1994
"For God's sake Dean! Why do you have to do this all the time? I'm 11 and a half years old and you're treating me like I'm a baby!" Sam was seriously pissed off, and Dean's response didn't help- "that's because you are a baby! 11 and a half isn't old enough to act like a grown up! You can't come on hunts with us because you're young and you're vulnerable!" Tears started welling up in Sam's big blue eyes, his face redenning as he mixed anger and sadness in his stomach. He yelled one final expression of hatred to his older brother and stormed off to his room in the motel, slamming his door as he did so.
Dean POV
I sighed, realizing what I'd done. I never mean to hurt Sammy, he's just a kid and I love him. He is the complete opposite of me- he's really sensitive, and he cares about people and he is so desperate to be his own person instead of following after my dad all the time. I just have this intense feeling of protectiveness... Like, whenever Sam wants to do something himself my mind instantly jumps to worst case scenario. No matter how old he gets I still think of him as the baby I carried out of that burning house.
I should probably make it up to him. I could rent a video out... We did pretty well with the motel this time, seperate rooms, a TV with a tape player, a stereo and very few creepy motel stains.
To be perfectly honest, I was surprised. Dad usually went for the crummiest, low cost shitholes he could find. This was one of the first times we had had anything tolerable, let alone luxorious. Sam had been really excited when he saw it, begging me to take him straight to the video rental store a couple of streets away. Which is what I planned to do now to make it up to my brother.
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Dean got back to the motel with a smile on his face. The store had had a special offer on, 3 videos for the price of 1. He and his brother could spend the rest of the evening watching films. It wouldn't be a "cuddled up on the couch" night straight out of a chick flick, but it should be fun.
He unlocked to door to a seemingly empty room. "Sam?" he called out, "Sammy?" There was no response. He walked into Sam's room to find him, his rucksack, some clothes and money all missing. And a note.
Dean walked over to the scrappy bit of paper (obviously torn from a school book) that was marked with his brother's distinctive scrawl. "Dean" it read, "I'm sick and tired of you not trusting me. I can look after myself and I'm going to prove it. There's a hunt a few towns over, basic salt-and-burn. Even someone as 'vulnerable' as me could manage that, right? I'll be home in like three days. If you've left town by then, I'll figure something out. This is to prove I'm not a baby. Let me have this at least. Sam x"
Dean POV
That idiot! I told the kid itwas dangerous. I told him that he was too young. But no, he just had to "prove himself". I have no way of knowing where he is. Was he close enough to catch up to? I doubt it. Sam is particularly skilled in the art of covering his tracks.
I couldn't call dad- he was on a hunt and plus, he'd consider it my fault. I was, after all, supposed to be watching Sammy. Dad'd probably hit me- I was used to it, he had been beating me up practically my whole life, but this was different, because this was my fault. I had let Sammy go.
I could give him a few days- maybe until Saturday. That's three days. But I can't wait that long... he's still too young. My first hunt was when I was 9, but that was pure chance- I'd been watching Sammy, but Dad was gone longer than he was meant to, three weeks late and all the money ran out. Bobby, Pastor Jim and the Harvelles had taken us in, and when Bobby and some of his friends went to find Dad I'd tagged along. It was the worst experience of my life, I'd been injured on that hunt and it'd been the scariest experience of my life. I want to keep Sam away from that for as long as I can.
He'd been oblivious until about three years ago. If only he still was.
