Hello everyone!! I didn't forget about this story, not to worry!! I had planned to upload this chapter Sunday night but the login screen was all screwy so I couldn't do it. And then to make matter worse, my computer ate the chapter before I could save everything so I had to re-type it O.o *le sigh* Oh well, hope you like it!!


The hours passed by slowly, the repetition of daytime television being the only thing that filled the void of the afternoon. The sun was beginning to set outside, long shadows falling over the window curtains and streaking across the floor.

Sam shifted, crossing his arms over his chest for a few seconds only to uncross them soon after. He was restless, cranky, and achy because of the low grade fever he was still running. Worst of all, the itchiness had returned a few hours ago and there was very little he could do to remedy the problem because Dean kept stopping him at every opprotunity. He wanted the chicken pox to be over; they were becoming a nuisance. Sam sighed loudly, scrubbing at his face briefly just before Deran looked over.

"What's the matter?" Dean asked, regarding his little brother with barely controlled irritation. Dealing with a cranky, sick Sammy was never fun.

"Nothing." Sam replied, his hands falling to the side in frustration.

"Sam." Dean could tell something was bothering him and the sooner he let it out the better.

"I hate the chicken pox..." The younger boy said after a minute, falling back against the couch to emphasize his point. "The spots itch and I look goofy..." He continued, the irritability building as he spoke.

"Yeah, well you always look pretty goofy." Dean smirked, nudging Sam's shoulder softly. His attempt at humor was met with a huff and a pout so pitiful that it could have only come from a five year old. With a soft sigh, Dean grabbed a permanent marker from the table in front of him and popped the top off. He snagged one of Sam's arms and began tracing jagged, sharp lines; connecting each line to a tiny red spot.

Sam watched silently for a few seconds before curiosity got the better of him. "What are you doing?" He asked as Dean connected a pointy line to the end of another one.

"I'm connecting the dots." Dean answered simply, adding a few more lines as he spoke.

Convinced that his older brother was teasing him in some way, Sam became defensive and tried to pull his arm away. "Dean..." He whined, struggling uselessly to pull his arm out of his brother's grasp. When it didn't work, he simply gave up and sighed theatrically, falling back against the couch.

Dean laughed at his little brother's dramatic behavior and kept drawing. "Oh come on, Sammy. It's not that bad."

Sam's frown deepened and he shook his head. "Yeah it is. You're making fun of me..." He grumbled, trying to force certainty in his voice but not accomplishing much.

Dean just shook his head in response and kept drawing. "Nah, I'm giving you a tattoo." He finished a line and held up Sam's arm. "See? It's a spider." Among the connected spots, a small, long-legged spider had appeared and was now crawling up Sam's arm.

The younger boy sat up a little straighter, looking at the drawing carefully. After a second of contemplation, he giggled. "It looks weird..." He grinned and looked up at his big brother. "Can you draw a lizard?"

Dean smiled a little and nodded. "Sure, I can try." He picked up the marker again and began connecting a few more of the scattered spots on Sam's other arm, forming a large gecko-like lizard with red spots traveling down its body. Before long, both of Sam's arms, legs, feet and hands were covered in every kind of insect, arachnid, serpent, and any other kind of design the two happened to think up. Sam was literally covered in permanent marker. He tried a few times to draw something on Dean but the lack of connecting spots made it difficult to keep his lines straight and most of his artistic attempts ended up looking like blots of ink.

The trick had worked though and Sam forgot about the spots almost entirely. Nearly an hour passed and eventually they had both run out of ideas of what to draw and where. It was dark outside now, a few cars pulling into the parking lot outside their window. Occasionally Dean would get up and walk to the window, peeking outside to see if their father was back but never met with the familiar sight of the Impala. On the last trip, he returned to the couch and sat down next to Sam, flipping through the channels absently. Beside him, Sam yawned noticably, his body finally deciding to shut down for the day.

"Why don't you go lay down?" Dean suggested, noticing how his little brother's eyes would close and then open again abruptly.

Sam shook his head slowly, yawning behind his snake-covered hand. "Not tired..." He mumbled, his words stumbling together.

"Sure." Dean smirked a little and grabbed a discarded couch cushion, pushing it toward the younger boy. Sam may not want to admit it but he was falling asleep one way or another.

With little more invitation than that, the little boy collapsed to the side, landing sideways on the pillow. He struggled to stay awake for about five more minutes before sleep finally claimed him for the evening.

Dean watched as Sam lost his battle against fatigue and smiled a little. Stubborn to the end, he thought, turning his attention back to the TV. One other thought crossed his mind and he shuddered internally. Dad's going to be pissed when he sees the bathroom...

Hehe, connecting the dots is always fun :D Sorry it was so short but hopefully you liked it!! Final chapter up next!! See you then!!