Sam woke the next morning to the sounds of his brother and uncle laughing in the kitchen. He smelled the bacon and eggs and his stomach growled. He dragged himself out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. After a hot shower and a fresh set of clothes he ambled out into the kitchen.
Dean looked up. "Morning, sunshine," he teased, "I was beginning to think you were going to sleep the day away. Caleb and I thought that since it's Saturday we could make a day of it and go check out that museum you've been bugging dad about and then maybe taking a little detour to that outlet mall out on the highway. We could both use some new clothes and Caleb has some money he has graciously lost to me; so, what ya say? Sound like fun?"
"Yeah, sure," Sam half-heartedly answered. He knew this for what it was and he appreciated it. It was Dean's way of saying he was sorry for the other day. Truth be told Sam had thought about it and had come to the realization that despite how it turned out he was happy that someone had stood up to Tucker and he was proud that it was Dean who had helped them do so. Dean had no reason to apologize. However, he was embarrassed by everything as well and felt a certain unease about returning to school on Monday.
Sam grabbed a plate from the drainer and piled it high with scrambled eggs and bacon. He had placed a short stack of pancakes on his plate and was looking to sit down when a knock on the front door caused him to turn toward the living room. Dean looked to Caleb, who had stood from the table. Caleb motioned for Sam to move away from the kitchen entrance and for Dean to follow him to the door. Caleb let out a relieved breath when he saw who was standing on the other side.
"Sam," he called out, "There's someone here to see you."
Sam wandered into the living room and smiled when he saw Allen and James waiting for him. "Hey, Sam," Allen started, "Can we talk?"
Sam looked to Caleb, who nodded, before he answered, "Yeah. Ok. What about?"
"Yesterday," Allen answered.
"Oh," came Sam's unsure reply, "Ok."
"We just wanted to stop by and let you know that yesterday was one of the best days we had had in a long time. We know it ended up being a mess in the end, but we had to thank you. After, dinner last night, my uncle called to let us know that he had decided to send Tucker to boarding school. He said that what happened had been a wake-up call and that he was forced to see how his drinking had come to affect his family and felt that Tucker needed to be somewhere he could get the help he needed. He admitted that he needed help to overcome his disease and that he would be seeking it. I'm sorry that you had to go through all that, but again I have to say thank you. We're going to the park to play some football if you want to come."
James looked to Caleb and Dean. "You can come too. We could use you two on our team," he offered.
"What you think Caleb," Dean smirked, "You think we should go and teach these young'uns how to play?"
"I'm not sure. You think it'll be fair," Caleb replied his eyes sparkling.
"Please," James begged, "Every year we play this game and our dad's think it's funny to team up against us. We could really use you both."
"Then it's settled," Dean said clapping his hands together. "That is if Sam's ok with it." Sam looked to Dean and the smile on his face told his older brother everything he needed to know. "Ok, we'll meet you guys there after we're done with breakfast."
The trio made quick work of the food and headed down to the park. The laughter coming from those already there was light and inviting. Allen's father walked over to Dean and extended his hand. Dean, shocked, took his hand and they shook a friendly greeting. "I'm glad you could make it," he said. "I wanted to apologize for the way my brother-in-law treated you and make sure that you were doing well. I also wanted to say that even though I really don't approve of what you did, thank you. I'm sure Allen filled you in on what happened last night," after Dean nodded, he continued, "Ok, well enough of that. What you say we get this game started?"
Sam's heart lightened and, if even for a brief moment, he forgot the troubles of the world. This was as close to normal he could remember ever coming and he made sure he enjoyed it. They ended up staying there until after Christmas and much to Sam's relieved surprise his dad never did learn about what happened. He had thought that this would have soured him on Halloween, but it would take a nervous stomach and an attempted kiss at a Halloween party to do that.
Thank you to all who have stuck with this. I promise this is the end. Hope the holiday season is a blessed one for you all and that you, like the boys, get that miracle you've been hoping for.