The Violent Tenderness, The Sweet Asylum

Chapter 1

(A/N: Hi! So I thought of this when I rewatched Mystery Spot. For six months, Sam was hunting by himself. He had a routine, he was dedicated, and it was kind of scary. I figured, it was six whole months, things aren't going to go back to normal right away. So this is an extension of the episode, where Sam has to reign himself back in, and Dean can tell something's up. Let my know what you think! I don't own anything. Title is from Big Thief's 'Mary')

"Hey, you don't look so good. Something else happen?" Dean asks.

For a second, Sam imagines telling Dean. Telling him how he was alone for six months. Telling him how he had hunted with an intensity that scared even him. Telling him how he had stabbed the trickster on a 50/50 chance that it wasn't really Bobby.

But Sam can't tell him, he couldn't bear Dean knowing. Besides, they have enough on their plate right now, and the last thing they need is for Dean to go on a crazy revenge hunt.

So he forces a half smile and says, "I just had a really weird dream."

And there's a small part of him that hopes Dean will see right through his lie.

And maybe he does. Maybe Dean notices how Sam won't take his eyes off of him, how he's haphazardly stuffing his belongings into his bag so they can get the hell out of this town.

Maybe Dean can tell something's up, but he just responds, "Clowns or midgets?"

Dean can tell something's off with Sam. He can always tell. But he can't quite figure out what it is yet, so Dean jokes, "Clowns or midgets?"

He sees Sam try to smile, sees how forced it is. Something else definitely happened, he thinks. Now he just has to figure out what.

His first clue is the car. Or rather, Sam's reaction to the car.

When Sam lifts up the bottom of the trunk to get to their weapons stash, he seems almost surprised at what's in there: their usual supply. It's the same as always, the organized chaos of weapons that've been collected over the years.

But Sam seems surprised to see it, and he's hesitating in his movements to put things away.

Dean opens his mouth to say something, then thinks better of it. Pressuring Sam to talk right now will only make things worse, he's learned that from experience. So he'll wait for Sam to open up, and start collecting evidence in the meantime.

Sam knows he's screwed up already. He's grown so used to the trunk of the Impala being clean and organized, with everything in its place, that when he sees the chaos of their stash again, he freezes.

He'd almost forgotten what it used to look like.

Then he remembers Dean is right next to him (alive!), and he makes himself move. He slowly puts the weapons back into place, trying not to let his hesitations show.

He thinks he managed okay, because Dean doesn't say anything.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sam slides into the car, making sure to head to the passenger's side.

He sees Dean glace over at him out of the corner of his eye, but that's okay. Dean can look at him all he wants, at least he's here now. He's really here, and everything's okay.

It has to be.

(A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! The next chapters will probably be longer, and they won't be a rewrite of the episode. Constructive criticism is always welcome! Thanks for reading!)