Dean managed to scramble into Sam's duffle without attracting his brother's attention and he rooted around in it quietly until he located Sam's favorite ugly ass t-shirt. He didn't bother being quiet as he struggled back out of the bag. If Sam didn't notice what he was doing, then what was the point? But Sam didn't notice what he was doing, the big dork, so Dean dragged the t-shirt across the floor, scuffled it into a ball and crouched on it before kicking at the door.

Sam turned around in annoyance that became anger when he saw his t-shirt under Dean's twitching tail. "Oh, don't even fucking think about it!" Or what? Sam took two steps toward his brother, then froze as Dean's tail rose. "Hossenfeffer, that's what." Sam almost laughed at the look of utter confusion on Dean's little bunny face. "Okay, let's try something a little more your speed." Sam crouched down and the menace in his voice doubled. "Mittens. Nice soft furry rabbit-skin mittens."

Yeah, as if. Just take me the fuck outside for two minutes, princess.

Sam got up and took a quick glance out the window. The parking lot was fairly well lit, but the strip of grass beyond it was mostly in shadow and only about a dozen yards separated the parking lot from the blackness of a grove of trees. Even though he knew it was useless, Sam tried to reason with his brother.

"Dean, man, I know this isn't easy for you. But dude! We're in the middle of nowhere. There's woods out there and there could be foxes or coyotes or just somebody's dog! And you're fucking helpless!" He really should have known better. Dean seemed to double in size as he bristled at Sam's words.

Helpless? I'll show you helpless. TAKE ME THE FUCK OUTSIDE, BITCH!

Sam sighed and scooped Dean up. "I'll put you down when we get to the grass. And just so you know, you stubborn jerk. If some animal comes out of the dark and carries you off, I'm not coming after your ass. I'm not. The last thing you'll hear is my voice in the far, far distance. Because I'm not coming after you. And my voice in the distance will be saying "I told you so!" Got it?"

Dean stared at Sam's face for a long moment, and his bristling hair flattened out. Dean dropped his eyes from Sam's and seemed to shrink in on himself in his brother's arms. Not coming after me. Got it. All bravado was gone now. Can we just go out so I can piss and then I won't bother you any more.

"Dean?" Sam tilted Dean's face back up so he could see it and pulled his hand back just in time to avoid another bite. The glimpse had been more than enough though. Throughout this whole ordeal, Dean's eyes had been panicked. They'd been angry and annoyed and laughing. This was the first time Sam had seen Dean's eyes looking like they had before he'd been changed. Empty and shuttered. Hurt. "It was just a joke, Dean. I was a little pissed, but I'd never let anything take you, and if it did manage it, I'd be right behind it to kick it's ass and get you back."

Dean looked up at him again. Already got taken, Sammy. You couldn't stop it and you couldn't get me back. Shouldn't make promises you might not be able to keep. "

"Not going to lose you again Dean." Sam sighed and this time when his hand came up he let it free to stroke Dean's trembling side and Dean sat still and allowed it. Sam carried Dean across the parking lot and placed him at the edge of the grass where the light made him just barely visible. Dean hopped a foot or so and looked up at Sam. A little privacy?

"Yeah, like I'm turning my back. Can you just do what you need to do so we can get back inside where there's light and walls between you and anything that wants to eat you?" Dean snuffled softly, but took care of his business quickly and Sam carried him back inside.

Sam went right back to the laptop while Dean hopped over to the bed and looked up at it briefly, then dragged Sam's t-shirt to a spot under the window and curled up on it. He got up a few times and turned around before laying back down again, but he couldn't seem to get comfortable. Deciding he needed more layers, Dean made his way back to Sam's duffle and began pulling another shirt out, but this time Sam was more on the ball. "No, Dean." Dean turned wide innocent eyes his way.

No, what?

"No more of my t-shirts. You want a softer bed use your own." Dean huffed softly, but went to his own duffle and began pulling out shirts, laying them on the floor next to Sam's and then pulling Sam's on top. He made one last trip to his duffle and soon Sam heard grunts and soft thuds as Dean tried to excavate whatever it was he was trying to get from the bottom of his bag. Sam glanced over, but all he could see were Dean's hind-quarters sticking out of the bag as he scrabbled in its depths. Sam watched for a few minutes until he could see Dean's sides heaving with effort and heard a low, whining growl of frustration, then he got up and dropped to his knees beside the bag.

"Something I can help you with?" His words startled Dean, who flung himself backwards out of the duffle and sat, staring at Sam with aggravation.

Don't sneak up on me like that, Sam!

"Didn't sneak up Dean, you just didn't hear me because you had your head buried in your bag. Good thing I wasn't a coyote."

Oh, that's funny.

Sam looked into the vacated bag and saw his brother's knife leaning against the side, the leather sheath indented with marks that he knew would match Dean's teeth. Sam quirked an eyebrow at his brother.

What?

"What the hell are you doing?"

Dean's eyes shifted between the bag and his brother before he turned away and hopped back to his bed. Nothing. I was done in there anyway.

