The Road's White Picket Fence - Chapter 1
Title: The Road's White Picket Fence
Summary: When Dean had come for Sam at Stanford, he hadn't expected this.
Word Count: 2,506
Author's Note: This is the first chapter in a series, reliving season 1 with a few key changes.
Dad's missing. For three weeks now. Dean wouldn't be here otherwise, but he needs Sam's help. He wants Sam's help.
So Dean hightailed it to Paulo Alto, drove almost twenty hours straight just to be here, and he'd spent most of the journey imagining their reunion. He hasn't seen his baby brother in two years and he can't get the image of blinding smiles and long hugs out of his head.
But Sam's staring at him with spooked-horse wide eyes, mouth hanging open, gaze flickering back to the door behind him as he grips Dean's arm and almost tugs him back.
"Dean, what are you doing here?" he hisses. Dean figures there must be some roommate sleeping nearby but he couldn't give a crap so when he speaks he keeps his voice at a regular volume. Maybe he is trying to piss Sam off, just a little bit.
"Well, I was looking for a beer," he says. Sam's mouth tightens the way it usually does when he feels like yelling. Dean grins at him.
"Seriously, what the hell are you doing here?"
Sam's jaw is jutted in that I-want-you-to-leave sort of way, Dean can't deny that it hurts a little to see. He sighs, all that cocky humour rolling right off, and Sam drops his hand from Dean's arm.
"Okay," Dean says. "Alright. We gotta talk."
Sam rolls his eyes. "Uh, the phone?"
"If I'd called, would you have picked up?" Dean asks pointedly. The non-response from Sam says it all.
"Look, Dean," Sam finally says, voice even softer, "It's not that I don't… it's just that I've got a lot going on here and I can't - "
"Sam?"
Dean startles when a voice calls from behind the door. A girl's voice. He raises his eyebrow at Sam, who he can see starting to turn red, even in the dark room.
"Jess, it's okay," he answers hurriedly, "Just wait there, I'll be right back."
Dean scowls. "You embarrassed of me or something?"
"No! No, I'm not. Dean, of course not," Sam's eyes are going between Dean and the direction that Jess' voice came from, his hand is back on Dean's arm, trying to tug him to the exit.
But the light turns on and the two of them turn back towards the bedroom door where a tall blond is standing in the doorway in an oversized sweater and pink flowery pyjama pants. Dean has to blink because the girl is seriously gorgeous, the kind of girl you would see on the front of a magazine. Her curls are tied back librarian-style and she has some god-awful knitted socks on her feet with Christmas trees on them, even though it's not yet November.
She looks a mess, but she's still way out of Sam's league.
"Well, hi there," Dean drawls, casting his glance over her again, imagining what it looks like underneath. Sam is moving towards her, arms going over her shoulders just as hers brush over her stomach.
Dean's mouth drops open.
He has no idea how he didn't notice before. The girl is practically smothered by what he thinks must be Sam's sweater, but even so the little bump protruding beneath the cotton in undeniable.
When Dean had come for Sam at Stanford, he hadn't expected this.
Jess smiles at him, a little awkwardly and waves with her free hand. "Uh, hi," she says, casting a confused glance up to Sam.
Sam seems to startle, having been nearly frozen for the entire encounter. "Right. Uh, Jess, this my brother Dean."
A smile spreads across her face and she looks at Dean like she's honestly pleased to see him. "Dean, I've heard a lot about you. I was really hoping to meet you soon but Sam's always been a bit… you know."
Dean glares at his brother. "Sam?" he prompts. Jess looks a little disheartened that Dean completely ignored her.
"Dean, I-I was going to tell you," Sam says lamely. Jess frowns.
"You didn't tell him?" she sounds displeased. Sam drops his arm from around her shoulders and stands there between them like a deer caught between a hunting rifle and a busy highway.
"I didn't," Sam admits. Speaking to both of them, he adds, "I'm sorry."
"Sam," Dean looks again to the bump beneath Jess' sweater, then back up to Sam, "You're having a baby?"
