Disclaimer: I hold no ownership to Supernatural, I just like playing in the sandbox.
7 Years Ago
Palo Alto, California
The sun set an array of colors through the worn windows of the apartment as early evening rolled around. The beauty of this weather was the lack of need for electricity. A couple less dollars Sam would have to pay on the electric bill at least.
Another year of school rolled to an end; an arrangement of perfect exam scores left his junior year on a good note.
Life at Stanford for the past three years could only be described as perfection. To Sam's satisfaction, he'd done everything he could have possibly dreamed of accomplishing at college.
He was receiving an extraordinary education from some of the finest professors in their field. No longer did he have to constantly make sure his transcripts were delivered successfully to each new school. He didn't have to jump into school on a different topic than the last every month or two and catch up on a dime.
For the first time, Sam was able to forge relationships with people who didn't know how to correctly put salt lines by the windows, or the correct pronunciations for the Latin found in an exorcism ritual. They were your average, run of the mill college students- besides the fact they were all relatively smart, given their admission to Stanford. But Sam found he had a group of friends who he could keep for more than a month, friends who actually knew that he preferred a salad over a greasy burger, and that he really didn't like to talk about his life before Stanford.
The one person who was able to push those limits without a glare and change of conversation was Jess.
Jessica Moore.
Sam's escape from the world of the supernatural had granted him the ability to find Jess. Laid-back and kind to a fault, he'd fallen head over heels for the curly-haired woman. After being introduced at a house part at his friend Bill's place, the two sat for hours, chatting about everything from favorite foods to their biggest pet peeves.
Whether it was love at first site or not, it didn't change the fact that Jess made him in inexplicably happy. After dating for about six months, they had decided there was no better time to move into together than the present. Looking about the apartment filled with a combination of his and Jessica's belongings, some that were both of theirs, Sam felt a lump in his throat begin to knot.
He was home.
It wasn't the amount of items in the building, or the fact that he'd lived there longer than he had any motel that made it home.
It was the fact that at the end of the day, when classes were done and he returned to the apartment, and he sat down, that he could feel himself not only relax into the worn love seat, but the very essence of the apartment. His senses would relax, acknowledging the warm hug that he received in exchange. His heart felt at ease here, and that was what really mattered.
Sam broke from his thoughts as he heard the lock on the door jiggle and the handle turn. Seconds later, Jess appeared around the corner. A messenger bag hanging across her slim figure, full curly blonde hair falling about her shoulders. Though she groaned in irritation with the ringlets, claiming them frizzy and uncontrollable, Sam loved the golden halo of curls that framed her face.
Pulling the bag from her body, she hung it on a nearby hook. Pausing to give Sam a kiss of greeting, she headed towards the kitchen.
Sounds of rummaging could be heard from Sam's seat on the couch. "We need to make a run for groceries, or the only thing we'll be eating is cardboard from all these empty boxes," Jess yelled.
With a groan, Sam grumbled, "Isn't there anything left we can eat? What about take-out? That could hold us over 'til tomorrow."
His attention snapped to the kitchen doorway to a small hand stuck around the corner, rattling a box of mac-n-cheese. As quickly as the smile had appeared, the easy going smile dropped from Sam's face. Replacing it was a sickly pallor and frown. Popping her head back around the corner, Jess took in the sudden change in Sam's expression. With a frown, she quickly said, "You know, takeout sounds pretty good. I'll run down the street and pick up some Chinese." Grabbing some cash off of the counter, she crossed back over to Sam, giving him a peck on the cheek and heading out the door.
Sam tried really hard not to think about his life prior to Stanford.
Really hard.
After the whole "College v. Hunting" debacle with his dad, Sam had worked so hard to leave the 'family business' and his family behind. But on certain occasions, the part of his brain that he had closed those memories off to opened up and left a gaping hole with memories leaking out.
Some bad, some good.
The good memories usually pertaining to times with Dean. One in particular, being his ability to make fifty different versions of macaroni and cheese, when it was the only thing you had left to eat or could afford. Even if all of the different versions were weird concoctions that would set most rocking on their heels, gagging on the strange variety.
As bad as life on the hunt had been, Dean had always been there to lessen the pain.
Dean had made long, boring road trips into a day full of 'I spy' and '20 Questions'.
Dean had made getting stitches seem like no big deal, just a scrape.
Dean had made a shitty motel room into a small home with his own persona.
But Dean had made it seem like being a soldier to John was mandatory..
If John said "jump!", you jumped.
If John said "roll over!", you rolled over.
If you didn't, you would be sorry.
And getting out of the family business? You'd be shit out of luck to convince John.
All Sam had wanted to do was to be normal. In doing so, it meant tearing his family apart.
As much as Sam loved Dean, for once in his life he had wanted to do something for himself. And if Dean wasn't willing to step outside of John's shadow, what was the point in sticking around? If he hadn't left then, he would have never gotten out.
He would have lived a life with shadows always lurking behind him.
A life with too many horrors.
As Jess walked in the door, hands grasping bags full of Chinese takeout, the last hour of sunlight gleaming behind her, Sam knew walking away from his family had created a new one in Jessica and his friends. A family that wasn't ruled like a dictatorship rather than a democracy.
He was living the 'American Dream'; an apple pie life as Dean would say.
And that was better than perfect to him.
A/N
Sorry for the wait and thank you for your patience! I've had a very busy Christmas break, with no time to sit down and write. Hopefully more to come soon, please read and review. Hope this satisfies your appetite for now!