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„She's staying with us, Sam, and that's the end of it."

Sam huffed. „I thought we'd talked about this."

„We have. And I've decided that she can stay."

„Can't she sleep somewhere else?"

Dean heaved a big sigh. They had been over this so many times already he'd stopped counting. Somewhere along the way he'd lost his patience, and the calm he had tried to maintain was quickly waning into nothingness.

„Her family is out of town for the weekend. I've told you. And it's only one night, Sam, I don't get what the problem is."

„I don't want her here!" Sam exploded.

„Well, too bad. You can't do anything about it."

„I could always call dad."

Dean stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to Sam, deliberately slow in his threatening movements, and fixed his little brother with a stare.

„You did not just say that," he whispered, his throat raw and scratchy. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, his lips pursed. „You did not just threaten me with Dad."

„Are you scared of him?"

„No, Sam, and that's not the problem. Dad isn't some thing you can use to your advantage. He's … he's Dad. He's family."

Sam grunted. „Then why is he never around? Huh? Why can't we be …"

His voice petered out and his mouth shut closed, but they both knew what had been about to be said. It hung heavily in the quiet, stifling air between them, a single word, two syllables, yet strong and powerful and cruel.

Normal.

Dean looked at his hands, kneaded his fingers. „I'm trying, Sammy, I am. But I can't give you –"

„It's not your fault."

Dean swallowed around the lump in his throat. „Whose is it, then? And don't you dare say Dad, because he's doing everything he can."

Sam shrugged. „What if it's not enough?"

„It has to be."

„But it isn't for me."

Dean heaved a deep, shaking breath. He looked at his watch, ever cautious not to meet his brother's demanding glare. „She's gonna be here any minute. I better get ready."

The conversation was over, and Sam had no choice but to relent. He dropped his head in a quick nod and vanished into the other room, purposefully ignoring the fact that Nelly wasn't arriving for more than two hours.

The girl was on time. They had dinner together. The atmosphere was tense, their demeanour moody. Sam only ate half his plate and started cleaning the dishes without a word. Dean's eyes hardly ever left his brother's form, his stare concerned and gloomy.

Nelly simply felt out of place.

„So, you live in this motel, or …" she started a wary conversation, bursting the bubble of carefully weaved quiet and respect. Sam flinched, a cup slipping through his fingers and landing loudly in the sink. Dean sighed and rubbed his eyes.

„We're just staying here till Dad finds a better place."

Sam snorted. „You know that's never going to happen."

„What is he talking about?" Nelly asked, turning to the older Winchester. Her eyes were big and round.

„Well," Dean tried to explain. „We move around a lot. Makes finding a house to live in pretty hard."

„What do you mean by a lot?"

„He means that our dad drags us around the world because of his stupid work, not giving a rat's ass about what we think about it," Sam muttered, placing a clean plate on the side of the sink and fishing in the murky water for the next one. When he found that there were none left, he pulled the plug and the sink started emptying with loud gurgling noises.

„Sam, that's enough," Dean protested, but no one gave him much attention.

„Where is he now?" Nelly wondered. „Your dad?"

Sam sat back down at the table, frowning. „Where do you think? He's at work. As always."

„I said it's enough, Sam."

„Why, Dean? Why can't we say the truth for once? Our lives aren't as perfect as you want them to be. Dad is even less so. Get that through your thick skull. Dad is a mean drunk who can't face his sons because he can't face his wife's death, and therefore buries himself in tons and tons of work."

„Sam!" Dean jumped up with such vigour that his stool almost crashed to the ground. His eyes burned with fury. He pointed a tense arm in the direction of their bedrooms and ground out two simple words.

„Bed. NOW."

Sam wasn't scared. He wasn't scared of his brother, because he knew that Dean would never do anything to him, no matter how mad he was or how much he disagreed. But he did feel an overwhelming wave of sadness and guilt. Was this it? Was it over?

„Sam. Go."

He let his head hang and did as he had been told. But he couldn't sleep.

Nelly asked to turn in not long after Sam had been rudely silenced, claiming that it had been a long day and that she was tired. But Dean knew better. He could see the sadness in her eyes, the sudden distrust that hadn't been there before.

„Look, I had to put him in his place," Dean told her, desperate to get the uncertainty off her face. She shook her head and looked away.

