My Brother's Keeper 1/?
Thanks sparrowwritings for the title!
I got this idea with a twist. I've got this idea where Sam takes full charge of Dean. The twist? I'm keeping it completely gen.
It was at the hundredth Tuesday mark when Sam snapped. Doris came over - like she did every morning - and asked what they'd have. Dean opened his mouth, and Sam snarled out, "He'll have the special with a side of bacon and a coffee. Black. Nothing for me."
Doris blinked at him and walked off.
Dean blinked. "Did you just....order for me?" He leaned back in his booth seat and smirked. "Ohh, Sammy....I get all tingly when you take charge like that," he teased.
"Shut up," Sam barked.
It was only two Tuesdays later that the look in Dean's eyes had registered.
Shocked relief.
Sam had figured out by now there was no breaking the 'Dean will die today'. So he took a few days to find out about his brother. He put time loop discussions on hold. He put the investigation on hold. (Didn't help much, Dean still died.) He used that time to draw out his brother, to learn as much about this infuriating man as he could.
And what he found shocked him.
Dean's happiest memories were when they were a family and he hadn't had to be in control of everything. He thrived under loving care, but had received so little of it that when it happened, he soaked it up like a sponge and stored it away to drag out when he needed the soul's equivalent of a hug.
One Tuesday, so many Tuesdays that Sam had lost count by now, Dean whispered, "Got nothin' to do with sex, you know, Sammy? It's not even in the equation. Different kind of love."
"What does that kind of love feel like, Dean?" Sam whispered back.
Dean turned sleepy eyes to him and his lips rose in a small smile. "Feels the best thing in the world, Sammy. Feels protected and cherished and all wrapped up warm and nice. Every need met, every want satisfied...Dad did that for me...." The smile fled. "......now it's all on me." His eyes closed. ".....and it ain't the same...."
Sam felt the exhalation stop against his cheek. He felt his brother's heart - re-damaged by a massive blow to the chest early in the day - stop under his hand.
He bowed his head and braced himself.
His eyes opened to "The Heat of the Moment" and Dean's cocky "Rise and shine, Sammy!"
But Sam could see the pain lurking under those eyes now.
And he knew what to do.
But first, he had to get out of this damned time loop.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Six months of Sam's personal hell on earth only strengthened his resolve. The Trickster had probably been right, he grudgingly admitted. Realistically, there was no way he could save Dean from hell.
But Sam had learned much about Dean in those numberless days in the time loop. And he now knew how he could make those last months happy ones.
He could give Dean what he had found out Dean really needed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In Tennessee, two days after they left Broward County and the Mystery Spot behind, Sam waited till Dean was in the shower. He moved quickly - making up Dean's bed and laying out an outfit for Dean. He banged on the bathroom door. "Hey!"
"What?" Dean called back.
"Bringin' you in some shorts! Gonna go get some laundry started!"
"Okay, yeah! Gimme a few and I'll go with!"
"Nah, I got it!"
He left the room with Dean yelling out a breakfast order behind him. He smiled, picturing Dean's expression when he saw the clothing on the bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sam looked up when Dean entered the laundromat and smiled. "Hey."
"Hey." Dean came over and sat down, grinning as Sam slid a bag of food over to him. "Aaah, good job, Sammy." He opened it and found hashbrowns, eggs and sausage waiting for him.
As he ate, Sam got up and got the laundry switched to the dryers. He was on the phone when he sat down. "Okay, we'll be by in about an hour."
"Where we goin'?" Dean asked around a mouthful of hashbrown.
"To the diner down the road," Sam grinned. "When we're done here. Dessert."
Dean frowned and leaned back. "Okay, what's the deal?"
"What do you mean?"
"My favourite breakfast. My favourite outfit. Doing my chores....What is going on here?"
Sam grinned. "What, I can't treat my little brother right once in a while?"
Dean actually double-took. "Sammy." He leaned forward. "Did that whatchacallit scramble your brains?"
Sam shook his head. "I counted it up, Dean. I spent fourteen hundred days in that time loop. Then another six months on top of that."
Dean frowned, dropping his fork to the platter with a soft click. ".......wait, that would make you...."
"Thirty years old," Sam said with a smirk. "And you're 29."
Dean ran a hand over his mouth, staring huge-eyed at Sam. "You're.... older."
Sam shrugged. "That tends to happen when someone just lives."
"But wait, I was right there with you, wasn't it? Wouldn't I be five years ol--"
"No, because see, except for the last one? You weren't there. You lived one Tuesday and one Wednesday. I lived 1400 Tuesdays and six months without you. I aged five years, Dean. You aged two days."
Dean blinked. He shook his head. "That's.....wow. That's.... that's messed up, dude."
"Messed up or not - it's the truth." Sam tapped the tray and smiled, his head tilting a little. "So if I can't get you out of this deal, I'm gonna give my little brother the best few months of his life."
Dean just looked at him, and then he whispered, "Because that's what big brothers do."
"Got it in one."
Dean looked down at the platter. Then he looked at Sam. "What am I gonna do with you, Sammy, huh?"
Sam grinned. "Eat your breakfast, Dean."
Dean shook his head. "Sam, I swear, you're gonna drive me crazy."
But Sam's grin grew when Dean picked up the fork and finished his breakfast.
Dean would have no way of ever knowing that Sam had lied. He really had no idea how long he spent in that loop.
But if thinking Sam was now the older brother was the key to giving Dean what he needed - Sam would stand by that lie as if it were gold-plated truth.
