Different Roads: First Summer 1/5
Just the one chapter tonight -- I'm exhausted.
Sammy knew Dean was nervous. He paced their small house from one end to another. He wouldn't be quiet -- though he had retreated back into silence.
"Dean!" Sammy caught Dean's whirling hands and held them trapped between his own. "Dean, it's just a job interview! You've been on them before!"
Dean tried to tug his hands free, but Sammy held them fast. He let out a groan. "Yeah -- for mechanics jobs! Nothing like this before! And Sammy, I-I'm only sixteen! Some of the kids will be older than me! And what about my own schoolin'? I've gotta graduate, can't drop out! That's one of the provisions for me keepin' you -- thanks, Uncle Bobby -- I don't know what to do here, Sammy!"
"Dean," Sammy said, squeezing his hands. "It'll all work out, okay?"
"How do you sound so damn sure?"
Sammy grinned at him. "Because I know you. You're gonna ace that interview and you're gonna be a fantastic teacher."
"Sammy," he whispered. "I'm only sixteen!"
"Dean. How many sixteen year olds have full legal custody of their 12-year-old brothers?"
"Eleven. You're not twelve till tomorrow."
"Nitpicker. But you hear what I'm saying?"
Dean took a deep breath. "Yeah. We're hardly the Bradys, here."
Sammy released his hands. "Dean -- two jobs plus school..." Dean raised his right hand and Sammy frowned at the single sign. "Three? What's the third?"
"What's in our blood. Hunting."
Sammy recoiled. "Dean, you can't be--"
Hear me, Dean signed, then resumed using his voice. "It's who we are, Sammy. We hunt. We always will. But I'm not Dad. There's gonna be some changes."
"What....changes?"
Dean ticked them off as he spoke them. "We train, but homework comes first. Always. We research as a team. You don't have to come if you've got other things going on. This is home base. We put down roots here -- you'll have that normal you've been talking about and I'll have the hunt."
Sammy looked at him with pure love in his eyes. "And summers?"
"I'm not ruling out a road trip or two. But, Sammy -- you're only 11. You need a home. And I'm damn well gonna give it to you."
Then Dean gasped as Sammy hugged him very tight. "Sammy! I need to breathe!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'll find them, Mary. I swear to you, no matter what it takes, I'll find them. And they'll rejoin the quest."
John Winchester tilted his head to the sky. "After I kill what killed you, our boys will come home. I swear it."
With that, he spun on his heel and stormed away from the gravesite.
He never heard the anguish-filled sobs of a broken-hearted wife and mother carried on the wind.
Sammy knew Dean was nervous. He paced their small house from one end to another. He wouldn't be quiet -- though he had retreated back into silence.
"Dean!" Sammy caught Dean's whirling hands and held them trapped between his own. "Dean, it's just a job interview! You've been on them before!"
Dean tried to tug his hands free, but Sammy held them fast. He let out a groan. "Yeah -- for mechanics jobs! Nothing like this before! And Sammy, I-I'm only sixteen! Some of the kids will be older than me! And what about my own schoolin'? I've gotta graduate, can't drop out! That's one of the provisions for me keepin' you -- thanks, Uncle Bobby -- I don't know what to do here, Sammy!"
"Dean," Sammy said, squeezing his hands. "It'll all work out, okay?"
"How do you sound so damn sure?"
Sammy grinned at him. "Because I know you. You're gonna ace that interview and you're gonna be a fantastic teacher."
"Sammy," he whispered. "I'm only sixteen!"
"Dean. How many sixteen year olds have full legal custody of their 12-year-old brothers?"
"Eleven. You're not twelve till tomorrow."
"Nitpicker. But you hear what I'm saying?"
Dean took a deep breath. "Yeah. We're hardly the Bradys, here."
Sammy released his hands. "Dean -- two jobs plus school..." Dean raised his right hand and Sammy frowned at the single sign. "Three? What's the third?"
"What's in our blood. Hunting."
Sammy recoiled. "Dean, you can't be--"
Hear me, Dean signed, then resumed using his voice. "It's who we are, Sammy. We hunt. We always will. But I'm not Dad. There's gonna be some changes."
"What....changes?"
Dean ticked them off as he spoke them. "We train, but homework comes first. Always. We research as a team. You don't have to come if you've got other things going on. This is home base. We put down roots here -- you'll have that normal you've been talking about and I'll have the hunt."
Sammy looked at him with pure love in his eyes. "And summers?"
"I'm not ruling out a road trip or two. But, Sammy -- you're only 11. You need a home. And I'm damn well gonna give it to you."
Then Dean gasped as Sammy hugged him very tight. "Sammy! I need to breathe!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'll find them, Mary. I swear to you, no matter what it takes, I'll find them. And they'll rejoin the quest."
John Winchester tilted his head to the sky. "After I kill what killed you, our boys will come home. I swear it."
With that, he spun on his heel and stormed away from the gravesite.
He never heard the anguish-filled sobs of a broken-hearted wife and mother carried on the wind.