i'd like to thank you guys for reviewing, alerting and favoriting thus far. i'm glad people are reading my story. this kind of drama story isn't exactly the kind of stories i tend to write on Word but i've been meaning to give it a shot for a lil while now.

Title: Step-Brothers: Blood Doesn't Tie Us

Genres: Family / Friendship / Drama

Rating: T

Summary: Sam didn't want a new mom or brother but couldn't deny his dad happiness. With drama and problems, the Winchesters must learn to get along. Sam/Dean later

Warnings: Sam/Dean, Mary/John, het pairings, slash pairings, incest, cursing, Sam/others, Dean/others, homophobia, no hunting AU, family drama, epic length

FOUR

It was the little things at first. They were so little and things that Sam always took for granted that he never really noticed when anything changed. But by mid November, Sam finally realized Dean was acting different, nicer. It was a weird realization to make. But it was there, so obviously out in the open he'd be stupid not to admit it. Dean passed the sugar whenever he was done using it instead of setting it down all the way on the other side of the table like he used to, softly sniggering into his fisted hand at Sam's glare. He poured milk for both of them at breakfast now, or handed Sam the right utensils for dinner, or would come up behind him when he was doing homework and shake his head and say, "that's not right, buddy," and then proceed to pull up a chair and explain to Sam what he was doing wrong. He was just nicer. And it was such a subtle change that it caught Sam off-guard because he was also still Dean more times than not.

"Here, Sammy, now sit down and eat already." Dean tapped the spatula against the table, grinning as Sam gratefully took the plate full of pancakes from him. He poured a generous amount of syrup on top of their pancakes which got a groan from Sam as he watched the overflow on his plate. It looked good, really good.

Sam was half way done when dad decided to come downstairs in a good mood, humming some weird tune Sam couldn't place. It wasn't until Dean grinned and was humming with him that he recognized it even before his brother said smugly, "Firefly." Sam felt guilty for not realizing it sooner; it was one of dad's favorite shows after all–and sometimes Sam found himself watching it too.

"Is that pancakes I smell?" Dad had a big goofy smile on his face, Sam could've sworn he'd died and gone to heaven.

Dean grinned back and nodded and proceeded to take two more plates out for mom and dad. Then he poured two steaming cups of coffee. Sam and Dean both finished by the time Mary came down looking unusually disheveled and sleep deprived. John was on his second mug and reading the sports section. He peered curiously up at mom.

"You OK, Mary?" he asked.

Mary shook her head and groaned, "I don't feel so good. Did I get hit by a truck in bed last night, John?"

Sam quietly excused himself from the table. School seemed to drag on for an eternity that day. It was after dinner that Mary and dad came out with the news that sent both a thrill and terror shooting through Sam.

"I'm pleased to inform you guys that your mom is pregnant," Dad said, fumbling to wrap his arms around mom's waist.

The news left Sam stuttering, mind reeling. He couldn't get past the "wows" and "I don't know what to say but congrats" and "I hope it's a boy" and even "Oh gosh I'm going to finally be a big brother, aren't I?" Dad and mom were practically beaming. Dean was a bigger mystery though. He'd gone quiet all night. Sam supposed he was just in shock and he'd snap out of it by morning. He was right. Dean acted like nothing happened last night and somehow, Sam was inwardly relieved, sucking out a breath he hasn't even realized he'd been holding.

A lot more stuff happened throughout November and Sam wondered idly what it was about this month that drew in complications. Sherry moved out sometime before Thanksgiving. Sam asked her where she was going and why. She answered with a simple "Florida". Sam missed her.

It didn't take very long for the Winchesters to get new next door neighbors though; the Novak family. Mary and dad made everyone stop by on their first day here just for politeness' sake. Sam remembered getting kind of bored when the conversation turned from awkward 'hellos' to 'who's your favorite football team?'. It was on complete accident he got a glimpse of the youngest Novak son, Jimmy, AKA Castiel, AAKA (also also known as) Cas–Dean's idea.

