"I didn't know my own strength, 'til I had to pick myself up, and carry on without your love. I'm getting back on my feet. It's been a long, hard fall, but I'll make it after all. No, I didn't know my own strength."

"Uh… guys?" Sam stood in the archway between Bobby's kitchen and his library, a print-out in his hand and a confused look on his face. "What are you doing?"

Dean opened his eyes and looked at Sam from where he sat on Bobby's couch, leaning back and looking like he was completely relaxed. "Liam is introducing me to country music."

Sam's eyes widened slightly, and he looked at Liam, who was seated next to Dean with a bright smile on his face. "You got him to listen to country music?" He looked at Dean and then looked at Liam again. "He must really love you."

"I do," Dean confirmed, interlocking his fingers and resting his hands on his stomach. "Now, if you don't mind, you're interrupting my immersion."

Sam chuckled, and he couldn't describe in words how happy he was that Dean was still willing to joke around with him. But, as happy as he was, there was work to be done, so he stepped into the library and held up the papers in his hand.

"We've been here for almost two weeks. I think it's time to move, and I think I know where we're going."

Dean sat up a little straighter, reaching out to take the papers. "What are we looking at?"

Sam handed the documents over. "Two animal attacks in the city. Don't know about the hearts, but the lunar cycle is right for it."

Liam looked up from his spot on the couch, curiosity shining in his bright blue eyes. "That's werewolves, right?"

Sam offered a small smile. "That's right, Liam. Have you been reading up on them?"

Liam averted his eyes, but he offered a faint nod and a quiet, "Not too much."

"It's okay if you are, Liam." Sam reached out and tousled Liam's hair. "I don't have a problem with you learning about what we do, I just…" He let out a soft sigh. "I just don't want you to be in danger, alright?"

"Which is why you wanted to send me back," Liam muttered, still not looking at Sam.

Sam reached out and grabbed Liam's chin in a gentle but firm hold, pulling his face up until he was making eye contact. "Yes. And it is the only reason I suggested sending you back." He leaned in. "The only reason."

Liam didn't say anything, but after a moment of staring, he nodded faintly.

Sam let Liam go and dropped his arm to his side, wishing there was something more he could do to convince his son of the truth in his words. But there wasn't, so Sam got back to the problem at hand.

"If the werewolf sticks to its schedule, there'll be another body by morning, and it's at least a three-hour drive." Sam crossed his arms over his chest and cracked a small smile. "If you can tear yourself away from the country music session."

"We could hook up my phone to the iPod jack in Baby." Liam shifted on the couch, like he was getting uncomfortable. "I mean, if you want to."

Dean reached out and grabbed Liam in a side hug. "We'll listen to country music all the way, Lee." He let go and stood up, handing the papers back to Sam. "Give me twenty minutes to pack up, and we'll hit the road."

Sam nodded, folding the papers and tucking them in his breast pocket. "Sounds good."

Sam watched Dean leave the room, and then he put his eyes on Liam, a soft smile pulling on the corner of his mouth. "Can I sit and listen, too?"

Liam nodded, twisting his lips like he was struggling with his words.

Sam sat down on the couch and looked at the CD player, recognizing the tune coming out of the speakers. He had never been a country music fan before Liam, but since Liam became a part of his life, he had been listening to Liam's playlists and familiarizing himself with the genre. Same with Broadway musicals.

"Oh, heads Carolina, tails California. Somewhere greener, somewhere warmer. Up in the mountains, down by the ocean. Where it don't matter, as long as we're going, somewhere together, I've got a quarter. Heads Carlina, tails California…"

"It's weird."

Sam looked at Liam, his face making it clear that he wanted to listen to whatever Liam had to say. "What's weird?"

Liam picked at his fingers, staring down at his lap with an almost vacant expression. "For a long time, all I wanted was to go home. My therapist said that's why I caused problems at all my foster homes and group homes. Something about not wanting the change to be permanent." He twisted his hands, cracking his knuckles. "I just wanted my mom for a long time."

