"Dean, run!"

Dean ran away not of fear or some sense of self-preservation but to protect what it was he carried. Sam sensed it just as he sensed there was danger in the forest…

…

Sam woke up covered in sweat and cried out for his brother. Dreams like these were disorienting and it took Sam a minute or two of taking in his surroundings to feel fully awake. This time he focused on the sound and fresh scent of rain falling outside the open window.

Sam turned on the lamp and discovered his brother wasn't there. He didn't panic though. The last week Dean had taken to sitting outside on one of the benches on the motel porch to stargaze at all hours of the night. At least that was what he told Sam.

The bathroom light was off so Sam went to the porch but there was no Dean. Now feeling a little panicked, Sam went to the beach to their usual spots and still no Dean. He did a search around the motel perimeter and found nothing.

"When you run out of places to search, go back to the beginning because you might have missed something important…" Sam recalled his dad's words of wisdom and went back to the beginning, the motel room.

Though the bathroom was dark he entered it anyway and turned on the light. The first thing that hit him was the heavy scent of copper and something musky.

The shower curtain was drawn and when Sam opened it he found Dean in the tub all curled up and covered in bath towels. Dean was trembling and letting out small sounds of distress but his eyes were closed. Sam couldn't tell if his brother was sleeping, passed out or somewhere in between.

Sam shook Dean's shoulder and in a shaky voice begged him to wake up. The newly minted omega only let out a groan and shifted slightly.

Sam pulled the towels off his brother and discovered Dean had stuffed one of them between his legs, all stained in shades of red and pink.

The frightened and desperate boy shook him again, "Wake up!"

Dean was in an inert state that omegas experienced right after the intense mental and physical stress of presenting. It lessened their pain and trauma and gave the omega the rest that was needed. It wasn't Sam's words that pulled Dean out of it but the sound of his Sammy crying that gave him the strength to get up.

Dean opened his eyes and slowly stretched his limbs then carefully stood up and waited for the dizziness to stop. When he stepped from the tub the hand towel dropped and the air hit the raw edges of his vulva and the omega let out a long hiss.

Sam took Dean by the arm in an attempt to steady his brother. He couldn't bear to look at that horror of a towel lying on the floor as a reminder that in some way his Dean was injured.

The omega looked down at him with heavy lidded eyes and slurred, "Sammy, you ok?"

The little boy wrapped his arms around Dean's waist, "I'm gonna help you, D."

…

Sam created a sort of nest on the bed from the dry towels for his brother to rest on. Dean told Sam not to watch while he settled in but Sam still got a quick look at this wound between his brother's legs. He was curious and wanted to really look at it but was afraid to come right out and ask. Instead he offered his help.

"Dean, you're hurt but I can help you if you'd let me."

"Please Sammy, I've gotta rest and I can't talk about this right now."

"But you were bleeding and I saw it, you're ripped open down there. I don't understand what's happening. I should call Bobby or Dad or how about Linda?"

When someone is at their most vulnerable the truth tends to come out.

"Dad doesn't give two fucks about this and I'm the reason we didn't get to go to Bobby's in the first place. I don't want anyone to know."

Dean grabbed Sam by the hand and held it tight, "Promise me you won't tell."

The omega's eyes looked full of fear and his pretty features tensed. What Sam said next was important.

"I'm not gonna cry, D doesn't need a baby taking care of him…"

"I-I promise."

"Promise for now…"

…

Bobby put the last stitch in John's wound none too gently. If the hunter could have reached it himself the elder alpha wouldn't have bothered. John was already half in the bag from pity drinking, something Bobby knew all about.

He decided to poke the drunk bear and try to get more information out of John about the boys and their situation.

"All done next time get hurt somewhere you can reach."

John let out a chuckle and that meant the whiskey was loosening him up. He raised the bottle of Wild Turkey in salute then took another drink.

"Thanks for stitching me up."

Bobby sat back down and took the bottle from John, "How are the boys doin', you talked to Dean but didn't say much."

The alpha's handsome features clouded, "They are doing just fine. It's not like this is the first time they've been on their own," he slapped his hand on the table, "Dean is thirteen for fuck's sake, he knows how to take care of Sam."

"Tell me why they aren't here; you know those boys are always welcome. You want Dean to be a big bad hunter like you then how's he gonna learn sitting around a motel room?"

John clenched his fists and Bobby knew he'd struck a nerve. "Somethings up with Dean so just spill it. I'm not gonna waste all night trying to drag it outta you."

The alpha dropped his head and stared at the table, "He's going to present as an omega…maybe he already did. You don't understand Bobby; no man want's that life for his son. There were only three on my side of the family and all three of them were goddamn broodmares. Do you know what it feels like to find out your great-grandma was a breeder?"

Bobby took off his ball cap and ran his fingers through his sparse hair while he mulled over this new information. It was upsetting to find out Dean was an omega. Not because it was a bad thing but because Bobby had seen firsthand what kind of lives some of them lived. It broke his heart that Dean, who lost his childhood at the age of four should be given another burden to bear.

The elder alpha took a drink from the bottle then slammed it on the table and stabbed a calloused finger at his fellow hunter, "I guess you wouldn't exist if it weren't for a broodmare. Let me tell you something, our population would be in the crapper if it weren't for omegas. We owe them everything for picking up the slack when the…the sickness hit." Bobby wiped his eyes with his sleeve, "I won't hear any garbage comin' out of your mouth about them or about Dean."

….

The laundry room was locked for the night but Linda had left the window partially open so Sam got on one of the benches and opened it all the way. He dropped the bag of dirty laundry inside then climbed through and immediately started a load containing the blood stained towels and clothing. He hadn't done laundry before but he'd seen it done at countless laundromats. The goal was to get it all washed and dried and the pick out new ones.

While he waited he went through all the shelves of supplies looking for anything to help his brother. Finding a shelf marked "Clean Rags" Sam took as many as he could without it looking as if it had been ransacked. With the mission accomplished before dawn, he brought back two pillowcases full of necessities.

…

There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile
He told me:

Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie…..

Dean woke a few hours later to the sound of Starman playing softly. Even though it was many years ago, Dean could clearly see in his mind's eye his mother who was heavily pregnant with Sam dancing around the kitchen as she prepared a lunch of milk and leftover apple pie for Dean. Mary called it dinner and a show. Dean could even hear his childish giggles and thinking how he had the prettiest mommy in the world. It was one of those rare perfect moments captured forever through memory.

Sam was wearing a comically large green apron that hung loose on his skinny body. He had on a ratty pair of his boxers and those silly flip flops. The boy was laying out slices of granny smith atop toast slathered with peanut butter.

Despite the way he was feeling Dean couldn't help but smile. He didn't interrupt Sam and give away he was wide awake.

It would have ruined this new, rare perfect moment.

TBC