So sorry for the long wait on this chapter I've just been busy and then had to deal with writers block on top of that. I know this chapter might not be great, but it's what I got. X Warnings in this chapter are mentions of alcoholism and child abuse X Nothing big, but thought I'd give a heads up anyway.

"Load up kiddo!" Dean leans forward in the drivers seat of the Impala as he pulls into the school parking lot. Sam runs toward the car with his backpack slung over his shoulder. "We are going somewhere special."

"Where to?"

"Cafe La Grande."

Sam rolls his eyes and jumps into the front seat. "I'm not sure that's a special place Dean. We go there almost every week."

"Well this is a special occasion so it's different. Just shut your pie hole and buckle up."

"Jerk."

A smile creeps across Dean's face. "Bitch."

-
They pull into the cafe parking lot in silence. Sam has been in deep thought the whole ride, he can't take his eyes off the cut on Dean's lip.

He finally decides to speak up. "Dad comin'?"

Dean's features darken. "No. He's busy."

"Being drunk you mean." Dean's eyes widen a bit. "I'm not stupid Dean I know when somethings off. He hit you again didn't he? That's what the cut on your lip is from."

"No...well yeah, but I deserved it. Dropped a glass and made a mess. He's sorry. It's fine." Dean worries his lip with his teeth and the cut opens again. He licks the blood uo with his tongue.

"It's not fine. He shouldn't do that."

Dean smiles weakly at his younger brother. "As long as he keeps his hands off you it's worth it." He reaches over and ruffles Sam's hair. "You need to cut this mop."

Sam pushes Dean away playfully. "Do it later?"

"You're gonna let me cut your hair?"

Sam looks at him through his lashes. "Long as you keep it reasonable."

Looking offended Dean smirks. "When am I ever unreasonable?" Sam rolls his eyes for the second time that day.

"You're always unreasonable."

"I have a right to be with you fucking stuff up all the time. Gotta keep you out of trouble don't I?" Sam narrows his eyes at the curse word and smiles.

"Me? You're the one always fu-

"Language." Dean warns.

"You said it!"

Dean laughs. "Well I'm seventeen and you're twelve. There a difference."

"Fine. What are we doing here?"

"Glad you asked." Dean steps out of the car and Sam climbs out the drivers side after him. Dean shakes his head but smiles anyway. "Why don't you use your own damn door?" He shuts the door and heads into the cafe with Sam trailing after him "Figured you could use a treat with he grades you have at school. Straight A's? Hell, I've never had them."

"Guess only one child gets brains." Dean clips Sam playfully on the back of the head.

"Just cause I can't to math doesn't mean I'm not smart." He wraps his arm around Sam's shoulder and leads him to a bench. After Sam slides in Dean moves to the other side of the table and sits.

When the waitress comes over Dean looks her up and down before ordering. "I'll take a milkshake. Chocolate. Sammy?" He gestures toward the younger Winchester.

"Vanilla please."

"That all for you guys?" The girl asks.

"That will do." Dean pulls a ten from his pocket and hands it to the girl. "Keep the rest as a tip." She smiles gratefully, Dean watches her as she walks away.

"My god can you think of anything else?" Dean looks up to find Sam with a raised eyebrow.

"What just checking the playing field."

"You can play girls like they're games Dean."

Dean smirks and raises an eyebrow back. "And what would you know about girls?" Sam blushes and looks down at the table and Dean laughs. "You got a girl Sammy?"

"We're just friends."

The eyes of the eldest Winchester widen. "When do I get to meet the lucky girl who has hold of my baby brother?"

"Stop." Sam's blushing hard now. "It's not like that."

"Give it time." Dean leans back with an arm on the back of the seat. Sam can see the bruise that's starting to form over his brothers lip.

"Did you actually break a glass?"

"Huh?" It takes him a minute to remember what Sam's talking about. "No. It doesn't matter though."

"Yeah it does. We should tell someone." Sam looks at Dean pleadingly.

Dean shakes his head. "He said he's sorry. Nothing to do about it now."

"He says that every time Dean." Sam plays with the condensation on the edge of his glass of water.

"Well it's true. I only get what's coming to me. He's only doing his job."

Sam gives up fighting, it's not worth it. It ends the same way every time. "I guess. What did you do though?"