Jimmy was probably the first mutual friend Sam and Dean had. He was funny and smart and shy. He also got invited to stay for Thanksgiving.

Mr. and Mrs. Novak–Christian and Elizabeth–had two sons. Jimmy was a sophomore like Dean and Sam. Jacob was off in California in college. Jimmy said he visited for Christmas and New Years. Dean didn't really care to hear about Jacob though.

Jimmy was a weird puzzle to Dean. He tended to follow Dean around like a lost puppy even when Dean tried to hand him off to Sam. It was like playing 'Hot Potato' and this case, Jimmy was the unwanted potato. But just like the case of Sam, Dean couldn't help but like Jimmy if only a little bit. He had a certain quirkiness to him that just made him likeable he supposed.

Still when they were at school Dean did his best to ignore both Jimmy and Sam. It didn't really work the first day.

"Your friends are a bit, ah, closed off, Dean," Jimmy said leaning against a stall. He'd managed to follow Dean to the restroom just outside the cafeteria much to the younger boy's annoyance. "They also seem closed minded. Why do you hang out with people like that?"

Dean wondered why he hung out with people like Jimmy actually. "Look, I get you wanna keep close to people you actually know and I appreciate that I'm one of those people, but can you quit hammering on my friends? Where's Sam anyway? Why don't you tag along with him?"

"Because I like you better," Jimmy said simply.

It was still Thanksgiving break when Mary got the call. Her dad wanted to come over to finally meet John and Sam. Mary agreed readily because she still hasn't told him about her pregnancy, she figured it'd be killing two birds with one stone. John asked who was on the phone when she hopped into bed with him. She just smiled and flicked off the light, "It's a surprise, but I'm sure you'll love it, babe."

"It's not your father is it?" John half joked, leaning down to give her a kiss.

Mary frowned, wondering how he'd guessed it without having to think much about it. Mary after all never really talked much about her family, it was only dragged out in conversation after John's off-handed comments about wondering what her parents were like or he wished he could meet them just so he could thank them for producing such an incredible person like Mary. Ultimately it got Mary to thinking it was about time John got his wish. It was a good her father felt the same way as John.

Samuel Campbell was the name of Mary's father. It came as a pleasant surprise to John that his father-in-law and his son shared the same name, because really, it wasn't like John had Mary's father's name in mind when he came up with Sam, or for that matter neither did Ellen. However Samuel wasn't anything like Sam. They were the polar opposite in fact, like night and day. Mary tried to make her father as comfortable as possible, fetching pillows for the extra guest room even though there was already a bunch of pillows stock piled in the closet there.

Between Mary's ridiculous requests for the oddest combination of food and Samuel's visit, John was tired by the end of the week and was ready to snap. He didn't snap first. Oddly enough it was Dean.

"Oh come on, this is so stupid, when the hell's the old geezer leaving already?" he demanded, slamming a cup of store bought yogurt on the table. "I can't invite any my friends over because now they keep complaining that grandpops up there makes so much noise it's like a bulldozer's trying to ram the house down! Plus he never leaves enough hot water for me to take my morning shower and steals Sam's eggs at breakfast so I'd always have to make extra. C'mon, mom, you can't possibly expect me to be able to take much more of this. It's fucking torture!"

As if Dean's explosion had been some invisible cue Sam had been waiting for, the next day it was Sam's turn to voice complaint that made Mary want to sigh and bash her head against the wall at the same time. All day Mary only heard "he reeks", "he keeps stealing the remote, I can't watch my show", "I can't sleep up there anymore" and on and on it went. By Friday, Mary was tired and hungry and cranky. John was working and the boys had already gone back to school, normal Winchester routine. Mary was going to give Samuel a piece of her mind.

