Chapter 6

Sam had been in Austin for nearly two weeks now and he was trying to adjust to his new life. Dean came over every day to see him and praised him for taking the initiative in getting his hair cut, telling him it looked good and changed his looks.

He was making breakfast on his sixteenth day in Austin when someone knocked at his door. He figured it had to be Dean since he was the only person who knew he lived there. Sam smiled to himself because he enjoyed his company and looked forward to seeing him. He was forming a connection with Dean deeper than him being his handler with WITSEC.

"Hi Dean, I'm making breakfast if you'd like some," Sam greeted him without checking to see who it was.

"Bang, you're dead," Dean deadpanned as he pointed his finger at Sam like a gun. "Sam, you can't let your guard down. Did you even look to be sure it was me?" Dean chastised him. "I'm only trying to keep you alive dude," he continued when he saw the downhearted look on Sam's face.

"Sorry, sorry. I just thought it was you since no one else knows I'm here," Sam told Dean in weary voice. "Breakfast?" he asked again. He hoped Dean wasn't too mad at him for this slip.

"I wouldn't turn down a cup of coffee," Dean answered stepping inside and following Sam to the kitchen.

"Have a seat, I'll get the coffee." Sam busied himself in the kitchen as Dean took a seat at the table. He brought a plate with his breakfast on it and two cups of coffee to the table before sitting down too. "You sure you don't want something?"

"No, I ate before coming over. Go ahead and eat. We've got an appointment in a couple of hours."

"Appointment? What kind? Is it about testifying?"

"Nope, I found you a job."

"Really?" Sam asked perking up as he ate.

"And I think you'll like it."

"What is it?"

"You'll see, eat up."

"Tell me, I don't like surprises. I never have, even growing up."

"Suck it up big guy, you'll see," Dean teased him getting what he could only describe as a bitch face from Sam making him chuckle.

"Jerk," Sam muttered under his breath not realizing Dean had heard.

"Oh, you think I'm a jerk, do you?" Dean asked arching his eyebrows at Sam as he cocked his head.

"What? No…I…I said…" Sam stammered as his face reddened. He didn't realize he had said that loud enough for Dean to hear. He cleared his throat and coughed softly before speaking again. "How do I need to dress? I don't have a suit."

"No need for that, just dress casual will be fine."

"I'll go get ready," Sam said. He got up and took his dishes to the sink before heading to his bedroom to change. He stopped at the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair. He looked in his closet at his meager selection of clothes and flipped through them until he found a pair of khaki pants and a blue oxford shirt. He pulled down a pair of deck shoes to wear and got dressed. "Is this okay?" Sam asked coming back to the kitchen to show Dean.

"You look fine Sam," Dean told him giving him a once over. "I wanted to remind you that you can't mention anything about your past. We've already briefed the place about your situation. They know nothing specific or who you were previously, so don't worry about that. They've worked with us before so there won't be any problems."

"That's good to know."

"Shall we go?"

"Yes. Do you want me to drive?"

"Sure, you need to get used to driving around Austin and you can see where it's located."

Sam grabbed his keys, and they headed out to his vehicle. Dean punched in the address they were going to in the GPS so it would be programed. Sam followed the directions and looked on with interest when he pulled into the parking lot of the main public library.

"Is this where the job is?" Sam asked in an excited voice.

"Yep, we pulled a few strings, and you will be the assistant director of the library."

"You're kidding!" Sam exclaimed.

"Nope. This is the farthest thing from the medical field and something that might not be too boring. I went over your questionnaire you filled out when you first came to us, and this seemed like a good fit."

"I've always loved to read but didn't have the time with the hospital job. Now I can start back again."

"Well, let's go inside and get the paperwork filled out and you will be all set to start work."

"Alright," Sam readily agreed. He got out of the vehicle and followed Dean toward the main entrance. There was a bounce in his step as he eagerly thought about this job. Of all the jobs they could have found for him, if he wasn't allowed to practice medicine of any kind, this was the perfect one. He felt a pain of regret at his loss but decided to focus on the future he was building here.

Dean spoke to a woman at the information desk and was directed to the second floor where the offices were located. They took the stairs to the second floor and found the director's office. After introducing Sam to Mia Stevens, the director, he stepped out of the room so they could talk, and Sam could fill out the paperwork to get paid.

