Chapter 2.1

Timeline- 12-year-old Adam has been on the road with the Winchesters for only about two weeks at this point.

This chapter would occur between the events of chapter 2 and chapter 3.

"Wait! You're leaving?!" Adam said, jumping up from the motel room couch and running up to his father.

"Yeah."' John replied gruffly, shoving clothes into his well-worn duffle. "I shouldn't be more than a week."

Adam looked wildly at his brothers, trying to make sense of what was happening. They'd only been away from Windom for two weeks. He'd only met his new brothers three weeks ago and now they were gonna be alone together? For a week? Or more?

Neither Sam nor Dean seemed surprised or bothered by their father's announcement, in fact Sam didn't even look up from the book he was reading on the couch.

"Just keep up with your training," John said turning to face Adam, "and do as Dean says ok? He's in charge while I'm gone, you understand?"

Adam nodded in response.

"Say you understand," John said, leveling Adam with a stare.

"I understand... " Adam replied "Sir," he added as an afterthought.

"Good." John said, satisfied with Adam's response. "That goes for you too Sammy."

"Yes sir." came a terse answer from across the room.

Adam looked over to see Sam scowling at the back of his father's head. Although Adam couldn't yet understand the reason for the tension between his father and new brother, he could certainly feel it. Anytime the two were in the same room for more than few minutes the air would begin to crackle with unspoken tension.

Adam watched as his father packed up his few remaining things, clapping a hand on his oldest brother Dean's shoulder on the way out.

"Be good boys," he said. Then he was gone.

Adam rushed to the window to watch his father leave and all too soon the taillights of the truck had faded away into the distance. He turned back into the room slowly, feeling sad, alone and unsure.

He had felt adrift since his father had taken him from his childhood home in Windom, dragging him and his brothers to two random towns since then. Adam kept waiting for the trio to head home, to their real house, in their own town, but it was never mentioned. None of the Winchesters ever talked about 'going home'. It was literally never discussed. Dean had told him when they left Windom that their father was a hunter and he couldn't do that living in Windom, but Adam had never anticipated that the hunting life meant a nomadic existence, bouncing from motel room to motel room. How was he supposed to go to school? Or make friends? Or have any kinda of a life?

Adam was drawn from his thoughts about his new Winchester life by the sound of his older brother slamming his book shut and throwing it down on the couch with such force that it bounced and fell on the floor.

"He just couldn't wait anymore, could he?" Sam said angrily.

"Sam..." Dean warned.

"No Dean! It's barely been two weeks!" Sam said standing up from the couch and walking over to his brother. "Adam isn't even registered for school yet!"

"I'm taking care of that." Dean replied calmly, seemingly refusing to wade into the waters of fury Sam was treading.

"He's not even going on a hunt," Sam said spitefully.

"You don't know that Sammy," came Dean's even toned response.

"He's gonna go two towns over and get black out drunk for a week Dean. You know it too."

Adam's eyes widened in shock, he was beginning to realize just how little he knew about the man he called his father.

"We don't know what he's doing Sam. There are reasons he doesn't tell us stuff," Dean said, ignoring Sam's rage.

"Oh yeah? Like not telling us we had a brother for 12 years?" Sam yelled, gesturing violently at Adam. "What's the reason for that huh?"

"Don't start Sam. You know he was trying to protect them," Dean replied, exasperated.

"Sure, protect them from all the evil crap but did he have to protect them from us too? What would have been so bad about us knowing about them?" Sam said, now pacing the room, his resentment preventing him from being still.

"We are not doing this right now Sammy. Knock it off," came a gruff reply from Dean.

"I'm pissed Dean! Aren't you?!" Sam continued, unwilling to let the fight die down, needing to vent his anger onto someone.

"Sam."

"He's gonna go off and get plastered cause he can't deal and you end up with another kid to raise?! Come on Dean!" Sam's voice rose, as he released his venomous anger on Dean.

Dean slammed a hand against the wall, "Sam!"

Adam jumped at the sound and shrank in on himself.

"Dad's working and we gotta respect that. That's all. Got it?" he said with finality, looking at both his younger brothers.

Adam nodded shakily and Sam sent him a scowl but shut up.

"Now let's go find somewhere for lunch and figure out the schools in this town ok?" Dean said, calm once more and grabbing the keys to his Impala out of his coat pocket.

Food was the last thing on Adam's mind, but he was happy with anything that might distract his brothers from their argument. He quietly grabbed his own coat off the motel room bed and followed Dean out to the car, wondering what Sam meant when he said that Adam was Dean's to raise. Their Dad was coming back, Sam heard it too. Right? He was coming back?

Adam felt panic begin to rise in throat. Surely Dad meant what he said. He would be back. He wasn't gonna be one of those dads who went out for cigarettes and never came back. He wouldn't do that. No way. He'd been coming to see Adam and his mom regularly Adam's entire life. No, he wasn't there all the time, but he always came back. He'd definitely come back this time too. Right?

A heavy stone of fear appeared in Adam's stomach as he walked toward the Impala. Suddenly he couldn't hold in the panic one second longer.

"Dad's coming back, right?" he blurted out to Dean, his palms sweating as he tightly gripped the door handle of the Impala.

Dean looked at him quizzically for a moment, "Yeah of course," he said, with such a strong confirmation, so absolutely free from doubt, that Adam felt the stone in his stomach evaporate immediately.

A little weight was lifted from his shoulders as he slid into the backseat of the car and he was able to catch a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Even if it meant spending a week with these two guys who were basically still strangers to him, Adam could at least have the peace of mind that his Dad was coming back. Eventually.

A/N- Thank you to my friend Luna for the Beta and awesome writing advice! Also I don't own Supernatural.