On to part 2
I got this idea with a twist. I've got this idea where Sam takes full charge of Dean. The twist? I'm keeping it completely gen.
It was at the hundredth Tuesday mark when Sam snapped. Doris came over - like she did every morning - and asked what they'd have. Dean opened his mouth, and Sam snarled out, "He'll have the special with a side of bacon and a coffee. Black. Nothing for me."
Doris blinked at him and walked off.
Dean blinked. "Did you just....order for me?" He leaned back in his booth seat and smirked. "Ohh, Sammy....I get all tingly when you take charge like that," he teased.
"Shut up," Sam barked.
It was only two Tuesdays later that the look in Dean's eyes had registered.
Shocked relief.
Sam had figured out by now there was no breaking the 'Dean will die today'. So he took a few days to find out about his brother. He put time loop discussions on hold. He put the investigation on hold. (Didn't help much, Dean still died.) He used that time to draw out his brother, to learn as much about this infuriating man as he could.
And what he found shocked him.
Dean's happiest memories were when they were a family and he hadn't had to be in control of everything. He thrived under loving care, but had received so little of it that when it happened, he soaked it up like a sponge and stored it away to drag out when he needed the soul's equivalent of a hug.
One Tuesday, so many Tuesdays that Sam had lost count by now, Dean whispered, "Got nothin' to do with sex, you know, Sammy? It's not even in the equation. Different kind of love."
"What does that kind of love feel like, Dean?" Sam whispered back.
Dean turned sleepy eyes to him and his lips rose in a small smile. "Feels the best thing in the world, Sammy. Feels protected and cherished and all wrapped up warm and nice. Every need met, every want satisfied...Dad did that for me...." The smile fled. "......now it's all on me." His eyes closed. ".....and it ain't the same...."
Sam felt the exhalation stop against his cheek. He felt his brother's heart - re-damaged by a massive blow to the chest early in the day - stop under his hand.
He bowed his head and braced himself.
His eyes opened to "The Heat of the Moment" and Dean's cocky "Rise and shine, Sammy!"
But Sam could see the pain lurking under those eyes now.
And he knew what to do.
But first, he had to get out of this damned time loop.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Six months of Sam's personal hell on earth only strengthened his resolve. The Trickster had probably been right, he grudgingly admitted. Realistically, there was no way he could save Dean from hell.
But Sam had learned much about Dean in those numberless days in the time loop. And he now knew how he could make those last months happy ones.
He could give Dean what he had found out Dean really needed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In Tennessee, two days after they left Broward County and the Mystery Spot behind, Sam waited till Dean was in the shower. He moved quickly - making up Dean's bed and laying out an outfit for Dean. He banged on the bathroom door. "Hey!"
"What?" Dean called back.
"Bringin' you in some shorts! Gonna go get some laundry started!"
"Okay, yeah! Gimme a few and I'll go with!"
"Nah, I got it!"
He left the room with Dean yelling out a breakfast order behind him. He smiled, picturing Dean's expression when he saw the clothing on the bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sam looked up when Dean entered the laundromat and smiled. "Hey."
"Hey." Dean came over and sat down, grinning as Sam slid a bag of food over to him. "Aaah, good job, Sammy." He opened it and found hashbrowns, eggs and sausage waiting for him.
As he ate, Sam got up and got the laundry switched to the dryers. He was on the phone when he sat down. "Okay, we'll be by in about an hour."
"Where we goin'?" Dean asked around a mouthful of hashbrown.
"To the diner down the road," Sam grinned. "When we're done here. Dessert."
Dean frowned and leaned back. "Okay, what's the deal?"
"What do you mean?"
"My favourite breakfast. My favourite outfit. Doing my chores....What is going on here?"
Sam grinned. "What, I can't treat my little brother right once in a while?"
Dean actually double-took. "Sammy." He leaned forward. "Did that whatchacallit scramble your brains?"
Sam shook his head. "I counted it up, Dean. I spent fourteen hundred days in that time loop. Then another six months on top of that."
Dean frowned, dropping his fork to the platter with a soft click. ".......wait, that would make you...."
"Thirty years old," Sam said with a smirk. "And you're 29."
Dean ran a hand over his mouth, staring huge-eyed at Sam. "You're.... older."
Sam shrugged. "That tends to happen when someone just lives."
"But wait, I was right there with you, wasn't it? Wouldn't I be five years ol--"
"No, because see, except for the last one? You weren't there. You lived one Tuesday and one Wednesday. I lived 1400 Tuesdays and six months without you. I aged five years, Dean. You aged two days."
Dean blinked. He shook his head. "That's.....wow. That's.... that's messed up, dude."
"Messed up or not - it's the truth." Sam tapped the tray and smiled, his head tilting a little. "So if I can't get you out of this deal, I'm gonna give my little brother the best few months of his life."
Dean just looked at him, and then he whispered, "Because that's what big brothers do."
"Got it in one."
Dean looked down at the platter. Then he looked at Sam. "What am I gonna do with you, Sammy, huh?"
Sam grinned. "Eat your breakfast, Dean."
Dean shook his head. "Sam, I swear, you're gonna drive me crazy."
But Sam's grin grew when Dean picked up the fork and finished his breakfast.
Dean would have no way of ever knowing that Sam had lied. He really had no idea how long he spent in that loop.
But if thinking Sam was now the older brother was the key to giving Dean what he needed - Sam would stand by that lie as if it were gold-plated truth.
On to part 2