Sam came out thirty minutes later with a wide grin plastered on his face. He shook hands with Mia and thanked her for the job.

"I take it everything went well," Dean asked as they walked back down the steps.

"Yes, I start on Monday," Sam told him.

"That's great. I told you I'd find you the right job."

"We should celebrate. How about I buy you dinner tonight or is that allowed?"

"We don't usually do that but since you're new to the program, I'll make an exception."

"I'll let you pick the restaurant since you know the city."

"I'll come by and pick you up at five-thirty unless something urgent happens at work. I'll call you if I need to bow out."

"That sounds good. Maybe I can get a little normal back into my life again. Like you said, I need to make the best of what I've been given."

"That's right, but you still need to be aware of your surroundings and the people around you. I know your court date is still a way's out, but the closer it gets, the more desperate these people are going to get. They're not going to stop looking for you."

"I will. I'll be careful." Sam followed the GPS directions back to his house and noted it took him twenty minutes to get there. His hours were going to be from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday with an hour for lunch. Sam had not had this type of normal job since working part-time when in high school. He would have time to do other things and he wouldn't have the stress that the medical field caused.

"I'll see you later," Dean told him when they got back to Sam's house, and he got out of the SUV.

"Okay, I'll be ready," Sam replied watching him head to his vehicle to leave. He was bubbling with excitement as he let himself into the house and decided to inventory his clothes to see if he needed to buy anything before next Monday.

spn

Sam looked around the backyard trying to decide the best place to put the stand for the bird feeders. He looked at the directions which weren't much before choosing a spot. He used a small spade to remove a four-inch plot of grass so he could hammer the lower section of the stand into the ground. Once that was done, he screwed the next section in place and then added the top part with the arms for the feeders. He stood back to survey his work, being sure the stand was straight.

After filling the bird feeders, Sam hung them on the stand arms and walked back to the deck to be sure he could see them easily. He stored the remaining seed inside and went out to sit on the deck and watch the feeders to see if any birds came to feed. It wasn't long before they attracted the attention of several different kinds of birds. He thought about checking out some books on birds in the local area, so he'd know what kind they were.

Another thing he wanted to do was improve his cooking skills. He was going to see what kind of cookbooks the library had and check some of those out too. Sam had never really had time to devote to learning to cook and pretty much ate frozen meals or food from a can. Since he was beginning a new life, he was going to make some changes to it and hoped it would be a better one.

Sam stayed outside until it was time for him to get ready to go out to dinner with Dean. He went inside to shower and dress and wait for Dean to pick him up. He didn't have to wait long until he heard a horn honking outside. He checked this time before opening the door and heading out to the car.

"This is one of my favorite restaurants," Dean told Sam as he pulled into a steakhouse. "It has the best rib eyes in Austin, and they will add sautéed onions if you like. And the bake potatoes are awesome."

"As long as they have good salad bar, I'll be happy," Sam mentioned as he got out. The lot was three quarters full so he figured it must be good.

"Just wait until you taste the pies. They're homemade daily."

"I don't eat many sweets, but I might make an exception."

They headed inside and waited to be seated by the hostess. They were seated in a booth midway down the side.

"Order whatever you like; I'm paying," Sam told him as he looked at the menu.

"You really don't have to. I was just doing my job," Dean replied.

"You've done so much to help me settle in here and start a new life. Yeah, yeah, I know it's your job," Sam continued when Dean started to interrupt. "I don't care, I'm truly grateful for all the help and for being a friend to me. It means a lot to me," he said in a shy voice, not wanting to sound too needy.

"As long as you're buying something for me is a one-time thing, we're good, but they really don't approve of clients buying us things. I do appreciate the sentiment though," Dean smiled clapping Sam on the shoulder.

They ordered, had a nice meal, and had an enjoyable conversation. Sam snatched the bill before Dean and paid for it as he planned. Dean drove back to Sam's place and made sure he got in okay before heading home. He liked spending time with Sam and wished the circumstances were different. He thought they could become good friends.

A/N: Sam now has a job and can start building his life again. Things are going well, but for how long? What could go wrong, right? Thanks for taking this journey with me. I do like reviews/comments. NC