Onwards...
"Toilets or kitchen floors?"
They were standing in what Dean had referred to as his office, a small room filled with bookcases and a desk that was cover in paperwork. "Nice," Sam observed drolly as he scanned the place, his eyes resting on the books on the higher shelves of the bookcase. He was reaching for a thick volume and pulling it off the shelf when he realised that Dean had asked him something. "What?"
"Toilets or kitchen floors. No one's cleaned up after the afternoon lunches cause the cleaner's called in sick."
Sam looked at him. "Aren't you the boss? Don't you delegate that down the food chain?" He waved the book at his brother. "Thought you were done with hunting?"
"I am the boss so I'm the only one that doesn't have a hands on job that needs done, hence the choice. Pick or I will." He snatched the volume from Sam's hand. "It's just a book."
"Kitchen. Urban myths and legends of Indiana, don't remember dad ever having that one. Good read was it?"
Sam pulled another from the shelf, eyebrows raising as he did. "Demon rituals?" He snagged another one. "A bible?"
"Enough. So I kept a few books. What's the big deal?" Dean reached to snatch the books back from his brother but Sam held them out above his head earning himself a punch to the ribs. "Put them back.. Now."
"Kept a few books on the top shelf of the bookcases in your office where Lisa couldn't possibly know that they were there," Sam continued on as he scanned the titles, pulling a few down, eyes wide as he took in just what was up on the shelf.
"She didn't want them in the house and I don't want the other guys here thinking I'm nuts….well more nuts than they do already." Dean crossed his arms and scowled as he watched his brother finally replace the books.
Sam wasn't ready to let up. "Why not put them in storage?," he asked as he closed his hand around another one. "Devil worship? Really?"
Dean sighed and started to leave. "Really. Know thine enemy Sam. Are you finished? So I kept some books. Big deal. Put it back and come on, I've got a bar to run."
Stopping him with a hand, Sam turned Dean to face him. "What were you up to?"
"Nothing, they're just books Sam." Dean shrugged himself free, eyes never meeting those of his brother, and headed out into the bar. Pausing only for a last look and to put the devil worship book back Sam decided to let it go, for now, and followed his brother out into the empty bar and through to the kitchen.
The guys that were putting away a delivery stopped. "New guy?," one of them asked.
"Brother." Two sets of eyebrows raised in question. "He's gonna help out in here tonight. Kate's off so he's gonna start with the floors. Treat him with the respect that you give to me." Dean flicked his own eyebrows at the two men and they laughed in unison.
"Wow, that badly huh?" A hand was held out that Sam took. "Brian."
"Sam."
The other guy waved from where he was standing. "Gregg. Hi. Welcome to the madhouse. Mop's over there, buckets under the sink, you're standing on the floor."
Dean snorted and then walked over to a cupboard at the back of the room grabbing a mop and bucket of his own. "Well get to it," he motioned at the other equipment. "I ain't paying you to look at the floor."
"You aren't paying me at all," Sam shot back as he started forward.
"The joys of being family. Quit whining and I'll give you free beer." With that Dean grabbed a spray gun and a cloth to go with the bucket and mop and disappeared.
Sam got to work, laughing at the banter between the other two men and fielding questions that he wasn't sure how he should be answering. Before long his brother was back.
"I really need to give Kate a pay rise because dealing with those toilets is just….well it's nasty."
"But you do look good in those pink rubber gloves," Brian shot at him.
"Bite me! I'm gonna help Mags and Cathy set up the bar, you guys good in here?"
"Sam's great. You sure he's your brother?" It was Gregg this time that tried to pull Dean's chain.
"You guys looking to be unemployed?" Dean crossed his arms and then swiftly uncrossed then, pulling off the gloves that he'd forgotten he was still wearing. "Just get on with it. We open in half an hour."
Gregg and Brian saluted him and then turned back to work as Dean washed his hands and then disappeared into the main bar.
"So, how did Dean end up as the boss?," Sam asked as he finished the floor and moved over to help with the vegetables that Gregg was preparing.
"Nobody else wanted it!" Gregg passed him a knife and moved over to let Sam get in to work beside him. "He didn't tell you?"
"Wouldn't be asking if he had," the young Winchester answered, snatching a potato up and getting to work.
