I have come asking forgiveness for letting so much time pass before this update! I've kind of hit a wall with this story, and I am doing my best to work through it. I ask for your patience, which I know is a lot to ask for, but if you hang in there, I'll do my best to make it worth it!

-FIVE-

Dean let out a breath, running his fingers through Melinda's wavy hair. Melinda was lying on his chest, her soft hand over his still quickly beating heart, and he spoke quietly.

"I was four when Sam was born. I was so excited, so happy about getting a baby brother. I drove my mom crazy wanting to hold him, feed him, play with him. Dad told me once that every morning, Mom would get up to go check on Sammy and I'd be in the crib with him, holding him, talking to him."

They smiled, and Melinda looked up at him. Dean was staring at the ceiling, still running his fingers through her hair.

"Dad had to work late one night. I remember spending all day with Mom and Sammy. We fed Sammy, gave him a bath, and Mom put him to bed. I can remember her coming to my room to get me, and she picked me up and carried me to Sam's nursery. I gave baby Sam a kiss, and my dad was there. I ran to him and he held me. Mom walked over, past us, and Dad told Sam goodnight, then shut the door. He took me to my room, tucked me in bed, kissed me goodnight. Mom walked in and kissed my forehead, telling me that angels were watching over me. She always told me that."

Dean swallowed over the lump in his throat that always seemed to appear when he spoke of his mother.

"I rolled over, and the next thing I knew, I heard a scream. I jumped out of bed, running towards Sam's room. I'm not sure why. I guess my whole life, I've always been geared to protect Sam above all else. I stood in the hall outside Sam's room, and suddenly, my dad was there. He pushed Sam into my arms and told me to run. To go, take Sammy outside and not look back. So, I did."

Melinda was staring up at him, her chin resting on his chest. Dean took in a shaky breath.

"I ran outside with Sam, holding tight to him. I had to make sure he was safe. As long as Sam was okay, then I would be, too. Then Dad was there. He picked me up while he was running, and that's when the windows in Sam's room exploded."

Melinda covered her mouth with her hand and Dean spoke, his voice thick.

"Mom had heard something, smelled something, maybe. She got up to check on Sam, and there was a fire in his room. She pushed his crib out of the way and slipped on something. Dad heard her scream and ran in. She told him to save Sammy, so he picked Sam up and handed him off to me. He turned back to get Mom, but …"

Dean shook his head and Melinda let out a breath.

"Oh, Dean."
"They said it was faulty wiring. Old house, you know."

Melinda was quiet, moving closer to him, resting her hands on his chest, putting her head on her hands. Dean sighed, rubbed his eyes.

"Dad never got over it. He gathered me and Sammy, and what was left from the fire, and took off. He raised us on the road, and did a shitty job of it. I was the one who raised Sammy. I was more of a father to him than our dad was."

Melinda raised a hand, letting it roll over Dean's face.

"You shouldn't have had to do that."

He let out a laugh, one without a bit of humor in it.

"Damn right. Dad was too drunk most of the time to worry about us. Someone had to."

Dean laid back against the pillows, closing his eyes, letting his memories take him back.

"I was the one who would wake Sammy up in the mornings, get him dressed, feed him breakfast if we had it. I was the one who fixed his lunch, or I'd snake some money from Dad for him. I'd get him to school, pick him up, make sure he did his homework. I'd feed him dinner, if we had it."

He opened his eyes, staring at the popcorn ceiling, feeling Melinda's blue eyes on him.

"I was always the one that was there for Sam. His first word was 'Dean.' The first steps he took were towards me. When he was sick, he wanted me. When he was scared, he'd come to me. Dad …"

Dean shook his head.

"I think Sammy called him 'Dad' because he had to. He was never… I was more of a father to Sam than Dad was."

Dean looked down when Melinda laid a hand on his face. She let her knuckles run slowly down his cheek, speaking softly.

"You never got to be a child. That's not fair, Dean."

Dean smirked, meeting Melinda's eyes.

"Life's not fair, kid."

Melinda smiled, laying her head back on his chest and letting out a sigh.

"I know."

They sat in silence for a minute, until Dean moved his hand to lace his fingers with Melinda's. Melinda watched for a second, then looked back up to Dean's eyes.

"What happened? How did Sam end up here?"

Dean sighed.

"Kid always was a genius. No matter where Dad dropped us, Sam would ace all his classes. I didn't … I didn't even know he was even thinking about college until he dropped the bombshell that he got a full ride here. To Stanford."

Dean closed his eyes, scrubbed his hand over his face.

"Dad completely blew a gasket over it. He was drunk off his ass, screaming at Sam, and, not for the first time, Sam was screaming right back. I mean, when I walked in, they were nose-to-nose, at the top of their lungs."