Sam ducks his head and scratches the back of his neck. Dean can see a smile. "Yeah. Due in five months."
Jess takes Sam's hand, whatever annoyance she had with him a second ago is gone. She looks over to Dean. "I'm glad you're here," she says sincerely.
Dean's stomach drops. "I wish I came here for a different reason," he says helplessly. "Sam, Dad's on a hunting trip and he hasn't been home in a few days."
Sam squeezes Jess' hand, not taking his eyes of his brother. "So, he'll stumble back home sooner or later."
Dean focuses his gaze on Sam's, eyes hard. "He hasn't been home in a few days."
Sam doesn't react and at first he wonders if Sam isn't getting it, or if he simply doesn't care. But then he turns to Jess and says, "We'll be right back."
He leads Dean out of the apartment, leaving behind his puzzled girlfriend.
He fills Sam in on everything he knows; Dad went on a hunt but has been two weeks overdue, Dean was left a message with EVP on it. When he's done talking, Sam stares down at the arsenal in the trunk, thinking.
"What do you want me to do?" he finally asks.
"To come help me find him," Dean says like it's obvious.
Sam shakes his head. "I can't leave Jess."
Right. Dean had almost forgotten about that as he'd been talking to Sam.
"You can do this by yourself," Sam adds.
"I need your help," Dean repeats, harder that time.
Sam heaves a sigh and glances back up to his apartment's window, then back to Dean. "There was a reason I didn't call you," he says, almost urgently, "I wanted you to know so badly, but I couldn't get Jess, or our baby, involved in all of this. Dean, I can't go. I'm done with hunting."
Dean clenches his teeth. "You left us to go to school, but here I find out you've knocked a girl up."
Sam's face goes stony and Dean regrets what he said immediately. "That girl is called Jess, she's my girlfriend, she's carrying my child, and I'm going to marry her one day. Got it?"
"Sammy, I didn't mean - "
"It's Sam," he snaps, "And, yes, you did mean it. I'm not coming. End of story."
Sam turns back towards the building with barely a glance backwards. Dean quickly shuts the trunk and hurries after him. He catches up to him at the bottom of the stairwell.
"Sammy, I really didn't mean that," he apologises, "It's just a bit of a surprise to find out you're gonna be a dad."
Sam finally stops, his face is softer when he turns to Dean. "I should have told you," he says, eyebrows pinched, "I was just so scared of getting Jess involved in all of that crap. I needed to keep her safe."
"I get it," Dean tells him, pats him on the arm. "So, uh, how did all this happen?"
"Well, when a girl and a boy really like each other…"
"Dude," Dean whines.
Sam smiles. "It wasn't planned, that's for sure," he chuckles softly, "I mean, me and Jess both have college, we weren't thinking about kids. And we were being safe, you know, but that stuffs not always one hundred percent reliable and I guess - "
"One of your swimmers was an Olympic athlete?" Dean cuts across, teasing. Sam blushes.
"Dean…" he scowls, only half-heartedly. He sighs. "When Jess told me, I freaked out. Seriously, I wrote you a hundred texts but I never sent them because I kept thinking of a little boy holding a shotgun and I couldn't do it."
Dean smiles. "It's a boy?"
Sam shrugs. "We, uh, decided to wait until it was born but… I picture a boy. But I'd be happy with a girl. Totally."
Dean takes in the look on Sam's face, his little brother is happier than he's ever seen him, and he grins. "I can't believe it. My little brother's gonna have a kid… I'm gonna be an uncle!"
Sam pats his shoulder. "Yeah, uncle Dean."
"Dude, what are you gonna tell Dad?"
Sam turns sheepish. "Do you think you could maybe not mention this until, um, after the baby's born?"
"Sam," Dean growls.
"Yeah, I know I gotta tell him, it's just…" Sam sighs, "He already hates me. This is just going to piss him off."
"He doesn't hate you," Dean insists.
Sam snorts. "Right, because he was so supportive of me going to college," he says sarcastically.