"Up until your brother started working here we had fights almost every night. Dean started on a Saturday. Jeff Adams came in high and looking for trouble, started a fight with his brother and his girl. Seems Becky couldn't decided which brother to settle for and then chose the wrong one far as Jeff was concerned. Jeff got Becky by the neck, pulled a gun, and everyone ducked for cover except Dean. He strolled round that bar cool as you please and walked over to the guy. Jeff turned the gun on him and threatened to pull the trigger but Dean just smiled that smile of his and kept walking. Damned barrel was resting against his chest when he stopped. He lent into Jeff and whispered something in his ear, don't know what, and then he took the gun off him and prised Becky free. He handed her off to Mags and then he turned and hit Jeff with a killer of a punch. Broke the guy's jaw, two of his own fingers too. Jeff hasn't been back. Three nights later and most of the guys that caused trouble in here weren't getting by Dean at the door, and hell did they try, so they just moved on. David that owns the place ask Dean if he could do the books and manage as well as he hit. Gave him the nod to run the place on a six months trial, can't see him cancelling it after that though. Brother's good at what he does here. Mucks in when he has too, and not a word of protest. Yup, Dean's the real deal, nice guy, fair, but hard as hell too. Never could make up my mind though if Dean was brave that night, stupid or if he just didn't care if Adams pulled that trigger. Know what I mean?," Gregg finished giving Sam a look.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sam answered, shaking his head as he did. "That's my brother. Brave, stupid and reckless." He shot Gregg a little smile.
"Well we best be getting on with this or we're gonna see the side that's mean and nasty. Food's not gonna prep itself." With that they worked on until Dean stuck his head back round the door.
"New boy pulling his weight is he?"
Gregg nodded. "Yeah, but he's like you, can't peel potatoes for shit."
Dean laughed and then sobered. He looked at his brother, nodding in the direction of the bar. "You want that beer now?"
"Hell yeah," Sam answered, tossing aside the peeler and wiping his hands on a cloth.
"Come on then." Dean turned and pushed the door opened, heading behind the bar and grabbing two beers from the fridge. He gestured to the booth in the corner and waited until Sam had slid in before he did.
"You drinking tonight?" Sam tipped his bottle at the one sitting in front of his brother.
"Just one. Been a long day." Dean sipped at the beer, eyes closing as he savoured the taste and then he relaxed back against the seat. He turned his head to look out over the bar, automatically scanning for any signs of trouble.
"You expecting someone?," Sam asked, following his brother's gaze.
Dean hesitated just a little before he spoke. "Nah, just making sure that everything is cool." He peeled himself off the back of the seat and lent forward, resting his hands round the base of the bottle and his elbows on the edge of the table. "So," he started as he looked up at Sam and the younger man could almost feel his brother's mood darken, "how long you thinking of staying this time?"
The question was blunt and caught Sam off guard after the last few hours of easy company. "What do you mean?"
"Well before Meg showed up you were all gung ho about getting back to killing demons and now you seem to be content to just hang here. Why? You worried that if something else bad heads my way that I wont be able to handle it?"
Sam shook his head, denying what he had been worrying about. "No. I just…."
"'cos if that's why you're still here, I don't need a babysitter Sam. If you're staying for that, then I don't want you to." Dean didn't look up just picked at the label on the bottle.
Sam bristled as the accusation hit a little too close to his original reason for not heading out with Bobby. "I know you don't. I just wanted to hang for a bit."
"Just as long as hanging don't mean we settle into a routine Sam and then I have you take off on me again when something better comes along." There was a little bitter edge to Dean's words that hid the smaller edge of hurt in them.
Sam stared at his brother's head wondering when the switch had been made because this wasn't the relaxed brother that he had just spent the day with. "So what, you want me here just so that I can hang out with you when it suits you? Maybe baby sit Ben and Lisa when your working?"
Hurt flashed in Dean's eyes. "No, of course not and that wasn't what that was…I just thought that…..I….." Dean looked up, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, searched for the words he wanted. "I want you to be here because I'm your brother Sam and because you want to spend time with me. Not too much to ask is it?"
Sam shook his head not trusting his mouth to say the right words.
Casting his gaze back out round the bar Dean leant back in, the elder Winchester speaking so softly that Sam had to strain to hear him over the bar noise. "So what have you really been doing with yourself these last few months Sammy eh? Can't all have just been hunting? You hook up with someone?" He paused. "Or something? And just why isn't your mojo thing working right? Something you should be telling me?"
Sam snorted, only just refraining from calling his brother a son of a bitch for the something dig. He took a slow breath, counted until he could speak calmly. Dean was starting to ratchet up his annoyance, on purpose it seemed. "Like I told you, I was hunting a group of demons out Bobby's way. Yes, it has all been mostly hunting Dean and no, there haven't been any hook ups, human or otherwise." He lent across the table into his brother's space. "I don't know why my mojo isn't working right, it just isn't. My turn." Sam pulled the bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table. "What's this and what have you been doing with the books in your office Dean? And don't bullshit me."
They locked eyes for a moment and then Dean sighed, tossed back the rest of his beer and swapped the bottle for the little one on the table. "It's an experiment. Mostly it's angel blood, Cas left it for me. I mixed it with a little holy water and a little something that I concocted myself."
Sam brushed his hair away from his forehead and lent back. "And what's it for?"
