(Here you go, chapter 3! I hope you like it. We are finally getting into something that was looming over Dean in the first story.

I am working on chapter 4, I don't know when I'll get it put up, but I am working on it.

Thank you to EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester, Nikki Ross, PriWinchester, ArtistKurai and LilyBolt for your reviews.

ArtistKurai: Well Rachelle's dad does not know that Dean can be a little crazy. He's only met Dean once so…

This is unbeated so all mistakes are mine and mine alone.

I do not own Supernatural)

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Snow was falling lightly when Dean went to pick Sam up from school that afternoon and the topic of conversation was something Dean was hoping to avoid for a while but was not surprised that Sam had brought it up.

"Dean?" Sam had asked as they made their way through the busy street.

"Yeah Sam." Dean responded as he dodged a women walking a poodle.

"How can you tell if you like someone?" Sam asked innocently. Dean looked at his almost fifteen year old brother.

"Why? Is there someone that you like?" Dean asked amusement in his eyes.

"No." Sam quickly said, too quickly in Dean's opinion.

"Sam, come on, you can tell me, I won't tease you…too much." Dean said.

"Have you told Rach you liked her?" Sam asked changing the topic.

"I don't like Rach." Dean said tossing his hands up in the air "Why does everyone ask me if I like her?"

"Because everyone knows you do even if you can't see it?" Sam suggested giving a little shout as Dean poked him in the side. Once they got to their apartment Sam got the mail as normal and flipped through it.

"Dean, there's a letter from the county for you." Sam tossed it onto the table along with the rest of the mail and went into his room to do his homework.

"Ok Sam, thanks for telling me." Dean said his head stuck in the fridge trying to find something that they could have for supper. Deciding that it could wait a little bit Dean grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl and started to peel it while looking at the letter. It was more than likely a summons to the office to figure out what to do for Sam. Dean was in the prossis of trying to legally adopt Sam so if their father, John, found them he'd have no right to take Sam away from Dean. Dean had run away with Sam to New York last August after he found out he had gotten a place in the technology college in New York City. That wasn't the only reason though. One night when Dean went to hussl pool he had gotten back to the apartment later then he wanted and found Sam bleeding to death on the floor. Dean had called 911 and gotten Sammy to the hospital and that night he started planning to leave sooner than he had wanted. Shuttering slightly Dean tore himself away from the memory and focused back on the envelope on the table. Pulling a chair up he split his orange into sections and munching on it he opened the letter.

January 5 1998

Dear Mr. Dean Winchester,

We have reviewed your case, number 1094634, in regards to getting guardianship of Samuel Henry Winchester.

You will need to see Mr. Almanzo Simon at ten thirty AM on January tenth to go over your case.

If the selected time does not work for you please call our office at (718)-555-8564 between the hours of eight O' clock AM and three thirty PM Monday through Thursday or from eight O' clock AM to three O' clock PM Friday.

Sincerely,

Pam Anderson

Secretary

Dean reread the letter. And then grabbed his datebook to see what he had going on. Besides work that started at seven thirty in the morning and a class that started at one O' clock in the afternoon there was nothing. That didn't surprise him between class, work and the occasional study date with Rachelle he didn't have too much of a social life. He was too busy trying to rear Sam. He could go and work for a few hours but then he'd have to back track and get Sam and then from there go to the courthouse he decided that it would just be easier to tell Sam's teacher that Sam was skipping his morning classes and his boss that he was going to be missing work. Putting down the time and date of the appointment Dean finished his orange and pulled out his homework. A few hours later Dean was in the kitchen trying to make homemade macaroni and cheese from a cookbook he had found at the library.

"Make a roux out of the flour and butter." Dean read off 'Roux, what on earth is a roux?' looking through a Betty Crocker cookbook he had gotten at the Goodwill he found what a roux was. So he whisked the flour and butter together until it was bubbling and continued to stir it until the timer beeped. Sam came out while he was adding in the cheese.

"What are you making?" Sam asked jumping up onto the counter.

"I'm trying my hand at macaroni cheese and get off the counter Sam tables are for glasses not for little asses." Dean answered as he stirred the cheese sauce.

"Technically it's a counter." Sam said but hopped down. "Can I help?"

"Yeah if you want to get the square baking dish for me and butter it that would be great." Dean said as he poured the cheese onto the macaroni in the bowl. Sam nodded and did as Dean asked. As the macaroni baked Dean told Sam that next week he was not going to be going to school for the morning because of a custody hearing. Sam groaned.

"Dean," he whined "I have a history test first period that day."

"Then I'll call the school and see if you can take it after school or on a different date. I have to call them anyway and tell them they you're going to be missing class anyway" Dean said "How are you coming along on your homework?"

"I got done with it." Sam said sulking a little.

"Good." Dean said "Then you can set the table for supper while I try to work a little more on my own homework." He picked up his books and made his way into his bedroom. Flicking on the light he dumped his books onto his bed and picked up his pajamas that he tossed to the ground that morning and tossed them along with some other dirty clothing into the laundry basket and did some quick tidying up of his room and desk. Putting a text book on the desk and pulling out a notebook Dean started to do his statistics homework. The statistics teacher was a witch with a capital B. Dean got one of the questions on a quiz wrong because apparently he didn't answer it in a complete sentence and then he read the graph wrong. He wasn't the only one who got that one wrong though five other students in the class got it wrong as well and started protesting, that didn't go over to well. Not only that but she would say that her office hours where one thing but then not show up at her office for said office hours. Dean knew it would be a miracle if he passed the class. Dean worked steadily through his pile of homework with his radio on low playing classic rock until there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Dean said not looking up from the labeling of a car.