"He was scared for you," Dean defends, "He wanted you to be safe."
"Because hunting monsters was so safe," Sam retorts, rolling his eyes. "He was the one who told me to stay away, he kicked me out of our family just because I wanted to go to school. If he was so against that, what do you think he'll say about me and Jess?"
Dean sighs. "It's up to you to tell him. I won't say anything, I swear. I'm just saying he deserves to know that he's gonna have a grandkid. If you two had spent more time talking than you did fighting, then maybe you would know that he'd be thrilled about this."
Sam stares at him before turning to head up the stairs again, muttering, "Yeah, right."
When they get back to Sam's apartment, Jess is still up. She's sitting on the couch, the lamp on next to her as she fiddles with a quilt that's thrown over the back of the sofa. She looks up when they enter and asks, "Is your dad okay?"
Sam stutters a little, no actual words coming out, so Dean cuts across, "Honestly, we're not sure, but we're going to try to bring him back home."
Sam glares at him and says to Jess, "But, like I told Dean, I can't go."
"Are you sure?" Jess asks, frowning, "I mean, if this is serious… maybe you should call the cops?"
Dean stifles a laugh. "Believe me, Jessica, this isn't their sort of thing. This is family business."
"Oh," Jess nods, though it's clear that she isn't satisfied with the information they've given her.
"Which is why I came for Sammy," Dean adds, "He's the best man for the job."
"Dean," Sam groans. "I told you, I can't."
The two of them glare at one another, trying to say everything they can't say out loud. Meanwhile, Jess stares at them both, completely bewildered. She clears their throat to get their attention.
"I have no clue what's going on here and I'm not sure if I want to know," she says, "But Sam, it seems like your family needs you."
"But - "
"You'll make it back for your interview in Monday, right?" she cuts across him. Sam blinks.
"Interview?" Dean asks.
"Law school interview," Sam tells him, "My whole future on a plate."
Jess smiles proudly. "Baby, you're more than prepared for it, you'll be fine so long as you get back for Monday."
Dean grins at her. "See, Sammy? You've been given permission."
"I don't… I'm sorry. I can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm not leaving Jess on her own."
"I can look after myself for a couple of days," Jess defends.
"Jess, you're four months pregnant!"
Jess blinks and looks down at her belly. "Holy shit! I didn't realise!" She sends Sam a coy smile and Dean bursts out laughing.
"Sammy, I like your girl," he says.
Sam doesn't laugh, he looks nervous. "I'm not going, alright?" he says, sounding so desperate that Dean is surprised that there wasn't a please in there somewhere.
"Then I'll come with you both," Jess suggests.
Sam and Dean are both quick to say, "No!"
Jess folds her arms over her chest. "I get it; you don't want me involved in your weird family secrets. I'm just saying, Sam won't go with you without me and you need him to find your dad, so why don't I come? You can just ditch me in a motel room with change for the vending machine and cable, I'd barely notice you were gone."
Dean frowns, considering it, but Sam catches the look on his face and says, "There's no way she's coming."
"She is right here, by the way," Jess points out.
Sam looks at Dean, practically begging. Dean frowns, wondering what has Sam so freaked out to the point where he would actually plead with his brother. Sam is stubborn, he's never been the sort of person to beg, especially not with Dad or Dean, if he didn't want to do something then no was usually simple enough. No was what got between John and Sam in the first place.
"Think about it, Sammy; we look for Dad, bring Jessica along, make sure she's alright in a motel, find Dad, make it back by Monday. What do you say?"
Sam sighs, thinks long and hard, looking between Jessica and Dean, completely torn.
"Only two nights," Sam clarifies, "And… God. I can't believe I'm saying this. Fine."
Jess jumps up, smiling. "Great. I'll pack for our family road trip."
She disappears into the bedroom and Dean turns to Sam. "You sure about this?" he asks.
Sam swallows, looking a little sick. "Yeah, I'm sure," and he heads off after Jess.
Dean watches him go, wondering what frightens Sam so bad that he's willing to bring his girlfriend and their unborn baby on a hunt.
