A/N

Thank you Christine, Wunjo, Kathy and sammygirl1963 for the reviews! :D I know Sunday didn't update on time. Fanfiction wouldn't let me onto my page for three painful hours and I managed to post the chapter right before bed. Fingers crossed we don't go through that again!


Jacob was frozen to the spot when Sam spoke up. The voice just barely broke him out of his wide-eyed freeze. He straightened up a little stiffly, allowing his arm to relax after it had all but seized up. Sam had just climbed up his arm like it was nothing, using the sleeve like it was a staircase. Jacob, who'd been waiting for a tiny wave or thumbs up, was not expecting such a show of skill.

Sam had really meant it when he assured Jacob he could get around on his own. Most people wouldn't even dream of making a climb like that, without a safety harness or a net below or anything.

Jacob picked his jaw up off the floor. He almost turned his head to look at Sam, but worried he'd throw the little guy off balance (if such a thing was possible). He had to grin. "Okay, just gonna throw this out there, that was awesome. You did not lie." After giving his assessment, Jacob took a quiet breath and turned towards the door, conscious of the faintest weight on his shoulder.

Holy shit. I'm actually doing this. He took a few hesitant steps, and then some longer strides. He paused with his hand on the doorknob. "This works, right?"

Sam found himself grinning at the awe in Jacob's voice, his shoulders straightening in pride. After years of being used to getting around like that every day of his life, he'd forgotten how out-of-the-ordinary it was to a human. No one could deny Sam's skill with climbing, not even Walt, who'd been climbing steep cliffs and harsh surfaces longer than Sam had been alive.

Before Jacob opened the door, Sam flattened himself on the shoulder. A few folds of fabric were enough to conceal himself from easy view, and Sam dangled his legs off Jacob's back, ready to drop down into the hood if anyone's eyes strayed towards him. With Jacob no longer able to see Sam, the tingle from his neck was gone. It would be easy to tell if anyone spotted him in a casual glance.

"This works," Sam confirmed. He slapped the neck next to him to reassure Jacob. "This is your world now."

Jacob smirked and raised an eyebrow when he felt the faint tickle of a tiny hand slapping against his neck. He could feel Sam shifting around on his shoulder, if he concentrated on it. It blew his mind that an entire person was perched there. He had to be aware of his steps now, not necessarily because someone might be underfoot, but because one stumble could send Sam plummeting.

No pressure. Jacob opened the door and stepped outside. He was more aware of everything with the constant tickling near his neck. The morning was at an odd time, with few people around the motel. There was just an exhausted family with their loud, rolling suitcases loading their car several rooms away. Jacob kept an eye on them, making sure they didn't notice, but they didn't even look his way.

He made his way over to his somewhat rusty Mercury cougar. It wasn't bad for a first car, a very reliable little thing that thought it was a corvette. With somewhat terse motions, he tossed his bag into the backseat before settling into the driver's seat. Then he finally let himself breathe, relaxing into the seat.

"Still hanging in there?" he asked, glancing up at the rearview mirror to check on his small passenger.

Sam pulled himself up from where he'd flattened against Jacob's shoulder. "I'm good," he said. The sight of the family walking along outside had been an ardent reminder of his helplessness out here. He was literally relying on Jacob with his life.

Now that they were safely contained inside the behemoth car, Sam brought himself to a sit, letting his legs hang casually off of Jacob's shoulder. He gave Jacob a grin in the rearview mirror before peering curiously around at his new surroundings. He'd only ever driven in the Impala, and the interior of that car was nothing like this new one. Sam found himself missing the sight of the leather bench seat in the front, where John and Dean had always rode. Sam would sit in the backseat, watching everything with wide hazel eyes.

Aside from the car being so different, the size made it new all over again. The sight of Jacob's huge backpack in the back reminded Sam of the way he'd thought he'd be trapped inside at one point. An impossible place to escape from at his size. Jacob could carry it around without much exertion while Sam could never hope to budge such an immense bag. It was bigger than his family's home, after all.

The world outside was more familiar. Sam had sat up on the roof of the motel more than once, watching the sun set as cars drove in for the night, searching for a place to stay. The parking lot had become his backyard, and he'd spend any night he could searching for the Impala. At first out of hope, and eventually out of habit. Hope had slowly begun to fade from his mind in the last few years. Why would Dean ever return to the place his baby brother had died? There were too many memories attached to the building, after all.

Sam moved closer to Jacob's neck, feeling a little more stable there. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be," he said, the excitement coming through in his voice.

Jacob chuckled quietly, but didn't let it last long with Sam even closer to his neck. It was a strange sensation, but he had to smile faintly anyway. After all, he'd made some decent progress if he had enough trust for Sam to settle himself there like that. He would have to keep doing his best to keep the little guy safe. Jacob had coaxed him, as vulnerable as he was, out of the safety of his home. The world was big for such a little guy to be out in. It was on Jacob to make sure he reached his destination… and his family.

