid. I know. This sucks. It does." Dean glanced at his new kid brother. His eyes were closed tightly, trying to keep in the tears that threatened to spill out.
Dean sighed again quietly and ran a hand through his hair bristling it in all directions.
"Look- and I'm just being honest here- but your life, the life you had here, it was gone the minute your mom was killed." Adam visibly flinched at Dean's words. "but you're not alone. You've got us- and yeah I know it might suck- but it's something."
Adam didn't reply, but let out a shaky sigh.
"Come on man," Dean said clapping Adam on the back and standing up "Let's get this shit packed before Dad comes up here and beats both our asses."