Summary: When Dean had come for Sam at Stanford, he hadn't expected this.
Word Count: 2,506
Author's Note: This is the first chapter in a series, reliving season 1 with a few key changes.
Dad's missing. For three weeks now. Dean wouldn't be here otherwise, but he needs Sam's help. He wants Sam's help.
So Dean hightailed it to Paulo Alto, drove almost twenty hours straight just to be here, and he'd spent most of the journey imagining their reunion. He hasn't seen his baby brother in two years and he can't get the image of blinding smiles and long hugs out of his head.
But Sam's staring at him with spooked-horse wide eyes, mouth hanging open, gaze flickering back to the door behind him as he grips Dean's arm and almost tugs him back.
"Dean, what are you doing here?" he hisses. Dean figures there must be some roommate sleeping nearby but he couldn't give a crap so when he speaks he keeps his voice at a regular volume. Maybe he is trying to piss Sam off, just a little bit.
"Well, I was looking for a beer," he says. Sam's mouth tightens the way it usually does when he feels like yelling. Dean grins at him.
"Seriously, what the hell are you doing here?"
Sam's jaw is jutted in that I-want-you-to-leave sort of way, Dean can't deny that it hurts a little to see. He sighs, all that cocky humour rolling right off, and Sam drops his hand from Dean's arm.
"Okay," Dean says. "Alright. We gotta talk."
Sam rolls his eyes. "Uh, the phone?"
"If I'd called, would you have picked up?" Dean asks pointedly. The non-response from Sam says it all.
"Look, Dean," Sam finally says, voice even softer, "It's not that I don't… it's just that I've got a lot going on here and I can't - "
"Sam?"
Dean startles when a voice calls from behind the door. A girl's voice. He raises his eyebrow at Sam, who he can see starting to turn red, even in the dark room.
"Jess, it's okay," he answers hurriedly, "Just wait there, I'll be right back."
Dean scowls. "You embarrassed of me or something?"
"No! No, I'm not. Dean, of course not," Sam's eyes are going between Dean and the direction that Jess' voice came from, his hand is back on Dean's arm, trying to tug him to the exit.
But the light turns on and the two of them turn back towards the bedroom door where a tall blond is standing in the doorway in an oversized sweater and pink flowery pyjama pants. Dean has to blink because the girl is seriously gorgeous, the kind of girl you would see on the front of a magazine. Her curls are tied back librarian-style and she has some god-awful knitted socks on her feet with Christmas trees on them, even though it's not yet November.
She looks a mess, but she's still way out of Sam's league.
"Well, hi there," Dean drawls, casting his glance over her again, imagining what it looks like underneath. Sam is moving towards her, arms going over her shoulders just as hers brush over her stomach.
Dean's mouth drops open.
He has no idea how he didn't notice before. The girl is practically smothered by what he thinks must be Sam's sweater, but even so the little bump protruding beneath the cotton in undeniable.
When Dean had come for Sam at Stanford, he hadn't expected this.
Jess smiles at him, a little awkwardly and waves with her free hand. "Uh, hi," she says, casting a confused glance up to Sam.
Sam seems to startle, having been nearly frozen for the entire encounter. "Right. Uh, Jess, this my brother Dean."
A smile spreads across her face and she looks at Dean like she's honestly pleased to see him. "Dean, I've heard a lot about you. I was really hoping to meet you soon but Sam's always been a bit… you know."
Dean glares at his brother. "Sam?" he prompts. Jess looks a little disheartened that Dean completely ignored her.
"Dean, I-I was going to tell you," Sam says lamely. Jess frowns.
"You didn't tell him?" she sounds displeased. Sam drops his arm from around her shoulders and stands there between them like a deer caught between a hunting rifle and a busy highway.
"I didn't," Sam admits. Speaking to both of them, he adds, "I'm sorry."
"Sam," Dean looks again to the bump beneath Jess' sweater, then back up to Sam, "You're having a baby?"
