Chapter 8

The first rays of morning light woke Dean the next morning, and he glanced over to see his brother splayed out on his bed still snoring softly. He got up and grabbed his clothes before slipping into the bathroom to dress. He knew Sam needed the sleep and went downstairs to see if Missouri was awake. Plus, he wanted to talk to her alone without Sam listening to get her take on him.

"My goodness you're an early riser, aren't you?" Missouri asked as he strolled into the kitchen to find her pouring a cup of coffee. "It just finished perking coffee if you'd like a cup."

"Thanks," Dean nodded taking a cup from the strainer and pouring coffee before joining her at the table.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did. Best I've had in a while."

"Oh, this place has a way of doing that. We take care of each other," Missouri commented as she glanced around the room with a warm smile and look on her face.

Dean wasn't sure how to take that as he cautiously looked around too, not sure what he expected to see. He didn't know how he would react if he did see something and pushed it aside. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary and wondered if she had warded the house or used a spell on it.

"I think there's another reason you came down along isn't there?" she questioned the young man able to read him without hardly trying. Missouri was sure Dean had no idea just how open he was to others who could see, thought he did try to hide it.

"I'm sure you already know," Dean started staring down into his coffee. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I honestly don't know how to answer that Dean. That child is still the same person he was before this happened to him, just with new abilities that he has barely tapped into. It's up to Sam how he continues, and I will help him however he wants me to. I need to spend some time with him and observe him before I know how to answer your question. This is not an exact science and won't happen overnight."

"But you'll try and help him?" he asked hopefully.

"I'll do what I can honey, now quite your worrying so. It won't do you or your brother any good or yourself. He's just as worried about you as you are for him. I can sense a special bond between the two of you that only became stronger as you grew older. Let's see how things go over the next couple of days before I draw any conclusions. How does ham, eggs, hash browns and biscuits sound for breakfast?"

"Wow, sounds great, but don't go to all that trouble for us; I can run out and grab something," Dean started.

"I'll have none of that young man. Both you boys could do with some good home cooking," she said getting up to open a drawer and pulling out an apron. "I'll get the biscuits made up so they can be cooking and then get the rest started."

"At least let me help then."

"I get the feeling your brother likes healthy food, why don't you cut up the cantaloupe that's in the fridge to go with the meal?"

"I can do that," Dean nodded looking in the fridge and finding the cantaloupe on the bottom shelf. He took it over to the sink and reached for a knife from a butcher's block to use. Missouri handed him a bowl for the slices and a bag for the seeds and rind.

"Save the rind and I'll put it in my compost barrel," she told him.

"Okay," he said as he cut it in half to remove the seeds and carefully peeled the rind off so he could slice it into the bowl. He listened to Missouri hum as she mixed the dough for biscuits. From what he could remember of her from his childhood, she had not changed a bit. A little older, of course, they both were, but she still had that soft spoken, gentle voice that made you feel safe. Once he had the melon sliced and ready to eat, Dean sat the bowl on the table. "Guess I should go get Sammy up so he can eat with us."

"Don't bother, honey, he'll be down in a few minutes," Missouri told him looking toward the doorway with a knowing look on her face.

"Oh, okay," Dean replied glancing where she was looking and then around the kitchen not sure what to do next. He opened a cabinet and got out plates to set the table. He looked toward the doorway when he heard footsteps and saw Sam step into the room trying not to yawn and rubbing his eyes, his hair damp from a shower. Flashbacks of a five-year-old stepping into a room flooded Dean's mind and he saw just how innocent Sam looked then and now. The only thing that made it seem wrong was the beard Sam was still sporting. Dean wasn't sure if he should suggest he shave it off or not. Maybe this was his way of showing that he was different now, not only with psychic powers but physically too.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Sam asked looking to Dean almost pouting like his younger self would.

"You were sleeping so deeply I hated to disturb you. Anyways, it's not like we have a schedule to keep," Dean shrugged. "Missouri made biscuits," he offered as the aroma wafted from the oven.

"I have homemade jams to go on them or honey," Missouri added.

"You're too good to us," Sam praised her. "It's been a long time since we've had homecooked meals, besides what Dean cooks at Bobby's. He likes to grill."

