AN: Well... I hope you all enjoy this one... don't forget to let me know!
Dean looked into the backseat and smiled at the sight of his little brother sleeping with his head leaning on Taylor's shoulder. After having breakfast on the beach, they had basically kidnapped the kid for the day and tried to make up for lost time. Sure, maybe they overdid it, but the look on Sammy's face when they took him to the zoo, an amusement park, and then finished it off with a swim with the dolphins, was well worth looking lame in the eyes of others. He had never thought about how much he and Sammy had missed out while growing up until he'd left home, joined the marines and started to talk to his friends about their childhoods. After that he understood that how they were raised was screwed up and that his little brother was still in the middle of it. Now that he had a chance, he was going to take every opportunity to show his brother what was really out there waiting; a good and happy life if he wants it.
"Hey man, you think everything's ready?" Joseph whispered to Dean as he too watched little bro doze.
Nodding, Dean had already called to check up on everything and from what Vic had said, they had been ahead of schedule and were just waiting for everyone to show up. Now to convince the kid not to bolt when he saw the party in full swing. 'Sure...no problem. We're just tossing an introvert into a highly charged social situation.' He thought with sudden nervousness giving even more fuel to his self doubts.
Seeing the tension building within Dean, Stephen reached over and slapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, he's fine." He said confidently. "So what did Vic say? Was he able to get everyone together like he hoped?"
"Yeah, he managed to get everyone together; his friends from the team, Vic of course and a few others, but the one I'm worried the most about is Jenna. What if seeing her starts something and everything we've been planning gets messed up?"
Looking at Dean, Stephen could understand the concern. Taking a deep breath he nodded. "Yeah… ok, so maybe everything will be smooth sailing. It's not like something bad has to happen, right?"
Dean snorted at the thought before he elaborated with words. "On Sammy's third birthday he fell out of a window and broke his leg. Do you know how difficult it is for a toddler to actually break a bone? When he turned five, John had decided that we needed to conserve cash so we went camping where Sammy here immediately fell into a patch of Poison Oak and started swelling so badly we spent the rest of his birthday in the ER. Would you like to here about his seventh or ninth birthday? They still wake me up at night in a cold sweat."
Holding out his hands, Joseph knew that this was turning into a totally different type of conversation than what they'd been going for, and then a thought struck him. "Hey Dean, did anything happen on an even birthday?"
Stunned, Dean thought a minute before he turned back and answered, "Yeah, one of them dealing with why he doesn't take to strangers well."
Joseph thought back to a conversation that had sounded completely bizarre at the time, but had answered more than a few questions, and realized that maybe Dean had a point. "So, the kid hasn't had any decent birthdays in a while… ok, so we'll just make sure nothing happens to make him want to swear off anymore."
Taylor listened quietly and hoped that they could live up to that, but something about the surprise party niggled at the back of his mind. Glancing down, he was glad to see Sammy still sleeping, he had a feeling that the kid was going to need all the rest he could get.
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Vic looked around and had to feel a sense of pride in what he'd accomplished. With the permission of the landlady's, he had transformed the backyard into a spectacle of lights and it didn't look half bad, if he said so himself. As he looked around he noticed the caterer was finishing the final touches on the tables and felt happy that Jenna knew just the right people to pull this off without seeming presumptuous; after all, the Guest of Honor needed to feel comfortable at his own party.
"It's beautiful Vic, Sam will love it." Jenna said as she walked into the backyard with Heather. "I can't wait until it gets fully dark so we can see everything better."
Smiling, Vic knew what Jenna was saying and had to agree. It was one thing to imagine what the lights would look like, but something all together different to actually see them in the contrasting dark.
Heather had known about the party and even encouraged it, hoping to keep Sammy's spirits up. Now though, she also had to worry about his reaction since he was a person of privacy. Trying to stay optimistic, she nodded and walked over to the table to see the standard teenage fair; chips, dip, sodas, cookies galore and her absolute favorite… M&M's surrounded by other types of candies. Although there was more along the other tables, she knew she needed to get out of there before she started eating the whole buffet and ruined the party before it started.
Vic and Jenna watched amused as Heather made her excuses and rushed back towards the apartment. Shaking their heads, they both looked at the time and knew that their first guest should arrive quickly, making them both nervous; this was the first time since Sam had gone home from school that anyone had actually seen him, and neither knew how this would be received.
"Hey you too, what's with the long faces, this is a party after all!" Toby shouted as he and his date walked up. Smiling he looked around and was pleased that they were going to have a Dj there as well, the last party he'd been to had a live band that stunk. "I hope he'll be her all night." He said motioning to the guy finishing his organizing.
Laughing, Vic knew he made the right choice with the music since Toby was considered the master of parties. Now all they had to do was get everyone else there before Sam arrived, otherwise the whole plan could blow up in their faces.