He shook his head again.

"Neither one would listen to reason. Sam had already packed what little shit he had, and he was going, whether we liked it or not. And Dad said to him, 'You walk out that door, don't you ever come back.' I guess it was sort of poetic when Sam slammed the damn door shut behind him."

Melinda sighed, and Dean smiled.

"Don't tell me you're sorry."

Melinda smiled at him.

"What, you can read my mind now?"

Dean let out a laugh as she moved in closer to him, laying her head right over his heart. Dean ran his fingers through her hair.

"Sam was always different. I'm like a carbon copy of my dad. I dress like him, listen to the same music as he does…"

Dean snorted.

"I drink like him."

He sighed and shook his head.

"But Sam's not like that. He's always been quiet, and smart. He loved to read when he was younger. I dropped out of school first chance I got. But I made Sam stay in, and I made sure he graduated. Not that he needed my help, little bastard."

Melinda laughed, and Dean smiled.

"I think I always knew he wouldn't stick around. He hated growing up the way we did. I thought it was kind of cool, you know? Never really knowing where you'll end up. Different town each month."
"You've got a gypsy soul, Dean Winchester."

He smiled again.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

Melinda spoke quietly then.

"Sometimes I think I'd like to go. I've been here, in California, for as long as I can remember. I think I'd like to go, see the world."

She smiled, looking back at her finger, which was making little shapes and symbols on Dean's chest.

"I don't think I ever will, though."

Dean understood, and even though he didn't say anything, Melinda just knew. She sighed and moved closer to him, and he tightened his grip around her just a bit. After a minute of silence, Dean spoke.

"Your hair is so soft."

Melinda smiled. He'd spoken so quietly she thought she might have imagined hearing him. She let out a sigh, and so did Dean, until he tapped her on the top of her head.

"Hey."

She moved where she could look at him and he smiled, his eyes softening. He spoke quietly again, the grin still on his face.

"Come here."

A smile spread across Melinda's face as she moved up, taking hold of Dean's face as she sat up, pressing her lips to his. He smiled through the kiss, wrapping his arms around her, letting out a groan when her tongue flicked against his. Melinda let out a laugh then, but it quickly faded into a moan when Dean broke away from her lips to kiss down her neck. She moved her hands to hold his head to her, and she let out a yelp, then giggled.

"Damn it, Dean."

He lifted his head to look at her, green eyes wide and innocent.

"What?"

Melinda laughed, running a hand through his hair.

"You just gave me a hickey."
"What? I did not."

He smiled at her, laughing when she did. She pushed him and he sat up with, letting the blankets fall from around them as Melinda sat up, too. She took hold of his face again, lifting his chin, leaving little love bites all along his jaw while he moaned, digging his fingers into her hips, before she moved down to his neck, leaving her mark on him. She pulled back, looking him in the eye again, running the tip of her finger over his hickey.

"There. Now we're even."

Dean smiled at her, leaning to kiss her again.

"You're pretty."

Melinda let out a laugh as he wrapped his arms around her again and laid her back against the pillows. He settled down on top of her, careful not to rest his full weight on her, content with just holding her and kissing her for now. Things got pretty heated pretty quickly, though, and when Melinda was moving beneath him, mimicking his exact moves, Dean moved a hand down. Melinda let out a long, low groan and Dean clenched his teeth together. His breathing sped up, and he leaned back to look down at her.

"Mel—"
"In the drawer."

She motioned with her head and Dean smiled, leaning down to kiss her again as he reached out his hand.

"Mel? You home?"

Dean froze, looking down at Melinda.

"Was that…?"
"No."
"Please tell me that wasn't—"
"Oh, God."

They looked at each other as they heard their names being called again, this time accompanied by footsteps coming down the hall. Melinda closed her eyes.

"Shit."

Dean let out a sigh, hanging his head as Melinda's door swung open.

"Mel, are you … What the – Oh my God!"

Dean let his forehead rest on Melinda's as Jess covered her face with her hands.

"Jess?"
"Oh, Jesus Christ Almighty."

Dean blew out his breath as Sam walked into the room, and Melinda covered her face with her hands. Dean was effectively covering the rest of her, so he reached down and pulled the blankets back around them. Sam's eyes narrowed.

"Dean, what the hell is—"
"For the love of all things holy, do not finish that sentence. I am begging you."

Melinda's request was muffled from her hands, but Sam listened. He blew out his breath, laying his hands on his hips. Sam let out a laugh as Dean glanced over at him, and Sam's eyes were hard.

"I guess I should have known. Typical."

Sam turned and walked away, and Jess followed after him, then came back and shut the door behind her. Melinda pushed her hands through her hair as Dean moved to lay back beside her. He blew out his breath.

"Well, that went well."