Sam ducks his head and scratches the back of his neck. Dean can see a smile. "Yeah. Due in five months."
Jess takes Sam's hand, whatever annoyance she had with him a second ago is gone. She looks over to Dean. "I'm glad you're here," she says sincerely.
Dean's stomach drops. "I wish I came here for a different reason," he says helplessly. "Sam, Dad's on a hunting trip and he hasn't been home in a few days."
Sam squeezes Jess' hand, not taking his eyes of his brother. "So, he'll stumble back home sooner or later."
Dean focuses his gaze on Sam's, eyes hard. "He hasn't been home in a few days."
Sam doesn't react and at first he wonders if Sam isn't getting it, or if he simply doesn't care. But then he turns to Jess and says, "We'll be right back."
He leads Dean out of the apartment, leaving behind his puzzled girlfriend.
He fills Sam in on everything he knows; Dad went on a hunt but has been two weeks overdue, Dean was left a message with EVP on it. When he's done talking, Sam stares down at the arsenal in the trunk, thinking.
"What do you want me to do?" he finally asks.
"To come help me find him," Dean says like it's obvious.
Sam shakes his head. "I can't leave Jess."
Right. Dean had almost forgotten about that as he'd been talking to Sam.
"You can do this by yourself," Sam adds.
"I need your help," Dean repeats, harder that time.
Sam heaves a sigh and glances back up to his apartment's window, then back to Dean. "There was a reason I didn't call you," he says, almost urgently, "I wanted you to know so badly, but I couldn't get Jess, or our baby, involved in all of this. Dean, I can't go. I'm done with hunting."
Dean clenches his teeth. "You left us to go to school, but here I find out you've knocked a girl up."
Sam's face goes stony and Dean regrets what he said immediately. "That girl is called Jess, she's my girlfriend, she's carrying my child, and I'm going to marry her one day. Got it?"
"Sammy, I didn't mean - "
"It's Sam," he snaps, "And, yes, you did mean it. I'm not coming. End of story."
Sam turns back towards the building with barely a glance backwards. Dean quickly shuts the trunk and hurries after him. He catches up to him at the bottom of the stairwell.
"Sammy, I really didn't mean that," he apologises, "It's just a bit of a surprise to find out you're gonna be a dad."
Sam finally stops, his face is softer when he turns to Dean. "I should have told you," he says, eyebrows pinched, "I was just so scared of getting Jess involved in all of that crap. I needed to keep her safe."
"I get it," Dean tells him, pats him on the arm. "So, uh, how did all this happen?"
"Well, when a girl and a boy really like each other…"
"Dude," Dean whines.
Sam smiles. "It wasn't planned, that's for sure," he chuckles softly, "I mean, me and Jess both have college, we weren't thinking about kids. And we were being safe, you know, but that stuffs not always one hundred percent reliable and I guess - "
"One of your swimmers was an Olympic athlete?" Dean cuts across, teasing. Sam blushes.
"Dean…" he scowls, only half-heartedly. He sighs. "When Jess told me, I freaked out. Seriously, I wrote you a hundred texts but I never sent them because I kept thinking of a little boy holding a shotgun and I couldn't do it."
Dean smiles. "It's a boy?"
Sam shrugs. "We, uh, decided to wait until it was born but… I picture a boy. But I'd be happy with a girl. Totally."
Dean takes in the look on Sam's face, his little brother is happier than he's ever seen him, and he grins. "I can't believe it. My little brother's gonna have a kid… I'm gonna be an uncle!"
Sam pats his shoulder. "Yeah, uncle Dean."
"Dude, what are you gonna tell Dad?"
Sam turns sheepish. "Do you think you could maybe not mention this until, um, after the baby's born?"
"Sam," Dean growls.
"Yeah, I know I gotta tell him, it's just…" Sam sighs, "He already hates me. This is just going to piss him off."
"He doesn't hate you," Dean insists.
Sam snorts. "Right, because he was so supportive of me going to college," he says sarcastically.
"He was scared for you," Dean defends, "He wanted you to be safe."