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Sam was comfortable, which was more than a little odd considering he was sitting up. It too a few minutes but he finally remembered that he was with his brothers in the Suburban going home. Smiling, he thought about the day they just had and he couldn't help but feel happy about it. He knew that the guys could have spent their time doing other things, but they had made sure he was having a great day and that was something he'd always be thankful for.
Feeling someone watching him, he slowly opened his eyes and noticed not only one but all four brothers looking him over as if to gauge his reaction about something. Clearing his throat, he embarrassingly sat up and made sure there was no drool on Taylor's shirt before asking, "What's going on?"
Laughing, Dean wondered just how they had gotten so lucky. After everything Sammy had been through it would have been so easy for him to have become cold, but that wasn't his little brother and right now it showed. "Well, at the moment we're watching the birthday boy sleep through his day." Dean joked, making sure he put enough emphasis on the kidding that little brother wouldn't feel bad about it.
"Sorry… big day you know?" Sam said with a slight smile. In all honesty he couldn't think of another time that he had so much fun; he really wanted to make sure they all knew how much it meant to him. "Thanks guys, really, this has been the greatest day I can ever remember!"
Patting Sammy on the back, Taylor smiled then looked towards Dean and Stephen wondering why they hadn't mentioned the party yet. Sure it was supposed to be a surprise, but what if the kid was already too tired to deal with something unexpected? Looking up he realized that it didn't matter since they were already pulling onto their street; they'd just have to watch Sammy closely in case things got too much.
Hearing the music playing loudly, Sam immediately came to the conclusion that the Nealson's next door was having another party. It wasn't until he saw the proud looks on his brothers' faces that he realized something was going on. Before he had a chance to ask though, Vic was there steering him to the backyard.
"Hey Sam, Happy Birthday! We need your help with something." He said as he continued to drag the young Winchester along.
Confused, Sam wasn't sure what was going on, but as soon as he turned the corner and saw what was going on he froze in mid-step as he saw a party in the yard with his friends from school as well as a few from the clinic who he'd joked around with when he volunteered. Hearing everyone cheering for him and his birthday made Sam want to jump back and run in the other direction. Feeling Vic's hand on his arm, he allowed himself to be guided closer even as his own emotions were about to explode everywhere.
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Dean watched as his little brother was lead into the ambush and suddenly realized that this wasn't the brightest idea they'd ever had. Looking back at his other brothers he saw that they had the same epiphany and were moving in to help with any situation that might occur.
Expecting a melt down of some sort, they were pleasantly surprised to see that Sammy looked extremely uncomfortable, but otherwise alright. Watching him move closer to greet some of his friends, they turned their attention to Vic with questioning gazes and suddenly understood; Sammy already knew!
"I hope you guys don't mind, but I thought he might freak if he walked into what we had planned, so I sort of let it 'slip' what was going on." Vic said hesitantly. He knew that the Musketeers had wanted to keep it a surprise for a reason, but looking at his friend he was glad for his interference.
"Dude, thanks… you're right, he would have freaked." Dean said, expressing the gratitude of all the brothers.
As they watched though, something became very clear and even Vic wasn't sure what was going to happen. Jenna was making her way towards Sammy.
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Jenna had seen Sam walk into the backyard and felt the familiar warmth spread through her. She wasn't sure if she was welcome, but she couldn't let today go without seeing him and telling him how much he still meant to her.
Walking across the yard, she vaguely noticed that the lights seemed to twinkle in the breeze, the music was playing and upbeat tune that she hadn't heard from but thought that Vic had something to do with, the people who had already welcomed Sam were dancing while a small group was still giving him their wishes. Praying that this wasn't a mistake, she moved her leaden legs closer and before she was really ready was standing in front of him, dry mouthed and more nervous than she had ever thought possible. Suddenly he saw her and she saw the slight smile on his face freeze.
"Sam… Happy Birthday." She said with a smile, hesitantly watching as a myriad of emotions flickered across his face.
Sam had seen Jenna as soon as he walked into the yard, but now he felt as if everyone was watching to see what his reaction would be. Nervous, he wasn't sure how he should react. He still loved her, but he couldn't trust her and that's what hurt him the most. He knew that a lot of people would have just cut all ties, but he wasn't like that… he'd spent too many years alone and he hated the idea of reducing the amount of people around him who cared about him. Nodding, he smiled at her, but didn't try to make any other sort of contact; he just wasn't sure how to handle this situation. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned and saw the Colonel standing there with a wide smile on his face.
"Sam! I hope you don't mind me crashing your party, but I just couldn't stay at home while you turned sixteen now could I? You know, your brothers have been very selfish today, and I'm glad we finally got the chance to help you celebrate." Terrance smiled brightly, truly happy to see Sam surrounded by friends and family. Glancing back, he saw the signs of relief on the Musketeer's faces and knew he had made the right call. Now all he had to do was convince Jenna that it was time to go soon, so maybe Sam could finish enjoying his birthday party.
