Chapter Ten:

Dean couldn't help but NOT notice how his passenger riding shotgun just slouched in his seat which suggested that he was attempting to hide from somebody just then; it was when the Impala was turning a corner 10 blocks from Sam's house. When the older boy followed the kid's line of sight, his curious green pair landed on the subject to which Sam was hiding from, or seemingly doing so at the moment.

It was a little girl not older than 5 or 6. She is playing with a big yellow dog in front of a big white house with a big big lawn.

Sam thought he was subtle enough earlier for Dean to even notice him shrink in his seat but he was wrong. When they were a few blocks past the big white house, as he was sitting right back up and fixing himself that's when he noticed the look Dean was giving him. The older boy doesn't say anything though; he didn't want to pry. But after Sam felt like he owes his friend an explanation to his reaction just then upon being near that house, he decided to be open about it.

"My little sister, Jamie." Sam starts in almost a whisper, "She just turned 6 last week."

"Your little sister? You mean, the one in the picture back at your place?" Dean asks.

"Mmhm." Sam says, "She's real cute, isn't she?" he added fondly of his younger sibling. "She loves Popo, my dog. I didn't want to leave home without him back then, but she was crying really hard that day I got sent away--I decided to leave him with her. That was my dog back there...did you see him?"

"Yeah, Sam I did." Dean says, "Big dog."

"Yeah, he's a big mutt." Sam chuckles to himself at a fond memory as he sat there toying with his arm in a cast.

"Hey Sam," Dean calls out while tossing the kid occasional glances since he is in between keeping them on the road and conversing with the kid. Their eyes met for a second before the older boy had to go back to fixing his eyes on the stretch of road ahead of them again. "..what would your sister be doing 10 blocks from your house. I mean your grandpa's house? Was that a relative's she was at? Babysitter perhaps?"

"That used to be my house back then, Dean..." Sam replies, "...it's where I grew up in before I got sent to live with grandpa."

"Your family lives 10 blocks down the street?" Dean asks incredulously. "But I thought you told me they haven't seen you in almost a couple of years...at least. Or so it seemed?"

"The last time my mom saw me was when my school called her after I broke my hand in phys ed that one time and I just started living with grandpa for about a couple of months. I don't remember exactly... they couldn't get to him so they called her. That was the last time she saw me...a year and 7 months ago...I think. Or 8. Not sure." Sam says, "My little sister just turned 4...I guess she was 4...the last time she saw me. It's just been so long I can't tell anymore. Feels like ages." he added. "But I see them all the time though." his eyes went to the scenery outside his window after taking them off his hands on his lap, "Whenever I miss them, I sneak back and climb up the tree fort just beside the house. My big brother made it with a couple of cousins four summer ago. It was still there..." he says, "I could see them all the way from up there, but I make sure they don't see me." he says sadly.

"Sam, what is all this about, kiddo?" Dean asks in concern as he started to slow the car down and pulled over altogether on the side of the road.

"After what I did, Dean...I don't blame them if they don't want to see me again." Sam says sadly and in almost a whisper again; his eyes slowly found Dean's. "It's been really hard all this time not having anybody... not even my family to come home to. It's really hard being alone, Dean. But because of what happened -- I only have myself to blame for everybody hating me." he started to cry, "Sometimes I just--I just wish I wasn't born. But no matter how hard I keep wishing it -- it just doesn't come true. It just gets harder."

Dean tried fighting the tears from falling from his eyes but it was a weak attempt; he started to cry once Sam started to open up to him. The older boy reaches in and cradles the kid's nape in his his hand for connection.

"Sam, I know I have no idea of what you must have been through all this time, but I want you to know that now that I'm here...everything's gonna be different from now on, I promise you, everything's gonna change---"

"Dean, my dad doesn't want me to hang out with you anymore after the week is done." Sam cuts in, in between sulking and nursing his temple.

"What?" Dean spat angrily. "What the hell would he ask you to do that for?"

"I don't want to but I don't have any choice." Sam says, "If I don't do as he says..."

"He's gonna what?" he snarls angrily; if he had been a fire-breathing dragon---he'd have scorched Sam himself at the rate he was huffing and puffing in anger behind the wheel of his ride. Incoherently cussing to himself on the side. " Hurt you?" Dean says with clenched jaw, "Did he threaten to hurt you, Sam? Cause I am going to kick his ass if he touches you! I swear to god--"

"I don't want any trouble, Dean..." Sam says, crying helplessly and in distraught. "...I've already done enough."

"Sam, tell me what your old man has on you?" Dean says, "I want to know. I want to know what he and everyone in this stupid neighborhood and that stupid school has on you! I have been busting my head trying to keep away from knowing about it---but it's gone far enough! I want to know, alright? We're friends now. I didn't want to get myself involved with it the last time they tried telling me about it--but it's different now. We're different now. Friends, Sam." he says, "That's what we are now. So I am asking you---what happened? What do they have on you, kid?"