Sam grinned and, pulling the knife from the duffle, followed Dean across the room. Dean was circling around his bed again when Sam lifted up the pile of t-shirts and placed the sheathed knife underneath them with the handle slightly uncovered. Dean flopped down in his nest of shirts, gave a weary sigh and closed his eyes. "Night, Dean," Sam hesitated, then reached out and stroked down Dean's head with a finger. Dean twitched in protest, but only opened one sleepy eye in response.

Night, Sam.

When Sam emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, Dean was fast asleep with one leg stretched out so his paw was resting on the exposed knife hilt.

Sam smiled at the picture his brother presented, but only for a moment. Dean was so small now. Delicate and helpless, no matter what he seemed to think. In Dean's mind, if he was a rabbit, he was the most bad-ass rabbit to ever roam the planet. Never mind that the most bad-ass rabbit ever would be no match for a dog, never mind a demon. Sam slid the window closed, the salt line in front of it undisturbed. He left the lamp in the corner lit at it's lowest setting, the glow just illuminating his sleeping brother, and climbed into bed. Sam watched his brother sleep for a long while before his own exhaustion overtook him. He couldn't remember the last time Dean had slept this soundly without the aid of a bottle of whiskey. If he could make it through the night without dreaming, there might be at least one thing this curse would be good for while it lasted.

***************************

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, but Sam slept well past his usual early morning rising time. The first thing he did on waking was look for Dean, hoping that this had been a twenty-four hour curse, but no such luck. Dean was still a rabbit and he was..."Again? Uggh, Dean! I'm going to take a shower. Be done by the time I get out."

Dean just looked at him. About time you woke up. I've been up for a while.

"Yeah, I can see that."

Dean waggled his ears. You're just jealous, dude. This is fucking awesome!

Sam just shook his head and headed for the bathroom. When he emerged from the shower fifteen minutes later, Dean was sitting by the door.

My turn.

Sam picked Dean up and opened the door, stopping dead at the sight that greeted him as he stepped outside. The swath of grass between the pavement and the woods, dark and empty last night, now had a half dozen rabbits wandering around it. Dean's nose twitched. There weren't just rabbits in the grass over there, there was food too. He began to fidget in Sam's arms.

Look, Sam! Come on let's go!

Sam hesitated. "I don't know, Dean. They might not be friendly rabbits."

Dude, they're rabbits. And if you don't get me over there soon, I won't be responsible for how messy your shirt gets.

Sam sighed and walked across the parking lot before placing Dean on the grass, as far from the warily watching rabbits as he could. Dean hopped to a spot far from the piles of vegetables to relieve himself, then started hopping back towards his breakfast. He was just about to start munching on a carrot when Sam's voice froze him.

"Dean, stop! Don't eat that!"

Why not? Saves you buying me another salad.

"We don't know why it's here, jerk!"

Looks like it's here for the rabbits to eat, bitch. What's wrong with you?

"Why would they be feeding wild rabbits, Dean? Maybe they think they're pests and the food is poison or something!"

Man, you booked us into a motel where they'd poison RABBITS? We've stayed in some crap places before, but damn. I mean, didn't you make sure it was rabbit friendly before you brought me here?

"Rabbit friendly? I didn't exactly tell them I'd have a rabbit in my room. Come on, I'm going to ask in the office what all the wildlife feeding is about." Sam moved to grab Dean but his brother scampered out of reach.

Come on, Sam! I'm not going into some motel office with a bunch of bunny haters! Let me stay out here! I won't eat anything until you get back, I promise.

Sam glanced around the area uncertainly. The other rabbits didn't seem to think there was anything too worrying about being in the open like this, but Sam didn't like it. There were things after Dean that rabbits had no idea about and the thought of him alone, even for a small amount of time, made Sam's blood run cold. Dean was making it clear that Sam could stay with him or Sam could go to the office alone. There was no way Sam could catch his brother if he decided to play keep away. "Okay, I'll go, but I won't be long. You keep your eyes, ears and nose peeled for anything strange. Anything, Dean, you hear me?"

Yeah. Dean gave Sam a straight look. I hear you. Now go see what's up. And Sam? If this food is a bunny trap then when you go to get breakfast make sure you get enough for everybody.

Sam grinned and headed toward the office, glancing over his shoulder every second or two to keep an eye on his brother. The other rabbits were watching Dean carefully, but they didn't retreat as he hopped slowly towards them. Dean was by far the largest rabbit out there, but Sam still worried. He had no idea how rabbits fought. Hell, he had no idea if rabbits fought. He knew Dean had no idea either, but his brother had spent his life fighting and surviving. Well, mostly surviving, and he'd back Dean in any form against anything else in the same form.

As Sam approached the office he could see the woman inside looking out the window at the rabbits. She was smiling and didn't look at all like a bunny poisoner, but Sam had seen more innocent looking people doing way worse things than killing small, adorable, furry creatures. A bell chimed as he walked through the door and the woman turned her attention to him, her smile still lighting up her face.