"Thank you sir, I appreciate it… really." Sam said, hoping he conveyed not only his thanks for the Colonel's best wishes, but also for the rescue of a social awkward situation.
With the potentially embarrassing moment averted, the party restarted in full swing giving Sam a moment to breathe before turning back to his brothers and smiling before joining Toby and some of the others at the tables.
Jenna knew that although everything didn't happen the way she wanted, it defiantly didn't go down as she feared and for now that was enough. Watching Sam finally interact with the people who cared about him, she knew it was time to bow out and quit attempting something that could actually harm the very person she loved so much. Turning to her father, she smiled up at him. "Daddy, do you think you could take me home?"
Nodding, Terrance smiled at Jenna with pride. His little girl was growing up and knew when it was time to let something go. Seeing the Musketeers, he smiled and gestured they were heading out. After seeing their appreciative nods, he offered his daughter his arm and they walked away knowing that although the damage hadn't been fixed, at least no new damage had been done.
Sam was in the middle of a conversation with Mary, one of the girls from the clinic, when he saw the Colonel and Jenna leave, and while he felt somewhat relieved, he also felt his heart twist painfully at the thought of what they'd lost.
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"Damn it Dean, hurry up! Sammy's already there and if we don't get a move on he'll think we forgot!" Stephen yelled to the closed door. Although he knew they had plenty of time to get there, he didn't want to cut it close today. After all, this was the first time they'd been able to attend one of little bro's meets and they all were excited to see him run his even: cross country.
Dean stepped out of the bathroom with a grin, knowing that he'd just upset Stephen more. "Dude… chill! We have plenty of time. Sammy had to be there early to sign in and get ready. What's with the freak fest?"
Growling out his frustration, Stephen turned and made his way to the door ignoring the other brothers' grins and laughter. The all knew that he hated to be late anywhere, it didn't matter the place, reason or time, if he was late; he was a bear to live with for days.
After getting everyone in the Suburban, they raced off towards L.A. where the Regional Track Meet was being held this year. It didn't take them long to get there, but amazingly took a bit of time to find a parking spot and find Sammy's teammates.
"Hey guys, about time you showed up… Sam's so nervous he's about to shake himself apart!" Toby said jokingly before motioning to where their little brother was standing.
Nodding, they made their way towards the team noticing that Sammy was the only one wearing long sleeves and pants. Even more disturbing was the fact that when they saw him turn towards him there were bandages on both cheeks.
"Sammy what the Hell!?" Dean exclaimed as he reached out towards his little brother's face. "What happened?"
Startled, Sam took a step back and looked at his brothers questioningly before he understood what they were talking about. "Oh, this? Don't worry its no big deal. There's a rule that says anything considered offensive has to be covered."
Shocked, his brothers could only stare a moment before finally Taylor spoke up with a deadly calm. "They think your face is offensive?"
"What? No! Not my face… the scars on my face. Apparently the consensus is that some of the wording is inappropriate. Really… no big deal, it's not like this is the first time I've had to do this." Sam said as he watched his brothers stare. Before he had a chance to say anything else, Coach Sanders walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Sam, do you think you can get hold of your doctor again?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable to even ask the kid for something like this. "One of the other teams is having a field day with your health status and is requesting proof that you're not a health risk."
Ignoring his brothers angry protests, Sam smiled. "I can do one better… she's right over there." He said as he pointed Celia out in the crowd.
As the Coach nodded and started to make his was to the bleachers he paused in front of the Musketeers. "I've tried to shield him as much as possible, but unfortunately there are way too many close minded individuals out there. Sam though seems to take it in stride. I'm sure you boys are proud of him."
Watching the Coach walk off, they turned their attention back towards their little brother. Seeing that he was watching them, they all wondered just how many times he'd been asked to undergo this type of embarrassment. As little bro stretched they looked around and saw the different teams go through their preparations and wondered how many of those kids had some sort of illness that could be considered 'inappropriate' but was hidden from prying eyes. Joseph was about to ask something when another group passed by and caused all hell to break loose.
"Yeah, it must be tough not only having to be close to the diseased freak, but have to workout with the homo too. Makes you kind of wonder if the whole team doesn't swing that way, don't it?" one boy taunted as his teammates laughed heartily.
Although Sam stayed quiet, knowing his teammates were his friends and they stood by him, Dean was already in action grabbing the kid and spinning him around to face him.
"What did you just say?" Dean demanded of the boy, not caring that the others were trying to calm him down.
Smirking, the kid continued, "Just that it makes me wonder why he's let out in public. It's obvious he likes it rough, maybe he needs to be on a leash and…"
The sound of Dean's fist hitting the kid's face carried causing a sudden silence through the audience. It wasn't until he felt the hands of security guards on him that Dean understood that he just screwed up royally. Turning his head, he saw the hurt on his brother's face and the realization that it was aimed at him hurt him more than he ever thought possible. 'Ah damn!' he thought as he was escorted off the field, leaving his brothers to deal with the aftermath.