He started the car with a sputter of the engine. While the AC caught up, he turned to flip open the road map on the passenger seat. He picked it up and rested it on the steering wheel, tracing his fingertip over the route he intended to take. The names of small towns murmured out of his lips as he memorized his exits.

With the trip ahead planned out, Jacob set aside his map and put the car in gear. "Alright, Nebraska awaits," he announced. "Soybeans, cornfields, and sandhills." He gave the closed door of his motel room one last glance, amazed by the turn of events that had happened just behind it. Hopefully his mother wouldn't catch on that he'd gone off the route they discussed before he left on his trip. But at least it wasn't as though Sam would go tattling. "Let's see if we can't catch up to Dean."

The smile on Sam's face wouldn't leave. Let's see if we can't catch up to Dean. Words that contained every hope in his heart. "Yeah, let's go find my brother," Sam said, unable to believe it was really happening. He was actually going to go find his brother. In all the years he'd spent in this motel, he'd never thought those words would actually pass through his lips.

Let's go find my brother.

Dean.

Sam settled comfortably in the crook of Jacob's neck as the car pulled out of the parking lot, letting himself start to relax with the human's attention on the road before them. "I remember watching movies about a cornfield," Sam thought out loud, letting his memories turn towards the past. If he was truly on his way back to his brother, there was no reason to hide those memories anymore. Instead of pain, he could find comfort and hope.

"It was so long ago, I don't remember much," he admitted. "Just that it was supposed to be scary. Dean made fun of the movie. I didn't figure out why until I found out what our dad did for a living. I guess movies like that aren't as scary as the real thing. But Dean was always there for me if the movies gave me nightmares."

Jacob could feel Sam settling in more. It helped him relax a little as well, normalizing the task he'd taken up on himself. He listened intently as Sam took his stroll down memory lane, probably talking about things he hadn't told anyone in ages. "I guess I can see why he wouldn't give those movies much credit," he admitted. Though it did get Jacob wondering once again about what sorts of things this Dean Winchester dealt with daily.

"But in Nebraska the football fans are the scariest thing you'll find, hands down," he quipped, getting onto the highway that'd get them a good portion of the way there. Serious again, Jacob asked "So you and Dean were pretty close, huh? It really sounds like he really looked out for you. That's pretty cool of him." Jacob had to wonder how Dean would react to finding out his little brother wasn't dead. He was just his little little brother now.

Sam laughed along with the joke, then let himself slip into the past again. "You could say that," he said. "Dean was the one person I ever had to rely on growing up. Our dad… wasn't around much when we were growing up. His… crusade kept him busy. Sometimes we'd be left in a motel room for days or weeks at a time, and Dean would have to find ways to keep food on the table."

Sam stared down at the shoulder he was sitting on, idly threading his fingers through the thick fabric. "I didn't know how much he did, at first. I just thought we always had what we needed. But there were times I found out later that Dean had to steal so we could eat. We didn't have the money to buy food, and there was no one we could call for help. It was better when dad left us at Bobby's. He always made sure that we were taken care of. But dad and Bobby argued a lot, and then it would be months or years before we saw him again."

Sam sighed. "I guess my life's never been normal," he said softly. "But it's always been my life, and something I deal with. Dean was the one part I could always count on, no matter what else was going on, and losing him… It felt like I lost everything."

Jacob didn't have anything to say right away. He heaved a sigh, his brow pinched with concern and no small amount of empathy for Sam's story. Jacob's childhood hadn't been nearly as sparse, but things were definitely tight. His dad had always worked so hard to make sure Jacob never realized it. Jacob glanced at the speedometer and noticed that he was speeding. But he didn't slow down; the sooner they found Dean, the better.

Sam needed his brother back.

"That was pretty brave of him, stealing to make sure you had food," he finally replied. From the sounds of things, Dean had taken on some very adult decisions way before he ever should have. All to take care of the little guy that sat against Jacob's neck now. Sam was putting a lot of trust in Jacob, all in the hope of getting to see his protective big brother again.

"I can't wait to meet him. Sounds like a good guy."

"I can't wait for you to meet him," Sam said, warming to the topic. He was proud of his family, in no small way. Even though their father had left them alone for weeks at a time, he'd been saving lives, trying to get rid of the evil that lurked around every corner while pursuing his own quest to find the killer of his wife.

And now Dean was doing the same. Putting himself at risk to make sure others people didn't suffer at the hands or claws or fangs of monsters. More than anything, Sam wanted to be able to help. To keep another child from suffering from a curse like he'd been placed under. To do a little good to help offset the bad.