Sam waited for Liam to continue, and when he didn't, Sam opened his mouth and cautiously approached the topic. "Liam, that's not weird. It's perfectly normal to want to go home."

"That's not the weird part." Liam scratched his palms, still not looking at Sam. "What's weird is… I don't anymore."

Sam frowned slightly, but he kept his expression open and accepting. "You don't want to go home?"

"I… kinda feel like… this is home." Liam looked up at Sam for a second, and then he looked back down at his lap. "I still want to see my mom, but… I want to come back to this. Riding all over the country in Baby, hunting monsters and saving people, you and Dean and Bobby and Castiel, just…" Liam took a deep breath and let it out. "I want this."

Sam didn't say anything, giving Liam some time and space to work through his thoughts. He watched Liam's face, seeing the confusion but nothing that made him think Liam was upset about his revelation.

"I want this, and… you wanted to send me back."

Sam's eyes closed briefly, and he pushed down the surge of frustration, keeping his face calm. "Liam…" Sam wet his lips. "Liam, there is not a single fiber of my being that wants to give you up to anybody or anything."

Liam swallowed, probably thinking of all the times Sam had said that to him. Because Sam had said it, because they had talked about it before. They had talked many times, but Liam just couldn't wrap his head around the truth in Sam's words.

"I love you, Liam. I love having you with me. I love it that you're a part of my life." Sam ran a hand through his hair. "I was just trying to keep you safe, and the second I realized sending you back wouldn't do that, I was completely against it."

"Then why do I feel this way?" Liam finally looked at Sam, tears welling up in his blue eyes. "Why can't I… why can't I believe it? What's wrong with me?"

Sam shook his head and softened his voice. "There's nothing wrong with you, Liam. You're struggling because I broke your trust. Trust is… it's hard to create, and when it's been damaged, it can take a long time to fix." He reached out and gently wiped the tears from Liam's cheek. "And I wish it was different, because it really sucks that you're feeling this way, and I want to help you. You have no idea how much I want to help you. But… some things just take time, buddy. Sometimes there's nothing we can do but hold on and keep trying our best."

Liam sniffed and dropped his gaze for a moment before bringing it back up to Sam's face. "But… it will go away eventually?"

Sam smiled and nodded. "It will, buddy. I promise."

Liam nodded slightly, his eyes going back down to his lap. "Okay." He sniffed again. "I believe you." He looked up at Sam. "I want to grab a couple things before we go."

"Okay." Sam leaned over and planted a quick kiss on Liam's forehead. "I'll be here if you need anything."

Liam nodded and stood up, disappearing around the corner and leaving Sam alone on the couch.

He'll be okay. It's going to take time, but he'll be okay. Sam let out a soft sigh and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He'll be okay.

And with that thought in mind, Sam leaned back and listened to the music coming from the little stereo.

"Well, if you ever go back in the Wooley Swamp, well, you better not go at night. There's things out there in the middle of them woods that make a strong man die from fright…"

"Liam? Is everything okay?"

Liam stared up at the ceiling with his smartphone pressed to his ear. "Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just bored. Sorzie said because I got evaluated and it's summer, I can take a break from school, but that doesn't really leave me with anything to do while they're hunting. I already colored and sketched, but I'm tired of that."

"Oh." Castiel didn't say anything for a moment. "Well, what would you like me to do about that?"

Liam let out a sigh, sprawled out on the motel bed. "I don't know. Maybe I could help you look through those books you stole from Heaven." He kicked his legs, bouncing them on the mattress. "I know I'm not smart, but if you tell me what to look for, I bet I could pick out what you need."

"Liam, you're very smart. However…" Castiel paused briefly, as if looking for his words. "You're very young, and you don't have experience looking through these kinds of books."

"I'm thirteen," Liam objected. "And I'm never gonna get experience if you guys don't let me do stuff."

Castiel didn't respond right away, and Liam hoped that meant Castiel was thinking about it. Liam really didn't have confidence in his ability to help out, but he wanted to at least give it a try, and he really was bored out of his mind.