"Because hunting monsters was so safe," Sam retorts, rolling his eyes. "He was the one who told me to stay away, he kicked me out of our family just because I wanted to go to school. If he was so against that, what do you think he'll say about me and Jess?"
Dean sighs. "It's up to you to tell him. I won't say anything, I swear. I'm just saying he deserves to know that he's gonna have a grandkid. If you two had spent more time talking than you did fighting, then maybe you would know that he'd be thrilled about this."
Sam stares at him before turning to head up the stairs again, muttering, "Yeah, right."
When they get back to Sam's apartment, Jess is still up. She's sitting on the couch, the lamp on next to her as she fiddles with a quilt that's thrown over the back of the sofa. She looks up when they enter and asks, "Is your dad okay?"
Sam stutters a little, no actual words coming out, so Dean cuts across, "Honestly, we're not sure, but we're going to try to bring him back home."
Sam glares at him and says to Jess, "But, like I told Dean, I can't go."
"Are you sure?" Jess asks, frowning, "I mean, if this is serious… maybe you should call the cops?"
Dean stifles a laugh. "Believe me, Jessica, this isn't their sort of thing. This is family business."
"Oh," Jess nods, though it's clear that she isn't satisfied with the information they've given her.
"Which is why I came for Sammy," Dean adds, "He's the best man for the job."
"Dean," Sam groans. "I told you, I can't."
The two of them glare at one another, trying to say everything they can't say out loud. Meanwhile, Jess stares at them both, completely bewildered. She clears their throat to get their attention.
"I have no clue what's going on here and I'm not sure if I want to know," she says, "But Sam, it seems like your family needs you."
"But - "
"You'll make it back for your interview in Monday, right?" she cuts across him. Sam blinks.
"Interview?" Dean asks.
"Law school interview," Sam tells him, "My whole future on a plate."
Jess smiles proudly. "Baby, you're more than prepared for it, you'll be fine so long as you get back for Monday."
Dean grins at her. "See, Sammy? You've been given permission."
"I don't… I'm sorry. I can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm not leaving Jess on her own."
"I can look after myself for a couple of days," Jess defends.
"Jess, you're four months pregnant!"
Jess blinks and looks down at her belly. "Holy shit! I didn't realise!" She sends Sam a coy smile and Dean bursts out laughing.
"Sammy, I like your girl," he says.
Sam doesn't laugh, he looks nervous. "I'm not going, alright?" he says, sounding so desperate that Dean is surprised that there wasn't a please in there somewhere.
"Then I'll come with you both," Jess suggests.
Sam and Dean are both quick to say, "No!"
Jess folds her arms over her chest. "I get it; you don't want me involved in your weird family secrets. I'm just saying, Sam won't go with you without me and you need him to find your dad, so why don't I come? You can just ditch me in a motel room with change for the vending machine and cable, I'd barely notice you were gone."
Dean frowns, considering it, but Sam catches the look on his face and says, "There's no way she's coming."
"She is right here, by the way," Jess points out.
Sam looks at Dean, practically begging. Dean frowns, wondering what has Sam so freaked out to the point where he would actually plead with his brother. Sam is stubborn, he's never been the sort of person to beg, especially not with Dad or Dean, if he didn't want to do something then no was usually simple enough. No was what got between John and Sam in the first place.
"Think about it, Sammy; we look for Dad, bring Jessica along, make sure she's alright in a motel, find Dad, make it back by Monday. What do you say?"
Sam sighs, thinks long and hard, looking between Jessica and Dean, completely torn.
"Only two nights," Sam clarifies, "And… God. I can't believe I'm saying this. Fine."
Jess jumps up, smiling. "Great. I'll pack for our family road trip."
She disappears into the bedroom and Dean turns to Sam. "You sure about this?" he asks.
Sam swallows, looking a little sick. "Yeah, I'm sure," and he heads off after Jess.
Dean watches him go, wondering what frightens Sam so bad that he's willing to bring his girlfriend and their unborn baby on a hunt.