She found Samuel lying on his back on the guest bed staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling. His body was tensed, hands folded together on his stomach, like he was trying to relax but was failing. "Hey Mare," he said after a moment. Mary stood uncertainly by the doorway. "I'm thinking of heading back home tomorrow," he continued, then made a vague gesture to his packed suitcase in the corner by the closet.

Mary blinked in surprise. "Heading back home?" she parroted.

Samuel gave a half hearted laugh. "Yeah, it seems your kids don't want me here," he said, then paused to consider something, "and neither does John, neither do you." There was a silent moment and Mary wanted to deny the last part of his statement, but Samuel just held up his hand that told Mary he didn't want to hear anything she had to say, he'd already made up his mind on this. In a horrible way, Mary was glad he stopped her protests because she knew he was right and to deny it would be to lie to her father. "I been wanting to head back anyway. My brother, Travis–your uncle–called last week, he'd come to Louisiana and he wanted to take me golfing sometime while he's still in town. I want to catch him before he left again–did I tell you I gotten this weird addiction to golf?"

Mary laughed and shook her head, coming into the room to sit on the edge of the bed. "No. Since when did you start playing golf?" There was a twinkle in Samuel's eyes as he explained the dynamics of golfing. They stayed and talked until the boys got home.

Dean was still closed off, marching straight to his room and slamming it shut first thing after school. Sam wasn't really any better, though he did cast Mary a brief glance and said "hi". Mary wasn't even sure if this was all had to do with Samuel. John also seemed to be avoiding her. She caught him in their bathroom about to take a quick shower.

"Are the, uh, boys avoiding me and not Samuel?"

John frowned, movement faltering. He looked suddenly uneasy and afraid as if she'd snap at him if he said the wrong thing. She frowned at the thought and waited for her husband's response. "Well, you're uhm…"

"I'm an 'uhm' what?" Mary asked, exasperated. "And why are you suddenly so afraid of me? I'm not going to bite your head off, honest to god, John!"

"You've just been a real pain in the ass lately, Mary," John suddenly snapped. Then he paled like he couldn't believe what he'd just said. "I mean, I'm sorry–I didn't mean that, it just came out. You know that, babe. C'mere."

Mary stood frozen near the sink. It suddenly clicked. They really had been avoiding Mary, not Samuel. Maybe they were annoyed with Samuel to an extent but the real problem had actually been Mary. And well, she might've been a bit bitchy lately, what with the food cravings and morning sickness and random mood swings. It was the pregnancy of course and Mary couldn't really help it, but still, it hurt to hear it out loud like that from John.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Mary, really I am," John was saying, edging closer until Mary could smell his cologne.

In all the months Dean was dating Madison, sex surprisingly never came up as a topic. Eliot was right, she didn't 'put out' very fast, Dean wasn't even sure if she put out at all. But that was OK; it wasn't like the world revolved around sex. Dean knew that Sam somehow got the idea that Dean was some kind of 'man slut' because during all of freshman year he'd have some different girl to take home. In truth though the whole extent of Dean's sexual conquest only went as far as making out. He'd never had actual sexual intercourse, not yet anyway.

He'd read about it on the internet though, and watched a couple porn videos. It wasn't like he was wholly inexperienced, but as far as real life was concerned Dean was still a full fledged virgin. Only two people knew about that though. Daniel, who seemed pretty chill about it considering he was, you know, a 'cool' senior and Dean himself. He was pretty sure mom and John secretly knew too but they didn't ask and Dean didn't feel like telling them. He was only fourteen, as far as parents were concerned they'd have their children wait until they were twenty-five and married to lay it out for them. Personally Dean couldn't see himself ever waiting that long to have sex.

The only person that thought it was awesome that Dean was a 'sex' fanatic-Sam's words- was Jimmy though. Sam looked on with disgust, wrinkling his nose like there was a nasty smell in the air every time he saw Dean making out with Madison; well it was more the other way around because somehow the cheerleader always managed to shove her tongue down his throat before he got the chance to think of the move first.