"There are a few books I could use your help with," was what Castiel finally said. "You'll have to tell me where you are."

"Columbus, Nebraska. Sundown Motel, Room 36." Liam sat up, expecting Castiel to show up fairly soon, and after about thirty seconds of rustling on the other end of the line, that's exactly what happened.

"Here." Castiel set three tomes on the bed, each of them at least two and a half inches thick, and gave Liam a questioning look. "Are you certain you want to be doing this?"

Liam looked at the books a little uncertainly—they were definitely bigger than he expected—but in the end, he gave Castiel a nod. "I want to do this."

Castiel nodded and put his hand on the stack. "These are all written in English, so you shouldn't have any trouble. We're looking for anything having to do with summoning an archangel. If you find something that talks about summoning an undetermined target, you should pay attention to those, too."

Liam nodded seriously, grabbing the book on top and opening it to the first page. "What if it talks about summoning other really powerful creatures? Like gods and goddesses and stuff?"

"Hmm." Castiel gave the books a long, hard look, his brow creasing slightly with contemplation. "You should make note of them. We may need more than a single archangel to stop Lucifer and Michael."

That had been what Liam was thinking, so he nodded again and set the book back on the stack. "I'll need a notebook and something to write with." He got up and walked across the motel to the little table in the kitchenette where Sam's bag sat. "Lemme check in here."

"Mm." Castiel cast a brief look around the room, and then he put his attention back on Liam. "What are Sam and Dean hunting?"

"Werewolf." Liam pulled out Sam's notebook and started digging around for a pen or pencil. "Or at least, that's what they were thinking it was when they left."

Castiel nodded. "I assume if they need help, they'll call me." He squinted slightly. "What about you? Are you certain you're safe here?"

Liam finally found a pen and carried his items back to the bed. "Yup." He went up to the pillow and slipped his hand beneath, withdrawing a gun a second later. "If the werewolf finds out about me, I've got this to keep me safe." He put the gun back and turned to face Castiel. "But I really don't think the werewolf is gonna find out about me. Sorzie and Dean are too careful."

Castiel seemed to consider that for a moment, and then he nodded his head. "Alright." He blinked. "If you're alright, I'm going to return to Balthazar and continue our search."

"Okay." Liam crossed the room and gave Castiel a hug. "Be safe. I love you!"

Castiel stiffened up at first, but then he relaxed and wound his arms around Liam. "You be safe, too. And… I love you."

Liam let go of the hug, and as he was opening his mouth to tell Castiel to text him, the angel disappeared.

Right. Liam turned to face the bed and saw the stack of books. Well, I might as well get started.

Liam crawled onto the mattress and sat with his legs criss-crossed. He opened Sam's notebook and leafed through until he found a blank page, hoping he wasn't disturbing Sam's note-keeping system. He grabbed the pen and clicked it, and then he picked up the first book, opening it to the first page.

This'll keep me busy for a while.

And it did. Hours passed, and Liam only took breaks to get a drink or use the bathroom. He kept his nose buried in that book, looking for anything that would fall into the categories Castiel had told him about. He scrawled down a few notes, but he didn't see anything too promising, and before he even realized how much time had passed, he heard a key in the door.

Liam stretched out immediately, grabbing the gun from underneath the pillow just in case. Seconds later, the door swung in, and Sam and Dean came into the room wearing their FBI suits.

"You're back." Liam stretched out again, tucking the gun back into its hiding place, and then he looked at his caretakers. "Is it a werewolf?"

Dean nodded, pulling on his tie to loosen it. "Yup. Now, we just gotta figure out who."

Sam pointed to the books on the bed. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"I was bored, so I asked Castiel to bring me some of the books he's looking at. I thought I could do some research while I'm stuck here." Liam shrugged his shoulders, and then he held up Sam's notebook. "I hope it's okay that I borrowed this."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, it's fine. I'm sorry you were bored."

Liam waved it off with a smile. "It's okay. I know I have to stay here to be safe." He pursed his lips slightly. "I am getting hungry, though."

