Chapter 2.2

Timeline- 12-year-old Adam has been with the Winchesters for only about three weeks at this point, John is away on a hunt.

Sam walked into the dingy motel room expecting his new younger brother to come bounding up to him, excited as a puppy, that he had returned. It wasn't lost on Sam that he seemed to be the only one Adam trusted. Even having known their father all his life and Sam only three weeks, Adam immediately clung to his new brother after Sam had shown him some attention and comfort. It was easy to understand though. John and Dean Winchester had never been known as the touchy-feely types and although Dean could play maternal when it came to Sam, he was still resentful of Adam and everything the 12-year-old represented.

Sam was still finding his footing with being an older brother. He had hoped he would fall into the role with all the skill and ease that Dean seemed show, but it was more difficult that he expected. Adam was lost. He was emotional. He was on the edge of being a teenager and being thrown headlong into the Winchester Army was not helping. Not surprisingly Adam had developed a deep-seated hatred for all things supernatural after his mother's murder and like their father, he was set on revenge. Although he was new to the wild weird world of monsters and witches and the like, he took to it like a man starved. He devoured the lore that Sam taught him and gave everything he had to Dean's physical training sessions. The kid was permanently exhausted on top of being emotionally scarred. Sam figured that made Adam perfect hunter material in their father's eyes.

When Adam didn't appear in front of him when Sam opened the door, he was immediately concerned. Sam scanned the silent room, only seeing Dean sitting on one of the sinking motel beds sharpening his favorite hunting knife their younger brother nowhere to be found.

"Where's Adam?" Sam questioned, worriedly. Although Sam would never doubt Dean's ability to watch out for Adam despite his feelings for the boy, he was still anxious not to see him in the room.

Dean gave a silent nod toward the closed door of the motel room's small bathroom.

It was then that Sam noticed the muffled sound of sobs coming from through the walls. He immediately crossed the room headed toward the bathroom before he was stopped midway by Dean standing up in front of him.

"Leave him alone, Sammy." Dean said quietly, putting a gentle hand to Sam's chest to stop him.

"Dean. We should help him, or something." Sam implored.

Truth be told, as much as Sam felt the need to comfort Adam he wasn't sure what he would do. Being raised by John and Dean, Sam didn't exactly have the tools he wanted to have to really help someone who was in as deep of an emotional cavern as Adam was.

"Sam. Give him some time ok?" Dean replied, keeping his voice low.

Sam didn't push, but still wasn't sure if leaving Adam alone in mourning was the right thing to do. He wanted to help. More than anything he wanted to help. Sam wanted to commiserate with Adam at least. They had both lost their mothers, that should have been enough, but logically Sam knew his own loss was no comparison to Adam's. Sam had no memory of his own mother, so the loss he felt was more of an aching emptiness of what should have been. Dean's own feelings were probably closer to what Adam was experiencing, although he was a preschooler at the time of their mother's death. But that was years ago. Adam's loss was fresh, painful and ever present. Sam could see it in the kid's eyes. Something inside him was broken now, a great divide along his heart that would shrink with time but never heal. It was the same look he saw in his older brother's eyes.

Sam sighed and backed away, sitting down on the bed. Dean followed, grabbing his knife and sharpening stone, picking up where he left off.

"We should do something." Sam whispered, more to himself than to his brother.

"There's nothing to do." came Dean's soft reply. "He needs to get it out and he sure as shit doesn't wanna do it in front of us."

Sam looked over at his brother questioningly. He'd been working hard to let Adam know that he was here if Adam ever wanted to talk or needed a shoulder to cry on.

"Come on man," Dean said casually, "Did you let anyone see you cry when you were his age?"

Point taken.

Sam sighed softly, feeling helpless and useless. He'd been shocked when their father admitted Adam's existence to them. He'd expected to find himself as outraged as Dean was with the whole situation, but he wasn't. He was surprised that he understood his father's want of the comforts of a woman and that John had hidden Adam and Kate to keep them safe. Truthfully, Sam's only problem with the situation was that he had missed out on knowing Adam for so long. During the 9-hour ride to meet their younger brother for the first time Sam had gotten more and more excited about the idea of being a big brother. Dean was a shining example of everything a brother could be and the thought of being able to pay even a little of that forward to Adam, thrilled Sam.

But sitting on motel room bed its scratchy bedspread tickling his legs, Sam felt nothing of the excitement and hopefulness he once had. He could hear just how hard Adam was sobbing in the bathroom, surely hard enough to make him throw up. Dean was stoically sharpening his knife in a steady methodical movement, dutifully ignoring the pitiful sound.

A few minutes later the noise had softened and the brothers heard the sound of the shower being started.

Dean had finished sharpening his knife and was putting it away along with some of his other tools and weapons.

"I'm gonna go out for a bit," he said, grabbing his jacket off the bed. "Don't get too heavy on him Sam," he warned as he took the car keys from his pocket.

Sam gave Dean a nod of understanding and watched his older brother leave, the door closing softly behind him.

Dean's meaning was clear. He'd left to give Adam space to be vulnerable with Sam since Dean's own presence around Adam was still awkward and tense, but Sam was not to get too emotional and set the kid to crying again.

Sam sat for a moment on the bed unsure of what to do next. He soon decided to grab the research he'd brought back from the library. Since Adam was always interested in the latest lore that he'd discovered, Sam could use that as a jumping off point to comfort his brother without it being too uncomfortable.

Sam was intently reading the pages he had printed, pen poised to circle and draw arrows to points of interest when the tiny motel room bathroom door finally opened and his younger brother appeared.

They stared at each other for a moment, both aware that Sam had heard Adam's breakdown in the bathroom. Adam was clearly waiting to see how Sam would play the situation, standing in the doorway with a suspicious and uncertain look on his face.

"So, I brought back some stuff on the Black Dog legend we heard about," Sam said, nodding down to the stack of papers around him.

The look of relief that passed Adam's features was unmistakable and Sam was pleased he'd found the right way to deal with the situation.

Several hours later the two had demolished all the lore Sam had brought back with him as well as four bowls of cereal between them. Sam had wanted to bring up Adam's mourning several times, but every time a break in conversation would come he could feel Adam rush into the next topic, as if he could sense Sam's need to comfort him and wanted to push it off but wasn't willing to turn away.

It wasn't how Sam had hoped he could help his little brother, but maybe Dean was right. The kid needed to some time. The loss was still so fresh. Maybe just being around and being a good brother could be enough for now.

A/N- Thank you again to my beta reader Luna!