Supernatural does not belong to me, although I wish it did. I am simply playing in Kripke's sandbox for a bit. All rights and ownership are the property of Kripke and the CW network. I am not making any money from this; it is for my own personal pleasure. No copyright infringement intended.

Synopsis: Sam Wesson is trying desperately to get home to his not so perfect life for the holidays, but when a freak snowstorm stands him in a tiny airport in Jackson Hole, Wyoming he may find a new reason to celebrate the season. Dean Winchester doesn't believe in miracles and he has never stayed in one place for more than a few months. But when he meets Sam Wesson during the most festive time of the year, he might just have found something worth believing in.

NOTE: This story focuses on un-related Sam and Dean as they find one another on a blustery Christmas night. It is a romantic Christmas story. Very light on the SLASH action, but it is there.

Rated T.

Don't like? Don't read it. SLASH M/M relationship!

Please keep in mind that I do not have a Beta, all grammatical errors are my own.

Please Review: So I know there's interest

Chapter Eight

Mirror Image

The inclination to continue sleeping was so intense that Sam had to physically force himself to wake up. There was a pleasant feeling of floating and he wanted to remain in the contentment that he rarely found in his normal life. He was warm and happy; two things he hadn't felt in a very long time and certainly not at the same time. He stretched and his fingers slid over the cool and very empty other side of their shared bed. His eyelids slid apart and he blinked several times willing his eyes to focus in the dim light. The curtains were blocking out almost all of the light and he wondered what time it really was. They would need to be on the road fairly early to make the last nine hundred miles by Christmas. That thought had him sitting bolt upright in bed and allowing the blankets to drape low across his hips.

The air in the room was chilly and he immediately pulled the covers over his naked chest.

"Dean?" He called softly.

The only answer was the continued silence in the room and Sam frowned. He hauled himself out of the cocoon of warmth and glanced around for his underwear and pants. A slight groan was his only response when he saw them crumpled in a pile at the end of the bed. He grabbed them and slid the expensive material on before stepping to the window and looking out the parking area for the Impala.

A moment of panic wound its way through his heart when he didn't see the black car in the lot. Did he leave me? Sam hadn't meant to think that, but his brain was a little on the cynical side when it came to his happiness. Life had proven this outlook accurate over and over and he'd stopped questioning it long ago. His dark eyebrows cut down and he flipped on the lone lamp in the honeymoon suite. There on the dresser was a neatly folded piece of paper with his name scrawled across the front. He quickly crossed to read the note.

Sammy,

Ran to the diner to grab us some breakfast. I'm starving and figured you would be too. Don't worry; I didn't leave your ass in some no-name town. Be back soon.

- Dean

Sam wanted to argue with Dean's spot on assessment of his reaction. But it seemed as though the other man knew him better than he thought. The fact that he'd left a note actually brought a slight smile to Sam's lips. It meant that he'd thought about what waking up alone would do to Sam and he hadn't wanted him to worry. Dammit. I'm falling in love with you, Dean. He thought as his heart warmed at the idea. He hadn't meant for any of this to happen. The last thing that he wanted was to complicate his already complicated life.

Sam quickly made the bed, he didn't want to give the little old man that ran the place a coronary when he came in and saw the room in complete disarray. In an effort to distract himself, Sam flipped on the television and skimmed the few channels looking for anything of interest. Mostly the news was all the same. A wreck here, stranded passengers there…I know all about that. He thought with derision. Sam finally stopped on a news channel and sat back against the headboard to see what was happening in the rest of the world.

A story came on about a woman that was searching for her long lost husband…and when the picture flashed across the TV, Sam found himself leaning forward in shock. There was a wedding picture that included the Mayor of Chicago, his daughter Carmen, and Dean Winchester as it turned out. He'd still not asked what Dean's last name was and now he didn't have to. There staring at him was the proof that he wasn't the only one with something, or someone, waiting for him in the windy city.

The pang of jealousy that wound through his chest was surprising in its intensity. He felt like he'd been lied to. But he couldn't really fault Dean, since he hadn't been exactly forth coming in his backstory either. But staring at the face of the man he was rapidly falling for as he held onto the slim waist of a gorgeous brunette wasn't good for his sanity. Sam clicked the television off and scrubbed his hand down his face. "We're a mess, Dean." He said to the empty room. He now knew from first hand experience that Dean wasn't exactly straight, although based on the fact that he had a wife seem to suggest that he wasn't gay either.

And Sam was no better. Although he hadn't married the only daughter of the most popular mayor in the history of the city of Chicago, so it wasn't the same thing. Carmen was a District Attorney and she could squash the hell out of several of Sam's current cases. Not only that, but she had the ear of the almost every judge in the city, so that wouldn't bode well for his firm either. Shit…what the hell do I do now, Dean? He wondered to himself.