A smile broadened his face at a specific memory. "Just don't get involved in any prank wars with him," Sam said warningly. "He has no problem escalating things. One day… I kid you not… he put nair in my shampoo. I had to grow it out all over again." He protectively brushed a hand over his fluffy locks, remembering how it had felt to have bare skin there.

Jacob couldn't withhold his snickering that time, though he did his best to make sure he didn't laugh out loud with Sam so close. "Wow. That is a committed joke, right there, thanks for the warning." It definitely seemed to fit in with the big brother role just as much as all the stuff Dean did to take care of Sam as they were growing up. Jacob didn't have any siblings of his own, but he'd seen enough sibling interactions for it to be familiar. "Holy shit. Y'know, you'll have to get him back for that someday. Maybe sneak some dye into his shampoo or something."

Jacob found himself imagining what Dean must be like based on the few stories Sam had told him already. While he was sure a lot probably changed in all that time, the guy had to have some remnants of who he was as a kid still lingering. Maybe Sam would bring that right back to the surface after all this time.

"Maybe," Sam said, his thoughts once more drawn towards what Dean must be like now. He tried to imagine pranking a giant the size of Jacob. He almost couldn't imagine it. Humans were so big. How could he possibly pull something like that without Dean noticing?

That brought to mind more worrisome thoughts. It had been over a decade since they'd seen each other, and Dean must assume that Sam was dead. What if he ended up not believing it was his little brother standing in front of him? There was a lot Sam could take, but that…

Losing Dean all over again, and more complete than ever…

He didn't know if he could stand to see disbelief like that in his brother's eyes. Not after years of hoping and praying for a chance to find him. Not after finally being offered that chance from a stranger that had started out their relationship by catching Sam and treating him like an object. Jacob would be all he had left to rely on if Dean rejected them. He'd have to ask the human to take him all the way back home again, traveling another eight hours in defeat to the Trails West and accepting his new life there.

Sam's shoulders slumped a little. His fingers wound deeper into the threads in his sudden stress as he considered a future without Dean. "What if… he doesn't believe us?" Sam asked Jacob haltingly, letting out some of his greatest fears. "What if he doesn't believe I'm Sam? Or he's changed so much that he's not the person I remember?"

Jacob frowned, once again finding the tone of Sam's voice heartbreaking all by itself. The fear of rejection hung on every worried syllable. Jacob realized that he hadn't even considered something like that happening. He pursed his lips as he thought about it. Dean was basically a more badass ghostbuster. It shouldn't be hard to at least convince him that it was possible for Sam to have been cursed way back then.

That still brought in the matter of proving that it was really Sam. That Jacob wasn't some ... vengeful spirit or whatever that somehow played on Dean's hopes or memories or something. Holy shit something like that probably exists, Jacob realized.

He almost shrugged, just barely stopping the motion in time. Hopefully the momentary tension in his shoulder didn't upset Sam's perch there. An idea hit and Jacob grinned. "Your knife," he said aloud, blurting it but remembering to quiet his voice from the initial volume. "You said he made it for you, right? He's gotta recognize that. And you know all kinds of stuff only you two would know. That's gotta count for something, right?"

Sam blinked. "You're right," he said in realization. It might be smaller now, but the knife bore Dean's handiwork. After working on it for months, Dean knew that knife as well as he knew any weapon. Sam might have changed in the years since seeing Dean, but the knife hadn't, past the size. Each night it was carefully cleaned and stashed away, the most important item in Sam's life. He cared for it the same way he cared for himself. It carried all his memories of his family in it, and he relied on it to save his life when he was in trouble, with rats or humans or anything.

Tugging his hand free of the hoodie threads, Sam took out the knife, carefully running a hand down the blunt side. The blade was meticulously sharpened with Walt's whetstone anytime the edge grew dull from use. Reassured by it all over again, Sam slipped the knife back into its sheath. It was a good thing he'd managed to hold onto it all these years, even with it smaller than an inch in length. If it tumbled out of his grasp at the wrong moment it would be all too easy to lose down a crack in the floor.

Sam sighed. "Thanks," he said to Jacob. "We can do this. I know it. I'm just… afraid of losing him again if we get so close."

The dark hoodie threads he'd been fiddling with moments ago caught the corner of his eye. "Shit!" Sam hissed. He'd tugged them out of the shirt, unraveling part of Jacob's hoodie. Frantic, Sam tried to pat them down, hoping to get it back to normal before the human noticed. The last thing he wanted to do was risk Jacob growing angry with him while they were alone. Sam was relying on his help, and had no way to even get back home without Jacob now.

And here he was, fucking things up.


A/N

XD Aww, Sam, you don't have to be so nervous! You're traveling with the teddy bear, Jacob's harmless once he's tamed.

Next: Coming August 4th 2016 at 9pm est.

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