Dean plays with ring on his finger. It was something their father had given him after their mother had passed. "I took money from the safe." Sam's eyes go wide.

"Why you do that? You knew he'd get mad."

"I was hoping he wouldn't notice. Or maybe he wouldn't care since it was for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah that's what I used to pay for this."

Sam looks around fearfully. "You mean the money you gave the waitress." Dean nods. "Why would you do something so stupid?!"

"Keep your voice down." Dean looks at the guy at the bar wearily when the man turns around. After a second the guy decides to mind his own business and turns back to the counter. "I wanted to give you something for doing so well. I know we don't live the best, but I want to make sure you get fun moments. You're still a kid."

Sam smiles sadly. "Yeah well so are you."

"I haven't been one for a while."

"Well you should be."

They sit at the cafe talking for hours. Neither if them is in a rush to go home for fear of their father.

John hadn't always been the town alcoholic, but a year after their mother had died in a house fire that title was given to him. That had been nearly 10 years ago. Since then both boys had been dragged through hell and back. Many of the people in the town know about their plight, but many are fearful of what might happen to them if they stepped in.

At school Dean shows up with new bruises covering his skin everyother day and nobody says anything. Even the teachers brush it off knowing that the boy wouldn't want them to pry.

Only a handful of times has there been marks visible on the younger Winchester's skin. Not many know why that's the case, but a select few people know how much trouble Dean goes through to keep his old man's hands off his baby brother.

Dean stands up from the cafe table after telling Sam to work on his homework. The boy doesn't waste time digging out an unfinished essay out of his school bag and getting to work. Dean's never understood his brothers love for schoolwork, he guesses it's just something to pass the time.

The girl at the counter raises her eyes from a book she's reading and smiles as Dean approaches. "Is there something I can do for you?" She seems to know what's up.

"Just wondering if you're free later." He jumps to the point with a sly smile.

She looks back down at her book. "You look alot like your old man." Dean's smile wavers. "Winchester, right? He comes in here more than most."

"I'm guessing that means your not." Closing the book she sets in next to the register.

"No, only that your gonna have to work harder than that to redeem him."

Dean chews his thumb nail for a second and wipes it on his jeans. "Challenge accepted."

Sam's still working on his homework when Dean strides across the cafe and slides back into the bench. A new milkshake sits in front of Sam. "I don't have any money for that." Dean mentions at the shake.

Sma nods and flicks his pencil on the table without looking up. "Yeah it's free."

"Why?"

"Guess the guy behind the bar felt bad that my brother was having more fun than me." Sam smirks when Dean's cheeks redden. "That poor girl. Can you keep your mind out of the gutter for one night?"

"Hey she wanted to. I wouldn't have done anything if she'd said no. Also no, that's who I am."

"A horny teenager?"

Dean reaches over and ruffles Sam's hair harshly. When he's done Sam's hair hangs down in his eyes. "You'll get it someday. No rush."

"God I hope not." The younger Winchester shakes his head and packs up his homework. He spots a guy over Dean's shoulder and huffs. "Looks like you've got an admirer."

"What?" Dean looks over his shoulder and his eyes widen. Turning back he covers his face with his hands and rubs his eyes. "The hell is he doing here?"

"His name's Aaron, right? You gonna ask him out?" Sam teases. "He wants you to."

"Yeah I know what he wants, but no. Let's go." Dean picks up Sam's bag as he walks by and Sam follows.

The ride home is full of dread. Neither brother knows how their dad is going to be or if he's even home. Pulling into the driveway Dean motions to Sam to stay in the car and jumps out. He finds the door of the house locked and sighs, he forgot the house key.

Sam joins him shortly after and they seek to the back door. Lucky for them it's unlocked. The door creeks as it opens. Sam stays behind his brother as they sneak through the house. There are bottles littering the floor beside the couch and they both hold their breath at the sound of snores from their dad's bedroom. Dean knows that John rarely wakes up after he's asleep, but the sound still keeps him on edge.

Dean grabs Sam's arm and pushes him ahead toward his bedroom while he stays behind and carefully shuts their dad's door. After the door clicks shut he breathes a sigh of relief and makes his way towards his bedroom.

His bed sits on the floor, unsupported by a frame. Their dad had broken it on one of his bad days and Dean hadn't gotten a new one.