„You shouldn't have been that rough."

„Kids need rough sometimes. They have to be punished when they do something wrong. It's how it works."

„But you're not his parent, Dean," she objected.

„Someone has to be."

She sighed. „Well, I want to go to bed. Where can I sleep?"

Dean, of course, offered her his bed and declared he would take the couch. She was reluctant at first, but gave in quickly enough when she recognized the determination both Winchesters possessed. There was nothing you could make them do if they didn't want to.

They said good night, and vanished in two different rooms.

Nelly was awoken in the middle of the night by a subtle shrieking. She needed a few moments to remember where she was, but once she did, she quickly concluded that Sam had to be shifting on his bed. She was about to brush the whole thing off and fall asleep again when she noticed that the little boy was getting up and tiptoeing out of the room, careful not to make any unnecessary sound.

She got curious. Her feet were cold as they landed on the tiled floor, but she pushed the feeling away and crept to the door.

She looked out of the bedroom and into the living room. It was dark and cold. All she could hear were deep and steady breaths – probably Dean's. Sam's little feet didn't make so much as a rustle.

„Dean?" his small and quiet voice echoed through the room.

That was all it took for the comfortably sleeping shadow on the couch to shoot up. Nelly couldn't make out much, but she knew that Dean was looking around suspiciously, just like he always did when awoken from sleep. Only once any threats had been ruled out did his breaths calm and his strained shoulders relax.

„Sammy. What is it?"

Sam sniffled. „Can we talk?"

„Sure, buddy, come here." Something clicked and the living room lit up in a yellow glow. Sam's dishevelled figure was standing in front of the couch, looking cautiously down at his brother. Nelly wanted to back away so that she wouldn't be seen sneaking about and eavesdropping, but she quickly found it pointless. The two Winchesters only had eyes for each other.

„Well, come on," Dean urged again and Sam didn't need more encouragement than that. He crawled onto the couch and leaned into his brother, two arms coming around to wrap themselves protectively around his figure.

It looked as if they had done this countless times before. It looked as if it was their second nature.

„I'm sorry, Dean," Sam muttered, his voice muffled by his brother's body. „I'm sorry for saying what I did."

„I know," was the simple answer. Nelly started getting irritated. Dean could be a real ass. Wasn't he at least going to apologize, too?

„And then I woke up and I wanted to talk to you and I listened, but you weren't there, Dean. She was. Why is she sleeping in your bed?"

„It's the polite thing to do, Sammy. You always put the lady first. It's the one single job of a gentleman."

The younger brother was quiet for a few seconds. His brain seemed to be working a hundred miles per hour.

„What is it, Sammy?"

„Nothing."

„Oh, come on. I know something's bothering you. Might as well get it out."

Sam sighed. „You don't do it just with the ladies."

„Huh?"

„You know. You don't just put the ladies first. You put everyone first. Right?"

„Geez, Sammy, no need to get melodramatic."

„But it's true."

Dean snorted. „Well, if by everyone you mean you, then probably yeah. I put you first. It's what big brothers do, isn't it?"

Sam shook his head. „No. It's what parents do."

„Are you suggesting that I'm you father? Cause I'm not that old, dude."

Sam sighed. Leave it to Dean to ruin the moment. He had to get this over with fast. He gulped, then dropped his voice even further. „Do you like her?"

„Who, Nelly?"

„Yeah."

„I think she's great," Dean revealed. „But if you really don't want –"

„Nah, look, if you say she's great, I believe you."

„Thanks, Sammy."

„You're welcome. Though I'm only doing this under protest." His voice was cheeky, but Dean took the words to heart. He adjusted his pose.

„Why do you dislike her so much?"

„I don't dislike her. I just don't think she gets you."

„What exactly doesn't she get?"

Sam threw Dean a look that was clearly saying Isn't it obvious? „You know. She thinks you treat me badly. She thinks you're mean to me."

„I am sometimes."

„Yeah, but so am I. And you're also the only one who's anything to me. And I hate how Nelly disregards that."

Dean tightened his grip, letting a small smile settle on his face. „You know what? You're too smart for your own good. And also, you're the best little brother in the world."

„I know."

Dean chuckled. „We should get some sleep."

„I wanna stay here."

„Suit yourself."

And the light went off.