It had been one week, two motels and three 'salt and burns' since the incident in the motel. With the exception of a couple of Bronte' sister references which Dean pretended he didn't understand Sam had made no further inquiries as to why Dean had a copy of 'Jane Eyre' stashed in his duffel bag. For his part Dean had made every effort no never leave Sam and his stuff alone for any longer than necessary while trying to do so discreetly.

They were currently in their second hour of a ten-hour road trip and as he drove Dean could almost hear the wheels in Sam's mind turning. This was never a good sign.

"Hey Dean?"

"What Sammy?"

"It's Sam"

"For crying out loud, are we going to do this for the rest of our lives?"

"Only if you insist on being an ass."

"Oh. Well that's ok then."

"I'm board."

"Oh no, what ever will we do?……….Shut you cake hole and look out the window, think deep college thoughts about your nomadic existence and if I have any luck you'll drift off to sleep."

"Do you even know what 'nomadic' means?"

"Great Sammy, that's the part of the statement to pay attention to! Of course I know what it means. Nomad, person without a fixed address or home, someone who wanders from place to place throughout their life."

"Where did you learn that?"

"Shut up."

"Fine! I'll just read a book."

"Whatever keeps you quite geek boy."

Sam sat still for a moment then turned as much as his seat would allow and reached for something in the back seat. When Dean glanced in the mirror he noticed that the bag Sam was reaching for actually belonged to Dean.

"What the hell dude? Leave my stuff alone. What are you twelve again? The stuff in MY bag belongs to ME. The stuff in the YOUR bag is for you!!!"

"Calm down man. I just wanted a book."

"For the last time, your books are in your bag. For a college man you are one dumb ass kid!"

Dean had wondered how long it would take but somehow he didn't think it would start over a reasonable request for reading material. The problem was he couldn't let Sam borrow that particular copy to read because that would lead to questions he had no interest in answering and inevitable would end up with Sam trying to have some kind of hug fest or pity party.

"Dean, I've finished the book from the motel so I left it behind for someone else. I am out of reading material so I figured I would read the book in your bag. I figured someone should"

Sam smirked slightly to himself. He knew he shouldn't tease his brother about reading, he didn't want to discourage him from anything that could be educational but old habits die hard and he still had trouble with the thought of Dean of all people reading a classic Victorian novel that had been studied for countless decades in countless classrooms and discussed by academics since its release.

"Look smart ass, I have read the bloody book. It's a fantastic bloody story with progressive literary technique, an evocative commentary on Victorian society and even skims the surface of the supernatural at times. It's a good story, she is a great writer now shut the hell up and stop messing with my stuff!"

Sam was more that a little taken aback. Why the hell was Dean getting so worked up? It was clear that there was something more to that book than just the fact it was a book about the life journey of an orphan girl who struggles with life, love, passion, religion and finding her place in the world. That on its own would have made it the last book Sam would have expected to find in Deans possession but it didn't explain why Dean didn't want Sam to read it.

"It is a great book. I figured you would pass it over calling it a chick book and I find it hard to believe you liked it enough to read it all the way through let alone more than once but I don't see why I can't borrow it to read."

"Yes, I would call it chick book. Yes, I liked it. Yes I have bloody well read the damn thing more than once. You have read it at least twice your self so you don't need my copy to re read it a third time."

"Wait. How would you know if I read it twice."

"Once in high school for you your English paper and then again for the Feminist Literature class Jess talked you into."

Dean glanced quickly at his little brother. Jess was no longer a forbidden topic but Dean tried to avoid bringing her up especially when he was angry with Sam but thankfully Sam was too shocked at the idea that Dean would even know what classes he had taken at Stanford to feel the pangs of memories of his lost love.

"How did you? ….. When did? …..When?"

"I've told you before just because we didn't talk doesn't mean I stopped checking up on you all together."

"Oh…Hey! Don't try distracting me and changing the subject. I still don't see why I can't just borrow it. Clearly there is some weird bond or whatever between you and the book. Fine. I promise I want leave it behind or mess with it in any way. I won't even take it out of the car alright?"

"You can't ever reach it so it's a non issue. It's in my bag with the rest of my stuff so you would have to pull everything out and then you would just mess stuff up and even if that weren't true I would still say shut up, stop whining and quit bugging me."

The next hour and a half consisted of Sam alternately pouting and glaring at his brother while Dean tried to figure out what he would do when they pulled over for lunch because there was no way Sam would be put off once they were stopped and Dean ran out of excuses.

As predicted once they had gotten lunch and gas and headed back towards the Impala Sam stood by the rear passenger door with a look of determination.

"So, we are stopped, you can get the book out of your own bag and I wont mess up anything. Now can I borrow the book?"

"Look, here's ten dollars, go but a book you haven't read. It will be more entertaining for you."

It was a reasonable suggestion with only one flaw. Sam was now in annoying little brother mode and he no longer wanted a book to read. He wanted to know why Dean wouldn't let him read his book. What was so special about that particular copy? Sam decided it he HAD to know.

"I'm in the mood for Charlotte Bronte' so just let me borrow your book and we'll save ten bucks."

Shit! Why couldn't things ever play out the easy way? Dean had anticipated this however. He had hoped to put the matter to rest because the more he refused the more curios Sam became but Dean figured privacy was worth one last shot.

"Fine. You are such a baby. Here."

Dean handed Sam a copy he had found in the second hand store across from the diner. Sam had no recourse now. He had a copy of his own.

"Dean? Did you just buy this?"

"Yeah. Now you have one of your own. You can't possibly complain Sammy, that would mean that you only want to borrow my copy because I don't want to lend it to you."

Sam looked positively murderous at being out maneuvered. Dean realized this was only a temporary victory, this was Sammy after all, but still it was nice to win occasionally.

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