The familiar rumble of Dean's beloved car pulled him from his thoughts and Sam hurried and grabbed a grey cashmere sweater and pulled it over his head, hiding his previously naked torso. With the way things were going for them, they didn't need a repeat of last night. This thing between them was doomed and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

The door opened and Dean shoved inside with a shiver. "Holy crap it's cold out there. If it's over ten degrees I'll be impressed." He smiled and set two Styrofoam containers on the small table and a carryall with two cups of coffee. "Don't worry, I girl'ied yours up for ya. Cream, sugar, and I brought extra of everything just in case." He finished with a mock bow. His eyes were twinkling with mischief and it made the lawyer's stomach turn with the knowledge he now possessed.

Sam swallowed his own feelings as they bubbled around just beneath the surface. This wasn't what he wanted…all this secrecy between them. He knew enough about Dean to know if the man wanted him to know about his past, he would have told him. It was pretty apparent that he didn't want anything to do with the life he'd clearly run away from. But Sam didn't think that in the long run he could accept that. His curious nature would impede his ability to simply 'let it go'. His father had always told him, the things that made him a good lawyer, made it difficult to maintain normal healthy relationships.

"You're awfully quiet, Sammy. You okay?" Dean asked as he slid over and dropped a lingering kiss on Sam's surprised lips. He was too stunned to answer or respond properly at first, but eventually his brain kicked back in.

Sam pulled away after a moment when he felt Dean start to deepen the kiss and looked into his mesmerizing green eyes. "Sorry, just woke up. That's all." He lied easily. It actually sickened him how easily the lies could roll off his tongue when he needed them to.

Dean shrugged and stood up to grab the food. "Here's some grub. Picked up bacon and eggs for me and a spinach omelet for you." His glanced up. "That okay?" It didn't appear to Sam that he was suspicious.

He nodded and turned away in a hurry to hide the pain that followed that smile. Dean had paid close enough attention to know that he ate pretty healthy. No one had picked up on that without him explaining it first and now? It had to be Dean that got it…got him. The universe seemed to be playing a very cruel joke on him and Sam definitely wasn't getting the punch line.

XXXX

The Impala was rumbling along the clear road. The sparkling white snow lined both sides of the long desolate highway, but there was nothing on the actual road itself. The air outside the warm car was crisp and very cold. In the distance was a large farm; complete with a huge wooden barn that looked like it was out of a postcard. Dean's eyes slid over and he wondered why he'd been so quiet. They'd exchanged some nonsensical conversation, but nothing that had any depth to it and he didn't know what had changed. Sam had kissed Dean, not the other way around and now it felt like Dean was the bad guy. His chest tightened at the thought and old insecurities fluttered to the surface.

He repositioned his hands on the steering wheel and took the turn off for the freeway. They were only a few hours outside of Chicago and the closer he got the more he knew he should tell Sam why he'd left the city. But the memory of that night was still so fresh in his mind that he found it difficult to put words to it. That had been the night he'd learned that there are monsters out there. Not the kind that are born of warped or creative minds, but the kind that can destroy lives with actions. People that don't care who is hurt on their path to power or fame…Oh yeah, I know a few of those too. He thought silently.

"Are we going to make it all the way tonight? Or do we have to stop again?" Sam asked quietly from the other side of the car. It almost felt like he was on the other side of the moon, he seemed so far away. There had been no wayward touches or accidental brushes between their bodies since last night and it was beginning to confuse the other man.

Dean glanced over and frowned. Was Sam in that big of a hurry to get away from him? Was he really that much of a problem for the man? Emotions he didn't want kept rearing up and attacking him when he wasn't ready. He swallowed the pain that that thought caused him and looked back out at the beautiful colors of the setting sun. There were cool, where summer sunsets are warm, all the rusts and reds had given way to soft yellow and blue. "We still have about five hours. I'd like to stop for some food and then we can push through. That way you're there for Christmas morning. Best I can do." He finished evenly.

This time Sam looked at him and apparently he didn't like what he saw. "You okay?" The question was soft and straight forward, but there beneath the surface were his true feelings. He didn't really want to know what was bothering Dean. Because if he did, then he might not have the power to do what needed to be done. They both knew that this…whatever it was between them...lust...infatuation...love…it was a short-term thing. It wasn't going to lead to nuzzling under a warm blanket in front of a fireplace watching old movies on a cold night. Not that that would've been a problem for Dean. In fact that pretty much was a fantasy for someone that didn't feel they had a home. There wouldn't be family outings with Adam and dinner parties at Sam's firm. No long lazy showers on Sunday mornings before heading out to a family gathering and drinking in the evenings. No, these were all things that Dean Winchester would never have.