Dean held the bottle up, let the light play on the contents, the essence switching from blue to silver as he did. "I was hoping that if it worked the way Cas and I thought it would, it'd burn the bastards up from the inside but leave the hosts mostly untouched. Hoped that it'd hurt bad enough that they would just give up and go, save anyone else that's possessed dying just so that we can kill the demon inside. Meg proves it works, still maybe needs a little tweak. Of course, if I'd known you were back I probably wouldn't have bothered. Then again – with the mojo not working…I'd be as well using the knife."
Sam clasped his hands together at the back of the beer bottle. "No, that what it is Dean, what it does. I asked you what it's for. When were you planning on using this concoction, you know, since you're not hunting anymore? Or maybe you have already, Meg not withstanding." Sam tilted his head, stared his brother down.
"Told you before Sammy, researching is not hunting. This is research." Sam watched as his brother pocketed the bottle and signalled to one of the waitresses for more beer.
"So have you used it?"
Dean paused, chewed his lip. "Once before Meg but the mix wasn't right. It killed the damned host too. I've been working on it since then." Sam watched as Dean switched to a smile as one of the girls behind the bar came over with two more bottles.
"You drinking tonight boss?," she asked, a little edge of concern lacing her voice as she looked between the two men, the tension evident between them.
Dean nodded the smile never wavering. easing her discomfort a little. "You can cut me off after this one Mags, okay?," he offered amicably.
"Okay." She put down the bottles and touched Dean's shoulder. "I don't want to be the one Lisa hunts down in the morning for letting you get drunk."
The remark was made light heartedly but Sam saw the closed look that briefly surfaced at the comment before the easy smile slipped back in place on his brother's face. "Coward," Dean teased gently, but his eyes went blank and unreadable.
"You better believe it." Mags missed the look as someone called to her and she turned. "Better get back to work," she smiled at Sam. "Boss is a real hard ass about us standing chatting." She winked at Dean and walked away.
Sam smirked at his brother. He was still pissed at Dean's earlier hook up dig and this as far as he could see was perfect payback. Before he could say anything though Dean silenced him with a hand. "I swear to God if you say what you're thinking, there's going to be trouble. I don't get wasted anymore because I don't want to and besides Lisa is entitled to that one, she put up with a helluva lot before I got it together. So just don't man."
Contemplating pushing Dean's buttons for just a second or two more Sam decided to let it slide. Instead he picked up the previous bone and chewed on it. "So, the bottle and the books? What were you doing Dean?"
Dean sighed. "I told you."
"I know but your lips are telling me one thing and your eyes are telling me something completely different." Sam huffed softly as Dean refused to meet his eyes. "You tried it didn't you? To get the cage open? Get me out after I asked you not to?"
"Sam, drop it." It was almost a growl.
"You did, didn't you?"
Dean looked up, eyes lit for a second with a cool fire and then it cleared. "Fine, I tried. Okay? Happy now? Good job I didn't manage it though, seeing as you weren't in it!," he hissed across the table, pushing himself up as he did. "I need to go check on things, just," he waved a hand at Sam, "…..stay here just now. I'll be back."
Watching until his brother disappeared into the kitchen Sam leant his head down on the table with a groan and then pushed off to follow Dean. He caught up with him as he reappeared and stepped behind the bar. Dean started serving to let the girls have a break and Sam, left with nothing else to do, joined him. They worked silently for a spell, the patrons and the other bar staff watching with mutual interest until Dean finally broke the deadlock even if it was with a mundane request for some glasses. Sam watched his brother after that his eyes finally seeing him, realising the mistake that he'd made. He let himself get lost then in the distraction of serving until the girls came back again and Dean touched his arm. "Come on, I got something to show you."
They stepped into the office and Sam walked over and perched on the edge of the desk, waiting until Dean turned from shutting and, he noted, locking the door before he spoke. "I asked the wrong question."
Dean lent on the door, the question in his eyes.
"When I came to see you, I asked the wrong question."
"You've lost me." Dean walked over and motioned him off the desk.
Sam sighed. "I asked you if you loved Lisa."
Dean lifted the rug from the front of the desk revealing long groove marks in the floor. "And what should you have asked?"
Sam walked round to help his brother as Dean started to push the desk back from its position in the middle of the floor towards the door.
"I should have asked you if you were happy."
Dean snorted. "Happy? I though you were in Hell Sam, happy wasn't even a speck in the distance." He pulled at a handle and Sam watched as the trapdoor in the floor lifted, the smell of damp starting to invade the room as it came to rest against the desk.
Sam frowned. "But you love Lisa though right? I know you said you weren't sure but I see the way that you look at her. The way you touch her. She makes you smile."
Dean let out a small huff of air, a little bitter half smile gracing his face. "Being with the people you love doesn't always mean that you're happy Sam. Hell you should know that more than anyone." Dean pulled open a drawer in the desk and pulled out two flashlights throwing one to his brother and switching the other one on.
Without letting Sam reply he gestured down. "Come on."