He worries his lip a bit and the scabbed cut reopens. The taste of blood is nothing new.
There's a picture of their mom sitting on the dresser next to the mattress. He remembers her, she was always happy, gentle and loved her family. People had always said she was a god send to John who didn't deserve her.

Shedding his flannel Dean tosses it to the ground and steps out of his pants. After changing into a new pair of boxers he lays down on the bed and stares at the ceiling.

There the sound of a door knob clicking out of place in the house and Dean sits up and listens. Drunken steps echo through the house and Dean stands up. Carefully he makes his way to Sam's room making sire to go quickly and quietly. There the sound of movement in the kitchen and he slinks into the young Winchester's room.

Sam is curled up under his bed wrapped in a blanket. He seems to be completely asleep. Dean shuts the door and locks it. He taps Sam's shoulder and the younger boy jumps, he wasn't asleep. "Hey it's okay." He lays a gentle hand on Sam's and nods toward the door. "I locked him out."

"I'm scared." Sam's eyes fill with tears.

Dean feels slightly angered at the sight. Their dad's the cause of the look in his brothers eyes. No kid should be scared of the father but he has a right to be. "You're okay. If he gets in go out the window."

Sam nods and crawls out from under the bed and wraps himself around Dean's arm. "I won't leave you though."

"Yes you will. If I can't get out you have to go. You remember where Bobby's is, right?" Sam nods. "Okay let's get some sleep."

They both crawl up onto Sam's bed. Dean sits against the wall while Sam leans his head against his brothers chest. Dean wraps his arm protectively around Sam and plays with his hair with the other. "You need a hair cut, Samantha."

"Jerk." Sam snuggles closure to his brother. Dean smiles.

"Bitch."

They sleep all night peacefully. Dean wakes with a slight kink in his neck from sleeping against the wall. He smiles at his sleeping brother before getting up from the bed.

He unlocks the door and checks both ways down the hallway before slipping out and closing the door gently behind him. There doesn't seem to be anyone in the house and Dean knows that his dad is most likely gone. He still checks the whole house anyway, making sure it's safe to get Sam up.

The water in the shower is cold as it runs down his back. They don't really have much hot water these days and he likes to save it for Sam. Of course when Sam asks him later he will say there was plenty.

His clothes stick to his wet skin, but that's okay, they will dry. Towels aren't a necessity to his father so they never had any.

When he arrives in Sam's bedroom the younger boy is still asleep. Drool runs across his cheek and drips onto the mattress. The house is a little chilly in the morning because along with no hot water they also don't have a heater.

Dean licks his finger and sticks it in Sam's ear. Sam jumps up from the bed with a yelp. His hair is plastered to one side of his face. "The hell Dean!"

"Come on rise and shine Sammy!" Dean ruffles his brothers hair and Sam glares. If looks could kill Dean would be dead. "Last day of school."

Sam rolls back into his bed and groans. "I don't want to go."

"Since when?" Sam doesn't speak up and doesn't move so Dean drags him and the blanket off the bed. Sam and lands on the floor with a thud, but only let's out another groan in protest. "You are a pain in my ass."

That gets a reaction as Sam giggles. He hides his smile under his arm that's draped across his face.

"Get up, get a shower and meet me in the kitchen. Fifteen minutes or I drag you out of the house in your underwear."

Breakfast isn't much. Just a piece of toast and some milk. It's not great, but better than nothing. Sam downs his in seconds and seems hungry still. Dean offers his toast and forces Sam to take it when he refuses.

They jump in the Impala and head off. On their way Sam asks Dean to drop him off three blocks from the school. Dean frowns, "Why would I do that?"

"I promises Jessica I would walk he to school." Dean's eyebrows raise.

"So Jessica, that's the girl."

Sam blushes and Dean knows he's hit the target. "Sure I'll drop you off. On one condition."

"What?"

"You have to kiss her."

Sam's eyes widen. "Nope. Sorry but that's not happening."

"Well then I guess we're not stopping."

"Please Dean. Please?" Sam gives his best puppy eyes. Something his brother can't resist.

"Okay. Okay fine, but you owe me."

"Do not."

"Stop making that face." Dean laughs at Sam's pathetic looking pout. "I can't take you seriously."

That just makes Sam do it more.

"Okay you don't owe me. Just stop or its gonna get stuck like that."