They both had lives and their lives simply didn't include each other. It sucked out loud. At least Dean thought it did. He hoped that Sam thought the same, but he wasn't going to ask. "I'm fine." Dean replied coolly.

Sam frowned but didn't push. He turned back to the landscape as it flew by and leaned his head against the window. It was a few minutes before he realized that Dean was asking him something. "What?"

"I asked if you're hungry?" Dean repeated with a shake of his head.

"Oh, yeah…I could eat." Sam said dismissively.

The blonde just shook his head and took the next exit. Trying to find a place to eat after seven at night on Christmas Eve turned out to be like winning the lottery. Pretty much everything was closed and the darkened windows served as a reminder that they should each be with their respective families on this night.

Dean finally managed to find a truck stop diner that was open and they both trudged inside, their hands holding their coats closed against the biting cold.

An older woman, probably in her fifties, smiled at them from behind the counter. "Pick a seat, any seat. Be with you gents in a moment."

Dean nodded easily. "Thank you." He didn't think about it when he laid his hand across the small of Sam's back and led him toward a booth near a large heater.

He didn't notice, but Sam did. The feeling of Dean leading him was more natural than it should be and it left Sam feeling a bit confused as he sank into the seat. He looked up at Dean through the fringe of his bangs and watched as he removed his leather jacket. This man stirred feelings that Sam hadn't known he possessed and that scared him. That and the knowledge that Dean was actually married…to a woman no less. And that he'd run from that responsibility for some reason. He wanted desperately to ask, but then he'd have to admit that he'd known all day and hadn't brought it up. Maybe it would just be better if he kept this to himself. It wasn't like they were going to see each other after tonight.

"So I was thinking that we could take the Interstate as far as Rosemont and then hang a left and we should have you home by about two in the morning." Dean chattered amiably. He grinned when the waitress brought them a steaming carafe of coffee and two mugs. "Can we get some cream with this?" He asked.

Sam's eyes shot up and he stared at Dean, incredulous.

After a moment Dean noticed. "What? You like cream." He said like it was common knowledge and everyone should know about Sam's coffee habits.

Before Sam could say anything the woman returned. "What can I get you boys?"

Dean scanned the menu and smiled widely at something he saw there. "I'll have your double cheeseburger, extra onions and onion rings." His green eyes twinkled. "And a piece of Apple pie and pumpkin."

"Sure thing." She looked at Sam expectantly.

Sam stammered for a moment. He hadn't even glanced at the menu. "Cob salad."

Dean looked like Sam had just ordered blackened baby. "A cob salad? Seriously, Sam? It's Christmas Eve, try living a bit."

He groaned and looked back at the menu. "Fine. I'll have what he's having."

Again with that smile, Dean nodded and handed the menus to the woman. "Much better."

"What is it with you and the way I eat?" Sam asked as he fixed his coffee. He banged his knee into the bottom of the table when Dean's leg brushed against his.

Dean didn't notice the nervous energy that was surrounding Sam. He felt perfectly at ease in the diner. "Because you need to live a little. You're wound way too tight, Sammy."

Sam tilted his head and snorted. "It's Sam." He said derisively.

"Sammy sounds better. Not so formal." Dean answered immediately. "So, do you have Adam's Christmas presents already?"

There was a slight nod. "I sent my secretary out when I realized I might not make it back."

Dean's eyebrows cut down in disgust. "You had your secretary buy your kids Christmas? That's…very progressive."

Sam glared at him and he shrugged. "Didn't exactly have much of a choice. It was that or an airport gift shop Christmas. What about you? What are you doing for Christmas?"

A mask slid neatly into place as Dean continued to look at Sam. "Not sure. I'll just go wherever the wind takes me."

"You mean you don't have anywhere to go." Sam interpreted.

"We can't all have perfect little families and fiancés at home." This time there was some bite to the comment and Dean knew that he'd hit a nerve when a muscle in Sam's cheek jumped.

"So you're telling me that you don't have a family? That it's just you? No ex-wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, or siblings?" Sam was hoping that if he prodded hard enough that Dean would break down and tell him the truth. Knowing that Dean did in fact have a family, a very wealthy and powerful family was starting to wear on Sam. He could lie easily on the outside, but on the inside it always tore him apart until he eventually broke.

Dean leaned back in the booth and stared intently at Sam. "Why the sudden interest in my family?"

"I'm not. Not really, just want to make sure you have somewhere to go."

"I have somewhere to go, Sam." It was a deflection and they both knew it, but neither of them wanted to finish this conversation, so they let it go.

TBC…

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Travel and life reared their heads this week. Next chapter we're in Chicago and things are going to come to a head for both boys. Thank you for the reviews, you guys are amazing.

Please Review: Please and thank you.