"I love to cook and to have two strapping, young men to do it for makes me feel useful and happy to see you enjoy my creations."

"Well, you can create all you want, I'm game," Dean said. His eagerness showing as he sat what Missouri pulled from the fridge onto the table.

"Hush now," she chuckled at Dean's words. "I'll have everything ready in five minutes so get your coffees and take a seat."

"Do you want me to pour you a cup?" Sam asked as he got a cup and doctored it to his liking.

"I think I'll have some hot tea this morning," she told him as she stirred the eggs to cook them evenly.

"Dean, can you get the biscuits out of the oven without burning yourself?"

"Please!" he scoffed picking up a potholder and moving to the oven. He opened the door to the oven and pulled out the hot pan.

"You may need two pot…" Missouri started but Dean was already finding that out as he hurried to the counter.

"Shit! Hot, hot!" he hissed as he got the pan to the counter and onto a dish towel. He blew on a couple of fingers that felt the heat of the pan more.

"Too hot for you to handle, ummm Dean?" Sam laughed rolling his eyes at his brother's juggling act.

"At least I didn't drop them smarty," Dean surmised taking a plate and carefully transferring the hot biscuits to it so he could put them on the table. "Sorry for the cussing Missouri."

"That's okay Dean. Alright children take your places and let's eat while it's hot," Missouri said. She sat the bowl of eggs on the table and turned to pour a cup of tea before sitting down.

Dean started to reach for a bowl when Sam hissed at him and shook his head no, frowning at him. He mouthed 'wait for Missouri', to get the finger from Dean who quickly hid it when Missouri spoke to them while she made her tea.

"That's alright Sam, Dean was an impatient child and it seems things haven't changed," she told them with a chuckle. "Don't think I didn't see that Dean Winchester," she chastised him without actually turning around to see him or what he had done.

Sam smirked at him as Dean had the decency to blush slightly as he quickly hid his hands in his lap. He looked at Missouri's back with more respect and waited for her to sit down at the table.

"Well, start passing the food Dean, you look like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse," Missouri laughed softly as she took a biscuit and passed the plate to Sam.

Dean picked up the scrambled eggs and spooned them onto his plate and passed the bowl to Missouri. He took the plate of biscuits and dropped two on his plate before grabbing some homemade jam to slather in the middle of them. Once everyone had filled their plates they began to eat with gusto.

Sam didn't realize how hungry he was until the first bite and it was amazing. The biscuits were so tender and fluffy and putting the jam on them made them that much better. Dean was humming and nodding his approval since his mouth was full of food. Missouri beamed with their praise and made them have seconds. The brothers offered to wash the dishes while Missouri put away the few leftovers.

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"Dean, will you be a dear and run to the store for me and pick up a few things?" Missouri asked once the kitchen had been cleaned. She placed a list on the table for him with some money.

"Sure, Sammy and I can do that," Dean said.

"No, just you honey. Sam and I are going to talk while you're gone."

"But…" Dean started looking between the two with uncertainty. He wasn't sure that he wanted to be left out of their 'talk' as she called it. "Shouldn't I stay?" He knew Sam didn't really know Missouri because he was so young when their father came to see her all those years ago and wasn't sure if he was comfortable being left alone with her.

"Now Dean, Sam's an adult and doesn't need you holding his hand like a child," she suggested to him. "Maybe he'll feel better talking to me alone at first."

"It's alright Dean. It'll give you something to do," Sam answered knowing that was what she was doing. If he stayed Sam knew he would be fretting and pacing, and it would make it that much harder for Sam to open himself up.

"Fine," Dean huffed picking up the list and money. "Could've just told me you wanted me out of the house," he mumbled under his breath but clamped his lips shut when he saw the slightly annoyed look Missouri was giving him. "Text me if you need me back sooner," he grunted.

Sam waited until Dean had left the house before turning to Missouri. "Where do we start?"

"Why don't we got outside and get some fresh air?" Missouri offered. She could feel how tense and nervous Sam was but couldn't really read him. They went out the backdoor and into the backyard where Missouri had her garden and workshop. She grew herbs that she sold to add to her income, along with her psychic readings.