Dean shed his jacket. "Yeah, we're gonna have to get some chow. I think there's a pizza place just up the road."

"Sounds good to me," Sam said, reaching up to loosen the knot on his own tie. "Liam?"

"Yeah, pizza's good." Liam dog-eared the page of the book he had been reading and closed it, getting off the bed. "Can we go now?"

"Let us get changed first." Sam took his jacket off and started unbuttoning his shirt. "Liam, you know you don't have to help us on hunts, right? You can color, and draw, and read regular books, and do whatever you want."

"I know, but I like helping out." Liam looked between the brothers, suddenly afraid he had crossed some line he didn't know about. "That's—that's okay, right? Because you said before—"

Sam held his hands out in a placating gesture. "Shh, I know. It's totally fine if you want to help out with hunt-related things. Totally. I just don't want you to feel like you have to."

Liam felt a brief rush of relief, and then he nodded his head. "Yeah, I know I don't have to. I just… I like to."

"Okay." Sam reached out and tousled Liam's hair, and then he got back to changing his clothes. "Let's get changed and get some chow."

Dean started undoing his belt. "Don't have to tell me twice."

Liam smiled to himself, watching them for a moment before his attention drifted back to the books on the bed. I like doing this. I mean, it's kinda boring, but… I feel like a part of the team.

There was nothing wrong with that, right?

Right.

Liam jolted, blue eyes suddenly staring up at the motel room ceiling. He panted, his entire body coated in a thin sheen of sweat, his fingers curled through the comforter that covered him. He sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes and slowly letting the air out of his lungs.

It's okay. Everything's fine. It was just a dream.

It was a somewhat odd dream, but that was par for the course. He had been dreaming about Jimmy Novak and the blood Liam and Dean had found in his house. They had assumed the family was dead, based on the amount of blood they found. But in his dream, they were still alive, and they were screaming for help.

What does it mean? Does it mean anything at all?

Liam took another deep breath and held it for a second before letting it out. He turned his head to the right and saw Sam sleeping next to him, oblivious to what was going on in Liam's head. He reached out to grab Sam's arm but stopped short, drawing his hand in close to his chest.

He probably gets tired of hearing about my dreams. I shouldn't bother him with this.

Liam reached up and wiped the sweat from his brow, and then he rolled onto his left side. He curled up under the sheets and screwed his eyes shut, trying to shut out the memories of what he had seen.

But what if it means something? He would want to know, right?

Liam let out a frustrated groan and rolled from his left side to his right, reaching out and grabbing Sam's sleeve. "Sorzie." He gave the sleeve a few tugs, keeping his voice down so he wouldn't wake Dean, too. "Sorzie, wake up."

Sam inhaled deeply, turning his head away.

"Sorzie." Liam sat up slightly, grabbing Sam's shoulder. "Sorzie, I need you."

Sam jerked and then sat straight up, reaching for the gun he kept under his pillow.

"Sorzie, it's just me." Liam scooted back slightly, not wanting to surprise Sam while he had a gun in his hand.

Sam blinked a few times, and then he put his weapon back under his pillow. "Sorry, Lee. You startled me." He rolled onto his left side, propping his head up with his arm, and gave Liam a worried look. "What's the matter?"

"Well, I don't… I don't really know." Liam bit his lip, and his hands started to play with the blanket laying over the both of them. "I had a dream about the Novak family."

Sam stared for a moment, looking confused, but then he slowly started to nod. "Right. Jimmy Novak. His family was attacked around the same time Castiel went missing, right?"

"Yeah." Liam nodded, shifting uncomfortably. "Dean and I thought they were dead because of all the blood we found, but… in this dream, they were alive. And they needed help."

Sam pursed his lips, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. "That's interesting." His brow creased. "Dean told me about the Novak house, and he seemed pretty certain that they were dead."

Liam shrugged. "I know." He looked down. "I just… don't know why I dreamed about them." He looked back up. "But it's not a big deal. It was just a dream."