"Dean supper's done." Sam said.

"Ok, I'm coming." Dean got up and stretched rubbing the kinks out of his back and followed Sam out into the dining room. Sam had set the table and put the macaroni in the middle of the table along with the milk and a bowl of green beans and some left over garlic bread from when they had spaghetti.

"Looks good Sam." Dean said as he sat down.

"Well I hope so, you made it." Sam shot back grinning as he dished up some green beans for himself as Dean busied himself with the macaroni. As soon as Sam got some macaroni he took a bit and almost gaged.

"Dean I don't think macaroni is supposed to be like rubber and have bits of flour in it is it?" he asked. Dean took a bit and made a face.

"No it's not." Dean said "Well eat the green beans and the toast I'll toss the macaroni and look for something else to have for supper ok?" Dean took the pan and tossed it away sighing. They really couldn't afforded to toss food but there was no way he and Sam where going to eat that again. Going to the fridge Dean pulled out some eggs and bacon.

"Do you want some bacon and eggs on toast Sam?" He asked as Sam came in with their plates.

"Yeah, that sounds good with me, I'll toast the bread." Sam set the oven and put three slices of bread the oven rack.

"Can we get a toaster?" He asked as he shut the oven door.

"Yeah, we can get a toaster just as soon as we can ok?" Dean said whipping the eggs with a fork.

The next Wednesday found Dean pacing nervously up and down the corridor outside the office of a Mr. Almanzo Simon tugging lightly at a green plaid button down shirt. Sam watched from the long, hard wooden bench and was about to ask Dean if he wanted to sit down when the office door opened up and a man in his late forties or early fifties skinny and balding with blue eyes.

"Mr. Dean Winchester and Sam?" He asked as Deans head jerked up.

"That's us." Dean said as he and Sam walked over to him.

"Hello, Mr. Winchester." Almanzo said smiling then turned and walked back into his office. Sam and Dean followed.

"Please take a seat." He said pointing to two chairs in front of his desk. Dean sat down and Sam followed suit both crossing their legs and giggling there foot. "Now, I understand that you would like to get custody of your sibling Samuel right Mr. Winchester?" Almanzo asked looking Dean in the eye.

"Yes sir." Dean said.

"Do you have a stable job and a place for you to live?"

"Yes sir. I'm working at the school doing janitorial work but if I need to I'll get another job as well." Dean said.

"And we're living in the Whispering Aspin apartments." Sam added on.

"Ok." Almanzo scribbled something down on his notepad. "Dean what are you going to school for?"

"I'm going to be an auto mechanic and maybe someday open my own shop." Dean said smiling.

"Ok, what about doctor and dentist appointments, how will you pay for those? What will happen to Sam if God forbid, something should happen to you and you had to stay in the hospital for an extended time or even died?" Almanzo asked and Sam bit his lip and looked at Dean. Dean must have sense Sam was worried and took his hand.

"Well right now we are on a health insurance plan through the county and if something should happen to me where I was laid up in the hospital then I have friends here in the city that could help out with Sam until I was back on my feet, and in the case of my death, a friend of mine Robert Singer would take care of Sam." Dean said as Almanzo wrote that all down.

"Ok, how are you getting clothing and food to eat?" Almanzo asked firing off another question.

"Well, the Goodwill mostly for clothing except for personal stuff and we qualified for food stamps so that's how I'm making ends meet." Dean said looking down.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of for living on food stamps Mr. Winchester."

"Yeah, I know that sir." Dean said.

"Ok, so next question, it may be a hard one to answer but we need to know, why do you want guardianship of your sibling?" Almanzo asked

Dean licked his lips. He really did not want to bring up the abuse he and Sam had suffered from John, but if it helped him make sure John could not hurt Sam it was worth it.

"John, our dad, was abusive to us, Sam more so then me. I'd get in the way as much as I could so he wasn't hitting Sammy that much and the last time he abused Sam, he nearly killed him so we high tailed it here. I want custody of Sam so John can't come here and take him back and start abusing him again." Dean said. As Almanzo wrote down what he had just said Dean took a few deep breaths to get his emotions under control then he looked at Almanzo "Any more questions?"

"Just a few more Mr. Winchester. Now what about Sam's schooling? What grade is he in now?"

"I'm in ninth grade but I'm taking some college classes." Sam answered.

"Ok, Dean what will happen when Sam goes to college? How will you pay for it?" Almanzo questioned.

"Scholarships, lone, financial aid." Same as every kid in the USA." Dean answered wondering why he had asked that question.

"Ok, well that all the questions that I had I'll have someone come over and look in on you at some time with in the month just to make sure the living conditions are safe to raise a child." Almanzo stood up and shook Dean's hand and then Sam's and showed them out the door.

"Are you ok Dean?" Sam asked as they walked to the subway station.

"I'm fine Sam, just worried that they'll give you back to John, that's all. I will say an eighteen year old man wanting to raise a fourteen year old kid will not stand to well with a judge." Dean explained taking Sam's hand and squeezing it.

"You'll be nineteen at the end of the month though Dean, maybe they'll take that into consideration?" Sam asked as they walked down the subway steps.

"Yeah, maybe." Dean nodded, the problem was that they just had an interview they still had a long way to go.

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