"This is nice," Sam commented looking around at the quiet and peaceful place. He saw birds on several bird feeders positioned around the yard, butterflies catching small puffs of wind to move from one flower to another as they gathered nectar, and squirrels chattering angrily in the trees along the edge of the yard. A six-foot-tall fence surrounded the property giving it privacy and keeping the outside world at bay.

He followed her to the garden that took up a large section of the yard and watched as she bent to pull some weeds and knelt to help. He never knew how relaxing it could be to pull weeds and dig his hands into the rich, dark soil. He was never exposed to gardening growing up, so this was all new to him.

"Watch you don't pull up a plant now Sam," Missouri cautioned him as she let him continue on his own.

"Yea ma'am." He moved slowly down the row ridding it of weeds he dropped into a bucket Missouri sat nearby.

"Be honest with me Sam, how are you feeling?" Missouri asked softly. She let Sam continue pulling weeds seeing it was helping him to calm his troubled mind.

Sam stopped for a moment as he gave the question some thought before answering. "I think…Well, better than I was now that I have Dean with me. Those weeks I was at the cabin alone were hard, really hard. I wanted to call him so badly, but I was…Scared of what his reactions would be when he learned the truth about me."

"That you had changed and now had these abilities?"

"Yeah, what the demons did to me, making me drink the blood, it brought about changes inside of me, making me different. How could I tell him I was a…Freak, and what some would call a monster? I mean, there are hunters out there that would hunt me down and kill me and not think anything of it. They would think they were doing something good for the world. I couldn't bear the thought of Dean thinking that of me," Sam answered, keeping his face turned downward to continue pulling weeds. He could feel the wetness in his eyes but blinked it away, not willing to let his tears fall.

"Just because you've developed psychic abilities doesn't make you a freak, or monster, child. It just makes you unique. Who you are never changed Sam."

"It's hard not to feel that way," Sam sighed sitting back on his heels for a moment before moving to another row. "I'm not normal like Dean or our Dad or Bobby. I've been infected and cursed and there's no way of reversing it. I could feel Dad's disbelief and fright and uncertainty about me when I told them I killed Yellow Eyes. He…He thought I had become someone to fear and that I was evil…" Sam's voice trailed off as he cleared his throat but didn't continue.

"Some people only see the black and white of things and don't realize the grey areas that are there. Your Daddy doesn't understand right now, and that creates panic and apprehension within him. You have to give him a chance, I think he'll come around. I can feel how strong you are, but you have barriers up and I can't see much else. Do you trust me enough to lower them and let me see?"

Sam stood when he got to the end of the row and brushed his hand on the butt of his jeans. He looked down at the clean rows for a moment before looking over at her shaking his head yes. He did trust her and didn't think she would do anything to harm him, but it still didn't take away all the doubt he had.

"Why don't we go sit in the chairs under the trees over there and relax?" she suggested.

Sam followed her to two chairs that were sitting under a large shade tree. He took a seat and let the cool breeze blow on his face and waited for Missouri to settle next to him. He could feel the hint of autumn in the air and knew winter would be here soon.

"Alright Sam, there's one thing you need to decide for yourself, because no one else can do it for you, can you accept what has happened to you and the changes that are happening? Are you willing to open your mind up to these powers or do you want to suppress them and keep them bottled up inside of you?"

"I'm not sure," Sam mumbled worrying the hem of his jacket. "I know this can't be changed, this is who I am now, and these abilities are a part of me. I might not like it, but I can't deny them. I was given them to be used for evil, but why can't they be used for good instead?" Sam paused and glanced up at Missouri who was studying him gentle eyes. "I think if I tried to ignore them or suppress them, it would make things worse. If I can learn to control them, I might be able to help save more lives and protect my brother when we hunt."

"Using them might be dangerous to you, but I agree not learning to control them, could be much worse. It's the person you are inside yourself Sam that will control whether you are good or evil." Missouri reached a warm hand out and patted Sam's arm. "The best thing for you is to have your brother at your side and include him in your training. I can feel a strong bond that links the two of you and when you are together it makes both of you that much stronger. If he sees and knows what you can do, maybe it will show him how capable you are and will keep him from worrying about you. Be honest with him and let him stand by your side. I think you will find he's more flexible and open about this than you know."