"Well, maybe we can look into them. Just to be sure, you know?" Sam reached out and brushed Liam's dark red hair back out of his eyes. "It wouldn't hurt."

Liam nodded his head, watching Sam's face carefully. "You don't think I'm crazy?"

"Buddy, we're hunters." Sam reached out and nudged Liam on the shoulder. "Crazy kind of comes with the territory."

Liam let out a little laugh, and he felt a little more at ease than he had when he first woke Sam. "Can we snuggle?"

"Of course." Sam lifted the blanket and held it there, motioning for Liam to join him.

Liam immediately moved closer, putting his head on Sam's chest and cautiously gripping Sam's shirt. He shifted until his entire body was plastered against Sam's, and only then could he close his eyes.

"Sorry for waking you."

Sam wrapped his arm around Liam and squeezed him tight. "Liam, you never have to apologize for getting me when you need me."

Liam gripped Sam's shirt a little tighter. "But I didn't really need you. I just wanted you. And I know you need sleep, and—"

"Liam." Sam squeezed him again. "You are my little boy. I don't want you to apologize for getting me when you want or need me. It's what I'm here for."

Liam let out a breath, soaking up the comfort of sleeping with Sam. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Liam." Sam kissed the top of Liam's head and then settled in for a long night of sleeping. "Goodnight."

"Night, Sorzie."

Liam kept his eyes closed, reveling in the feel of Sam's arm around him. He felt the tension in his body melt away, Sam's reassurance sending his nervous thoughts out the back of his mind. And he knew it wouldn't last, and he knew the next time he woke Sam, he would be having the same thoughts, but for the moment, it was enough.

It was enough.

Sam wasn't sure what woke him up because, miraculously, he wasn't having any nightmares. But he was awake, and the more he stared at the motel room ceiling, the more he realized there was light coming from somewhere on the left. Sam turned his head to look and found the bathroom door cracked open with the light on inside.

Liam?

Sam pushed the blankets away and got out of bed, walking over to the door and quickly identifying the sound of crying. It wasn't loud, and it didn't sound as frantic as some of the sobbing Sam had heard in the past, so Sam was inclined to think it had been going on for a while. Liam was tiring out, but he still wanted to cry, and it was Sam's responsibility to find out why. It had been a couple nights since Liam had his nightmare about the Novak family, but there was a chance it had happened again. Of course, there was also a chance it was something completely different.

So, Sam lifted his hand and knocked.

Immediately, the crying came to a halt, an uneasy silence settling over the room. Sam considered knocking again, but he figured it wouldn't do anything different, so he whispered instead.

"Liam?"

"I'm okay."

Sam didn't believe that for a second, but he didn't want to start a fight either. Hmm… He almost pushed the door open, but he stopped short. I can't make him feel unsafe.

"Liam, can I come in?"

"Everything—" Sniff. "Everything's fine."

Sam wet his lips, treading carefully. "I… I know you could handle this on your own, Liam, but I don't want you to. You have me, and I want to help."

For several moments, there was nothing, and then a tiny, barely audible voice came through the door. "You'll be ashamed."

"I can promise you I won't be." And if he was, he would hide it very, very well. "Can you please let me in?"

There was no response from the other side, and after about thirty seconds of waiting, Sam cautiously pushed on the door. It swung in with ease, revealing a tiny bathroom with a counter, a toilet on the far side of that, and a shower past the toilet. Liam was in front of the toilet, sitting on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"Hey." Sam took a few steps and sat down cross-legged, pushing the door shut behind him. "What's going on?"

Liam sat with his knees pulled up to his chest and his face buried in the arms he had folded overtop of them. He shook his head, and his left foot twisted against the pale blue floor mat.

"Well, was it some kind of bad dream?" Sam didn't think so, because he wasn't sure what about a bad dream ran the risk of making him ashamed, but he figured it was best to start with the safer questions.

Liam shook his head again, another sniff emanating from the curled-up form on the floor.

