Some Nights

Disappearing Act

caution: contains the spanking of a wayward son and possibly trigger warning for panic/anxiety attack.  AU where Sam is sixteen and Dean is twenty.

****

Sam Winchester tapped his pencil on his book, his chin resting in his hand as he did the reading assignment for the History class. Normally it was a breeze for the sixteen year old, but tonight it was different. For one, it was nearly eight o clock in evening, and he hadn't seen his father or brother since leaving for school in the morning. And second of all,  Bobby was looked worried. It took a lot for Bobby Singer to look worried. The man he loved like a father kept pacing back and forth, and looking out the window.

Finally he couldn't take the tension anymore. "Bobby? Where's Dad?"

"I don't know." Bobby sighed. "But it's getting late, and it's a school night. You should probably head on to bed soon."

"Where's Dean at?"

His question was answered not verbally, but by the way Bobby stiffened, not meeting his eyes. Something was wrong. Sam started tapping his pencil on his book again, trying to not to assume the worse. Hopefully Dean was off doing something stupid again, like two months ago when he disappeared for twelve hours without a word to anyone. Talk about mounting tension. The whole day had been miserable, with Bobby and John at each other's throats, trying to figure where Dean could've gone.

It wasn't that Dean wanted to cause trouble. He just got urges to disappear, and who could honestly blame him? Sam remembered the day waking up, and seeing his brother's bed empty, and feeling the worry wash over him, only to be relieved when Dean pushed the bedroom door opened, giving Sam a cocky smile. Sam only had a vague idea of what happened when he came back from school. Dean was walking stiffly, and had stood to eat for the next few days.

The door slammed in the kitchen. "Sam?"

Sam stopped tapping his pencil at the sound of his father's voice, looking up to meet his father's expression. He recognized the look instantly, and it did nothing to help with the anxiety. "Sir?" 

"It's time to turn in for the night."

Sam closed his book, and began to stack up his notes on top. "Um, Dad?" He swallowed. "What about Dean?"

"Don't worry about your brother." It was almost funny. Sam could read his father pretty well, and saw the worry etched in his features, masked by frustration. "I'll deal with him when he comes home."

Sam knew exactly what the tone of voice meant. He hurriedly climbed off the chair, and walked towards the stairs. But there was still a single question in his  a single question burning his throat. He made it half way up the steps before asking. "What if something's wrong?"

John paused, glancing at Bobby helplessly. Bobby placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently before walking over to the steps. Sam watched the exchange, his worry overwhelming him.

"Listen, kid. There's nothing we can do tonight. Even in missing person cases we have to wait for them to missing for twenty four hours before reporting."

Sam's hands grew clammy at the words "missing person". Those words had been said before, and ended with a policeman on their door, unable to meet their eyes. He couldn't go through it again. "Dad?" His voice cracked. "Dean's okay...right?"

John shot a glare in Bobby's direction that had the other man cringing before meeting Sam's worried look. "I don't know."

The stairs tilted slightly, and Sam grasped the railing, trying to catch his breath. Bobby was by his side in seconds, putting two steady hands on him. "Whoa there, Sam. Hey, it's okay. Let's go upstairs." Bobby gently led the youngest son up the stairs, an arm around his shoulders.