"Good morning! How can I help you?"

" Morning, um Angie" Sam replied getting a look at her nametag. "I'm Sam. I was just going out for breakfast, when I noticed all the rabbits by the woods. Are they here every day?"

"Sure are! Adorable aren't they?"

Sam hadn't really paid much attention to the other rabbits- his focus had been on not taking his eyes off his brother- but if they were anything like Dean... "Oh, yes. Cutest things ever!" He smiled himself as he pictured Dean's response to this. "I noticed carrots and other veggies in the grass. You feed them?"

"We do! They were out there one morning and they were such a hit with the guests that we wanted to make sure they came back." She picked up a coffee can with a slit in the cover from the desk. "We take donations! Feeding these guys isn't cheap!" Angie turned to the window again. "There's a new one out there today. Big guy, beautiful markings. Haven't seen him around here before. The does will be happy. I haven't seen the buck in about a week. Good that another one came along to take care of them."

Sam moved up next to Angie at the window, keeping his eyes on Dean. A pretty light brown rabbit had come up to him and they were sniffing each other. "What do you think happened to him?"

"The other buck? Who knows? They live in the woods and there's lots of things in there that love rabbit. Foxes, coyotes, dogs..."

"See, I tried to tell him that, but does he listen? No, not him."

Angie looked at him strangely. "Tell who?"

"My br.. um rabbit."

"Your brabbit?"

"No, um, my rabbit. That's him out there. His name's Br..er. Um, Brer Rabbit." Sam's words stumbled to a halt well past the time they should have just fallen over dead.

"You named your rabbit brother?"

"Um, yeah. After the rabbit in the folktales. It was the only rabbit name I could think of."

"Really? Well it's different. Most of the guests come up with Thumper, or Peter Cottontail." She smiled when Sam just looked at her blankly and then she redirected her gaze out the window where Dean was now playing tag- or something- with the female rabbit. "You're just letting him run loose out there? Aren't you afraid he'll run away?"

"No, I don't think so. He's not the running away type. Is it safe out there? So close to the woods?"

"In the daytime it is. Usually. Never seen anything come from the woods. Last year an eagle took a rabbit a couple of times right in the middle of the day, but I haven't seen it this year."

Sam's eyes flashed to the sky, but they were clear and blue with no birds of any kind in sight. His eye went back to the window when Angie started to laugh. "Well, he's certainly a fast worker! Should have named him Daddy!"

"Oh, God. He's not. He is. Damn it, Dean."

Angie continued to laugh and laid a hand on his arm. "He's a rabbit, Sam. It's what they do. Clover must be in season. And who's Dean?"

"Dean's his, um, nickname. And doing what rabbits do is what got him into this mess in the first place."

Angie looked confused, but just said, "Maybe you should get him neutered, if you don't want this sort of thing happening."

Sam raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Neutered." he replied thoughtfully. "I'll mention that. I mean I'll keep that in mind."

Sam left the office and made his way back to the bunny feeding grounds. By the time he arrived Dean had finished his business with Clover and nuzzled her cheek before making his way nonchalantly back to Sam. When he arrived in front of his brother he sat up waggling his ears and attempting to look innocent.

So what's the scoop, Sam. Can I eat now?

"Worked up an appetite did you?"

Dean grinned up at him. Couldn't help myself Sammy. So...food?

"Go ahead and eat, Dean if this is what you want. But do it fast, because I'm hungry too. When you finish I'll take you inside and I'll go get myself something to eat."

I can't wait out here for you?

"No."

Sam!

"No. Eat your breakfast."

Dean took his time getting to the food and nibbled his way through quite a bit of it, finishing up by sharing a lettuce leaf with Clover. He then moped his way back to Sam, looking for all the world like a kid who didn't want to leave the playground. As Sam carried Dean back across the parking lot, Dean's head was turned back, staring wistfully at the rabbits playing in the grass. He butted Sam's chin. Think they''ll still be here when you get back? Sam glanced down into Dean's eyes and detoured back towards the office.

Angie laughed when he entered with Dean and reached out a hand.

"Careful," Sam took a step back. "He bites."

Angie carefully extended a finger and rubbed Dean's head. Sam was ready to jerk Dean away if he objected to the touch, but Dean rubbed against Angie's hand and Sam swore if he was a cat he would have been purring.

" I guess he only bites sometimes. Hey, how long do the rabbits usually hang out? I might want to let him out to play with them again later."

"Oh, they're here for most of the day. They graze and play. Sometimes the guests or their kids will scare them back into the woods, but for the most part they'll be here." Her hand stroked down Dean's back. "He's so soft!"

Sam winced and headed out the door with a "Thanks!" "Hear that Dean? They'll be here all day. So if you're a good bunny you can come out and play again later. Ow!" Sam pulled back another bloody finger.

I'll show you good bunny, bitch. But thanks, Sam.

Sam grinned as he carried his relaxed brother back through the motel room door. Dean was sleeping well- so far- eating his vegetables and having fun. As curses went this one could have been a lot worse.

TBC