Sam shifted slightly, resting his hands in his lap. "Okay. Did you have an accident?"

Once again, a headshake, his little fists gripping his shirt sleeves.

"Did you come in here to hurt yourself?"

Headshake.

"Were you thinking of running away?"

No.

"Were you thinking of breaking a rule?"

Nope.

"Are you angry at Dean or I for some reason?"

Negative.

"Does this have something to do with my suggestion to send you back to your group home?"

Yet another no.

Sam had to make a conscious effort not to sigh, but it wasn't difficult. As frustrating as it was—and as easy as it would be to help Liam if he would just talk—the roadblock stemmed from an ingrained fear. Sam might not have had experience with the specific fear Liam had, but he had known fears of his own. They weren't easy to overcome.

"Did Dean talk to you?"

Sam blinked, a little caught off-guard by the question. Did Dean talk to me? He had had a lot of talks with Dean since Liam became a part of his life, and he wasn't sure which one pertained to Liam crying on a bathroom fl—

Oh.

Sam pushed down the panic of not knowing what to do and considered reaching out to touch Liam. "Did you, ah…" He swallowed. "Did you come in here to masturbate?"

Liam let out a sob, reaching up and gripping his own head. He tensed, like he was trying to curl up even tighter than he already was, and the cries slowly gained volume.

"Liam." Sam inched closer, but he wasn't sure how Liam would take physical contact under the circumstances. "Liam. Hey, listen to me."

Liam shook his head, letting out a soft, moaning sound.

"I know it's hard, but I want you to listen to me for a minute." Sam took a breath, trying to figure out the best thing to say. "Dean did talk to me, and I started looking into it, but very shortly after, Castiel took you." He wet his lips. "I was so focused on getting you back that I forgot about the conversation I had with Dean. I didn't mean to, and I'm sorry it happened. I don't want you thinking I didn't talk to you about it because I was ashamed or angry or disappointed. I wasn't. I'm not. I just… I got tunnel vision, and things have been crazy around here, and…" He shook his head. "That's not an excuse. It shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry."

Liam didn't uncurl, but he didn't seem to be crying as much. Of course, that could have been because he didn't want to anger Sam. It was always so hard to tell with Liam.

"Liam, there is nothing wrong with masturbation." Sam scooted a little closer to the wall Liam was propped against, leaning back against it himself. "It's normal. It's healthy."

"No, it's not!" Liam kept his head down, a shiver running through his body.

Sam reached out to put his arm around Liam, but then he withdrew. "Liam, what makes you say that?"

Liam sniffed and shook his head. "I don't know. I just… I don't know."

"So…" Sam started, trying to understand what his son was saying, "…you feel like it's not right, but you don't have a real reason why it's not right. Is that what you mean? Or is it opposite of that?"

Liam took a shuddering breath, and his bare feet shifted against the rug again. "It's the first one." His words were muffled, to the point where Sam almost had to ask for clarification.

"If it doesn't feel good, why do you do it?" Sam kept every possible note of accusation out of his voice.

"B-because it feels—" Liam sucked down a big gulp of air. "It feels good while I do it, but after…"

Sam tried to focus on the positive aspect of Liam actually talking, but he had no idea what he was supposed to say. "So, you think it's morally wrong?"

"Yes." Liam shook his head. "No." His shoulders jerked with a silent sob. "I don't know."

Sam put his arm around Liam's shoulders and pulled, and it was mere seconds before Liam had uncurled from his ball and buried his face in Sam's chest. Liam wrapped his arms around Sam's ribcage, his fingers digging into Sam's back and side.

"Easy, buddy." Sam ran his fingers through Liam's hair. "It's okay. We're gonna figure this out."

"How?" Liam cried, his tears soaking into Sam's white t-shirt. "I can't make myself feel any different about it. I can't—I can't make it feel good all the way through, but I—I don't wanna stop, and I don't—I don't—I don't—"

"Shh." Sam tilted his head down and planted a kiss on the top of Liam's head. "We don't know for sure there isn't a way to change how you feel about it. I know when Dean first told me about this situation, I started researching, and there were a lot of links that centered around using masturbation as a way to reclaim your body after sexual abuse."