"Yeah, I do need to be honest with him. It won't do either of us any good to hide things. He needs to see I can take care of myself and maybe he'll accept I'm not a kid anymore. Maybe he'll let me grow up."

"Don't be too hard on him Sam, Dean has had the role of protector for you since you were born. You should have seen him when you were a baby and both of you just lost your Momma. You couldn't make a sound that he wasn't by your side to take care of you. That poor boy became an adult almost overnight."

"Yeah, he always looked out for me and took care of me growing up," Sam sighed softly staring off across the yard lost in thought.

"So, shall we get started?" she asked. "Just relax Sam, I won't do anything that makes you uncomfortable. You just need to tell me to stop and I will," she assured him.

"Alright," he replied as he took a couple of slow breaths and closed his eyes. He began to take down his walls making himself open to her. The first touch was gentle and cautious as he felt Missouri reach into his mind. He tried not to flinch or push her out and remained still. He wasn't sure how long they had been sitting there when he felt her hand on his arm and her soft voice calling to him.

"Thank you, Sam," she said.

"What did you see?" he asked anxiously.

"Well, I can tell you some of the abilities you have, you were born with. You're a natural psychic and the abilities would probably have come out or they could have remained dormant inside of you. That is something that is hard to determine. What was done to you just amplified them and seems to have brought out others. You said you tried to train yourself, what have you done?"

"I can move things with my mind, and I think I have visions. I saw Dad being killed by ghouls and that's when I found Dean and we went to save him. I tried astral projection, but wasn't too good at it, and I was able to kill the demons that took me with my thoughts. Well, I think I did anyway. It was weird. When I faced Azazel, the Yellow Eyed Demon, I could feel the intensity growing inside of me. It was like nothing I've ever felt. Something happened then, like a huge surge of power and any demons near me died and so did Azazel," Sam rattled on feeling good to tell someone about his feelings. "And I can kind of do this," he continued holding his arm up to rub his index finger and thumb together as he concentrated for a moment before a small flame suddenly appeared. It only lasted for five seconds and then it was gone.

"I'm impressed Sam. Have you tried seeing auras or any of the other abilities?"

"I read about a lot of them, but I've not tried any others. I was kind of scared to since I didn't know if I could control them. I have a book full of research and notes on my training if you'd like to read it."

"I don't think that'll be necessary but thank you for trusting me enough to offer. Do you know meditation Sam? Do you have a way to calm your thoughts and center yourself?"

"Not really, I've read a little about it," he shrugged. "Wasn't something we grew up with, so it wasn't something I learned."

"Let me walk you through the steps. It's good to know to help you relax and open your mind. Now close your eyes and breath slowly and evenly…" Missouri told him. She walked him through the steps and worked with him until he was comfortable doing it on his own. "Shall we stop for now? Your brother is anxious, and pacing the kitchen worried about you. He's concerned you might hurt yourself trying to use your powers."

"You can feel that?"

"You can too if you focus on him. He's looking out the kitchen window."

Sam looked toward the house and could see the shadow of his brother staring out at them. Sam's brow creased slightly as he reached out to his brother and felt it. "I got it. I can feel him," Sam nodded, a small smile tweeting the corners of his mouth. "I better go let him know I'm okay before he hurts himself," he chuckled.

"I'm going to dump the weeds and will be right in. We can continue this, this afternoon if you like," she replied watching him stroll toward the house and saw Dean step out onto the deck to meet him.

"I would," he called over his shoulder before turning back to his worried brother giving him a small smile. He watched Dean give him a once over before throwing an arm around his shoulders and giving a squeeze of assurance, more for him than for Sam. Sam felt a warmth spread through him just knowing Dean was there for him, wherever this lead them.

A/N: We find out a little more about Sam's powers and how protective Dean still is. Thank you for reading my story and to any guests who have left reviews, thank you. I appreciate each and everyone of them. Reviews do make my day. NC

Stay safe out there with what is happening in the world. My thoughts are with everyone.