Chapter 3 (last one of this story) is in the works and I'll get it up as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and faved so far. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter!

Chapter 2

The strident ringing of his cell phone waking him up, Dean sat up hastily in his bed, grabbing the device. He glanced at the caller ID urgently and his face paled. A phone call from Sammy at 1 am was not usual nor expected.

"Sammy?" Dean answered, his voice urgent.

"Hey, Dean… I'm okay. I just…"

His brother's voice was hoarse. And a bit slurred. Dean started doing the math.

"Where are you? Do you need help? Are you safe?" Came his rapid questions, as he shot from the bed and started getting dressed.

"I'm safe. I just… Look, I fucked up. I… I need you to bail me out."

Dean paused, one leg in his jeans, one still out, hands holding it, phone pinned between his hunched shoulder and ear.

"Bail you out?! Are you in jail?" Dean boomed, not managing to keep his voice low.

"Not jail… Campus police station!"

Sam's voice came out strained. Anxious. Scared. Dean closed his eyes briefly and took in a deep breath. Priorities.

"How much?"

"Six hundred dollars," came the hushed reply.

Dean cursed inside his head. A lot. Fucking hell, Sammy!

"On my way. Tell them I'll be there in four hours or so."

Dean ended the call without another word. Thank God he had the cash and he wouldn't have to involve their father.

Finishing getting dressed, he grabbed his duffel and rushed to check out of the motel and start the drive to Stanford.

Stupid.

A muffled thud sounded, as Sam lightly banged the back of his head on the wall behind him.

Freaking stupid. Why was he like that? Why did everything seem to go to the back burner when he was around Jess and alcohol? Why couldn't he call it a night, while he still had some sort of self-control left, the way she always did?

Another thud. This time he winced. Not because of the force behind it. But because of the hell of a headache, he knew he had coming, had started to creep in. He glanced at the clock across the small room he was being detained in. It had been close to four hours already.

Usually, the light-headed bliss would stay with him longer. But in the last few months, he had probably increased his tolerance. Plus, getting arrested, facing legal charges, being reported to the Office of Community Standards for illegal drug use on campus grounds, and being asked to pay a fine of six hundred dollars was a sure way to sober up pretty fast.

Closing his eyes, head leaning back on the wall behind him, Sam felt his breath catching in his throat. He'd figure the fine out. Dean would help and Sam knew this. But the report… He was a scholarship student. God! Was he stupid enough to ruin everything for himself? Just like that?

"Is there any ibuprofen in here?" Sam asked, voice trembling, hoping against hope.

The Campus Police officer eyed him annoyedly from his desk. He was tired of all the entitled little shits he had to deal with day in and day out. Sam was to him exactly that and nothing more.

"No," was the dry response.

Great, Sam thought. Just peachy.

The door of the small building swung open a couple of silent minutes later. Sam instinctively sat up straighter. He knew who it was. He just wasn't ready to face him.

Dean's voice sounded from the entrance hall. The guy gave him some paperwork and told him to complete it before he could enter the office.

Sam felt his heart rate elevating. He hated fucking up. Especially in front of Dean. Even more so, when he fucking affected his brother. And this was the police. Dean couldn't con them with a fake payment. This meant he'd pay the money out of pocket from their emergency fund. And Sam was pretty sure he'd done so without sharing this with John. Which would mean Dean would need to work his ass off in the next few months to raise the money and replace it before their father knew what was going on.

A couple of minutes later, he stepped into the room. He went straight to Sam, lowering over him, a hand clasping his little brother's neck.

"Are you okay?"

"He's fine," the police officer sounded from behind them.

Dean turned his head and shot him a death glare without bothering to grace the man with a comment. He knew better than to aggravate a police officer, but he wouldn't take crap either. They could never draw attention to their family. Dean knew as much. This had to be dealt with quickly and efficiently.

"I'm fine, Dean. Thanks for coming," Sam replied quietly, his eyes not meeting his brother's.

Dean felt a tug at his heart at the sight of the kid. Because Sam was still for better or worse a kid. An eighteen-year-old kid, having fucked up and being scared as hell. Sure he was angry with Sammy. And disappointed. And hellbent to teach him a lesson he'd never forget about being this reckless. With his life and with his future. But there would be time for that later.

"It's alright, Sammy," Dean tried to reassure him. Standing up straight he went to the officer. Sam tried to follow their conversation. He didn't manage to. He heard bits and pieces but his mind was running miles per minute, the worry over losing his scholarship being the most prevalent one right now.

Closing his eyes, his ears started buzzing, and he felt cold sweat drenching him. A couple of minutes later, through his fogged senses, he felt the handcuffs being removed and heard Dean calling his name worriedly. His whole body thrusting forward, Sam puked all over the floor in front of him. Dean's voice barking for some water sounded a bit clearer now. A second wave of nausea took over and Sam puked again. With all the liquid contents of his stomach pooling on the floor, and after a few sips of cold water from a glass that was pressed against his lips, when he opened his eyes again the blurring had subsided and the buzzing had quieted down considerably but not entirely.

He let Dean help him up and support his weight, despite their height difference, as the two of them walked out of the campus police station. At the sight of the Impala waiting for them at the parking lot, Sam felt a wave of relief and a sense of safety he didn't expect. Their home was there. And the only thing he wanted at this minute was to curl up inside it and let Dean take the wheel.

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