"Really?" Liam spoke in a small voice, his gaze perpetually on Sam's lap.

"Yes, really." Sam's fingers trailed from Liam's hair to his back, and then Sam started rubbing small circles. "I don't know exactly how, but we know the information is out there. And you aren't going to go missing this time around."

Liam tried to press himself against Sam tighter—if that was even possible—and he started idly scratching the fabric of Sam's t-shirt.

Sam smiled softly. "There's nothing wrong with exploring your body, Liam, and we're gonna find a way to prove that."

"I know there are some people who think it's wrong." Liam sniffed. "What if they're right?"

"Well, I don't agree with that stance, but I'm not going to force you to follow my beliefs." Sam shrugged his shoulders, keeping a casual air. "If you want to think it's wrong, and you want to stop doing it, then that'll be our course of action. We'll research ways to resist the temptation and stuff like that."

"But I don't have to," Liam whispered, voice brimming with uncertainty.

"You don't have to." Sam squeezed Liam a little tighter. "It's really okay, Liam. You're not broken. You're not evil. You're not a disappointment. You are a teenage boy doing what teenage boys do."

It wasn't really that simple, what with the history of sexual abuse, but Sam wasn't about to put that on Liam's shoulders. He would just assume it meant something was wrong with him, and even if he didn't assume it was his fault, it would still be damaging. Sam wanted to avoid causing any more damage.

"Do you still love me?"

Sam had to take a split second to soothe the pain in his chest, but he didn't let any of that discomfort show on his face, even if Liam was still staring down at Sam's lap. "Of course. Liam, I will always love you. Always."

Liam gripped Sam a little tighter, and he whispered a tear-choked, "I love you, too." He sucked in a breath. "Always."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, seconds ticking past in silence, an easy air settling over the room. Liam's cries died out, the stillness punctuated only by his occasional sniffs. Sam ran his hand through Liam's hair on a loop, his fingers trailing through the dark red locks. The light flickered overhead, and there was a flowery scent in the air that most likely came from the air freshener plugged into the wall.

It was calm. It was peaceful.

It was nice.

"Hey." Sam squeezed Liam's shoulder. "Are you ready to go back to bed?"

Liam nodded, and from what Sam could see of his face, his eyes were already starting to close. He was so tired.

Sam gave Liam's shoulder another squeeze. "Do you think you can get there on your own? You're getting a little too big for me to carry."

Liam offered another nod and slowly got to his feet, a thoughtful crease in his brow. He looked like he was still contemplating their conversation, and Sam wondered if the past several minutes hadn't been quite so peaceful for Liam.

Sam pushed those thoughts aside and got to his feet. "Come on." He gave Liam a little push, urging him back toward the bed they shared.

Liam got on the mattress and fought with the blankets, finding his way under and then dropping his head onto his pillow with a sigh.

Sam got in on his side and quickly settled in the way Liam had, laying on his side so he could face his son. "You think you'll be able to get to sleep?"

Liam shrugged, tracing idle patterns on the bedsheet with his finger.

"Well, if you can't, just let me know. We'll figure something out." Sam tousled Liam's hair, and then he rolled onto his back, staring up at the motel ceiling and wishing he had something better to offer Liam.

Sam was no expert on sexual abuse, so he had no idea if people who were sexually abused as children found it healthy to masturbate later on in life. It sounded right to him, and based on the few articles he had read, he was on the right path. But would it be right for Liam? Maybe Liam was right. Maybe it was best if he didn't engage in any kind of sexual activity. Maybe—

"Always?"

Sam turned his head to look at Liam, a smile parting his lips. "Always."

Maybe, no matter what, everything was going to be alright.

Author's Note: Hey, guys! Sorry for the major delay. I am really trying to get a better handle on my writing, but I've got a new job, and it's been taking up a lot of my time. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you'll stick around to the end!