Jimmy was oddly fascinated with Dean's make out sessions. It was creepy in a weird, brotherly way like if Dean caught Sam staring out of the corner of his eye after a ridiculously intense and hot kiss that left him gasping and out of breath.

Because really, that was what Jimmy had become, Dean realized, a brother and if it was one thing Dean learned in the long run since staying with the Winchesters was that blood didn't make up family. It was true and Sam was evidence.

"What does it feel like, kissing?" Jimmy asked as he sat upright on Sam's bed. All three of them were crowded in Sam's room slurping on popsicles. The only reason Dean wasn't in his own room was because John had insisted on repainting the walls there since the wallpapers were peeling off.

It was early December but still not that cold. Still the popsicles weren't all that helpful, making Dean's teeth chatter a bit. "What do you mean? Kissing is just kissing," Dean said. "Haven't you ever kissed your mom before?"

Sam snorted. "That's not the same thing, Dean."

"Sure it is."

Jimmy frowned, licking away at his popsicle. "Well yeah I have but it's just a peck on the cheek, you know? I mean full-on smack on the lips, tongue down your throat, that kind of thing."

Sam made a stuttering noise but Jimmy seemed completely unfazed by the description he'd just used. That was the other thing Dean admired about Jim, he never beat around the bush when he had a point to make, never looked embarrassed, ashamed. Unlike Sam who was shy and easily embarrassed that Dean couldn't help but pick on him until he was puffed up and red in the face.

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother's predictable reaction before peering curiously at their friend. "You wanna know what it's like? Like how badly?" he asked.

Jimmy shrugged and thought about it. "Not badly badly I don't think, just curious is all."

Dean nodded to himself. He understood the natural tug of human curiosity. "Ever consider experimenting?"

"No not really. Why? You have something in mind?"

Sam looked between them as if they'd both lost their minds. Maybe Dean did, with what he was going to suggest next. "Yeah, maybe. I mean, I don't really consider myself a kissing expert or anything but if you want, I can show you."

"Yeah, sure," Jimmy said. Maybe Jimmy lost his mind too.

Kissing Jimmy wasn't anything like kissing Madison or Daniel. It wasn't hot or intense, didn't make the air go all heavy with electricity but it also didn't feel bland or wrong, like kissing a sibling. Dean did feel something. A little fluttering in his stomach maybe, a chill down his spine, something.

It was only a light brush of lips on lips but it wasn't quick or long. It was just enough for Dean to know he felt something and maybe it wasn't really something he was looking to find but now he realized Jimmy wasn't like a brother to him, or even a friend. Somehow he was a little more than those. It made Dean feel strange.

It was equally as uncomfortable for Sam when the two finally pulled away from each other.

"That was, just, that was just wow," Jimmy breathed in an awed voice.

Dean smirked taking the compliment fully to heart, because really he was a pretty good kisser. Jimmy came over every day since the experimental kiss. Sam became a little more withdrawn. Dean didn't notice at first until Sam completely shut the room from them and they had to study and work on homework in Dean's room for the first time in December.

Dean wasn't even sure what his brother's problem was. He thought they'd been getting along real well lately, since Dean had made the silent decision to be nicer to his brother because Sam was right. Dean hadn't been all that brotherly even if he thought otherwise.

It was the second week in December that they'd fallen back to their normal routine, inviting friends over and ignoring each other, generally staying in their rooms until they had to get ready for school in the morning. Mom and John didn't catch on to their behaviors until the middle of the week when Dean just dumped the dishes into the sink and started to leave to go straight up to his room again.

"Why aren't you helping your brother with the dishes?" John demanded.

Dean shrugged off the rough hand from his shoulder. "Because it's his turn to do them," he snapped.

Which was true had they been keeping up with their chore schedules, but ever since Thanksgiving, Dean had been pitching in to do a lot of things around the house, and maybe it was because of the invisible brotherly bond between them, Sam had followed suit quickly enough.

Now it was like they were back to square one.