To the tones of The Rolling Stones – Wild Horses you could see Dean step out of the motel room. Jim stopped playing and looked up at Dean. The baseball rolled down and bumped against Dean's foot. He picked it up and looked at Jim. The boy smiled, excited his dad wanted to play with him.
Dean threw the ball baseball style to his son. Jim tossed it back. Once again Dean threw it baseball style. This time Jim tried to mimic Dean's style. Dean exhaled. He was still entrusted to be his mentor.
Sam watched them through the window, smiling. After a while he went back to work on his laptop.
x
The sun was red over by the mountains, as the Impala made its way on the seemingly endless road before them. Dean was driving, listening attentively and making comments to Jim talking to him from the passenger seat.
Sam was in the backseat, holding his laptop, but watching them with a relaxed smile. He started thinking and leaned forward.
"Hey, Dean. What she said back there... That I 'don't know yet'. You don't think there's still something...in me?"
Dean looked at his brother in the rearview mirror.
"If you were still the Devil's bitch, don't you think Mr. Chuckles inside of me would've claimed more guest spots? On the up-side at least we know he'll pop his feathery ass out and help Jim when he has to."
Sam nodded slowly and thought to himself. Dean sighed.
"Come on, man! I can hear you giving me a headache all the way from here. We're gonna go to Bobby's and we're gonna figure this thing out. Demon-repellant, red time…whatever, yellow eyes and all," he reassured Sam.
Sam nodded, glad to have his brother back. Bossy and snarky as ever, but still his big brother.
"Dean…There's just always something wrong with me..!" Sam sighed and looked out his window. Dean glanced at him in the mirror.
"I know Sammy... I figure about the only break you've got is having such an awesome big brother. Huh? Right? Come on, say it like you mean it!"
Sam laughed, shook his head and leaned back in his seat. Dean rested his head back in the driver's seat and gazed out on the road in front of him.
x
He remembered John, still sitting at that bar, and four-year-old Sam eating his fries.
Sam looked up at his father, but got no response. The boy quickly gave up, and instead turned around to his older brother, who was right there beside him. Young Dean smiled slightly and Sam shined at him, safe and reassured. Dean pulled his brother down in a headlock, but it was really more of a hug. Sam laughed and squirmed out of Dean's rough embrace, then pushed his plate with fries over for Dean to share with him. The boys downed the fries together.
x
Dean peeked in the rearview mirror and saw grown-up Sam deeply focused, reading something on his laptop. He smiled a little at the big nerd.
He reached over and joked a headlock on his son, who giggled and welcomed the hug, leaning up against his dad. Dean turned his head and looked at Alice's tape on the dashboard. Memory helped him picture her still sitting in the backseat behind him. She leaned forward and put her arms around him. He tipped his head slightly, leaning up against her head that wasn't there.
From the backseat Sam looked up from his computer and out on the road. Up ahead you could hear the thunder of dark clouds forming on the horizon.