"Dean...you're the only one I have left..." Sam starts with a shaking voice, "...I don't think I could take more of this if I have to lose you too for what I did."

"Who says you're gonna, Sam?" Dean says challengingly, "Like I said Sam, nothing's gonna make me stop being anything to you, I intend to keep that promise. No matter what you're gonna tell me."

Sam looks at him with big fat sad tears streaming down the sides of his face in large amounts. "You promise?" he hopefully asks with a quivering voice, "You're not gon'na leave too?"

"You're not getting rid me easy if not at all, Sam." Dean says with as much conviction to both his tone and the look on his face.

"I hope to god you don't leave too, Dean." Sam softly muffles.

"I promise." Dean says; a teardrop leaving the older boy's eye just then when he said those two words offered Sam a glimmer of hope somehow; that Dean could be the very one person who would stay. "Always forever, kiddo."

Dean waited patiently until the kid has gathered enough courage to talk; it was more or less a long wait but the older boy didn't lose patience or get angry; not even behind Sam's back. He sat there offering as much comfort he can offer to the kid with his presence alone. And that's when Sam finally spoke, half an hour later.

"Ted is a cool brother." Sam began, "We weren't really close cause we didn't have enough time to hang out that much. He was always out with dad. He wanted Ted to be really good at his game and my big brother was. I wanted to tell him lots of times how proud I was of him but I never got the chance. But I was really proud of him -- I still am." the kid's voice trailed off.

For a moment, as Dean was listening to the kid talk about his big brother, the older boy was once in awhile finding the need to nurse his chest. He was jealous as hell. But he doesn't say anything.

"We just won a championship game that day, at my school ---- the one just outside of here. "Sam began in reference to a certain school nearby, he gets a nod from Dean that he knows it. "When I got home, I asked dad if I could go out with my friends to this arcade at the mall to celebrate with them but he didn't want me to go. Ted, had a game that night and my parents and my little sister were getting ready to leave the house to head there. They didn't want me to leave the house cause the house sitter wasn't coming that night." he goes on, "I wanted to get out of the house so bad I snuck out of the house after they pulled out of the driveway but Ted caught me when I was coming out from the side of the house on my bike. He and his girlfriend offered me a ride in his girlfriend's car cause his car was getting detailed that week." he says, "But I knew the game was about to start that time and I didn't want him to be late cause he was the team captain and the best one at school...Ted is really good, Dean."

"I bet he was, Sam..." Dean says quietly. He felt really small versus the 'hero/idol worship' the kid was giving to his big brother; real big brother by blood. Still he maintains a calm demeanor despite how he is feeling at the moment. He wanted so bad to bolt out of there and take a breather but he didn't. He didn't want to leave Sam.

"I didn't get in the car. They followed me on my bike cause he wanted to make sure I got to the mall safely. I kept telling him to just go cause I knew a shortcut to get there. But he insisted to follow me anyways. They were behind me when we got to the sidewinder headin' up the cliff in the shortcut I took. The next thing I know --- " the boy started to sulk again at the recollection of such vivid tragic memories.

Dean automatically reaches in to the backseat and grabbed his water bottle from in there and he handed it to Sam.

"Sam, here..." he offers the drink which the kid did take. "...listen, I know I started all this. But if you don't want to talk about this anymore, we can stop, kiddo."

"Dean, my dad is planning to tell you all this himself..."

"Sam, I'm only gonna listen to what you have to tell me, alright?" Dean assuredly says. "I couldn't care any less about what your old man's gonna tell me even if he tried." he says, "And it's not like I'm gonna go meet up with him or anything anyways."

"Dean, I owe you this...being your friend." Sam says.

"Only if you want to, Sam. We can do this some other time too, you know?" Dean worriedly says, brushing the hair back from the kid's face. "You don't look too good, kiddo..."

"I'm okay, Dean..."

"You better be or I'm kicking my own ass for even making you do this in the first place!" Dean growls at himself. A couple minutes of silence invaded them before Sam resumes talking.

"I didn't see what really happened cause it was so fast. But I did see a semi from out or nowhere ramming the car down the cliff with my big brother and his girlfriend in it." Sam recalls sadly, tears falling from his eyes. "Barely missed hitting me, Dean. And I was on a damn bike. But it didn't miss 'em."

'Oh god, Sam...' Dean mentally gasps.

"When the car went over a long way down... the side of the cliff just--just...they got buried under there, Dean. And the--the truck just drove off like nothing happened...I drove back all the way home as fast as I could to get help but it was too late. There was just no way for me to get help back there on time..." he sobs exasperatedly. "They died because of me, Dean. I killed them. It was my fault they were even there..."

"Nonono, Sam...Sammy, don't." Dean gasps as he gets out of his seat and was in no time yanking the passenger side door open and wrapping the kid in a hug. "It was not your fault you hear me, kiddo?" he says in the kid's ear as he was hugging Sam in his seat, "It wasn't your fault..."

END OF BOOK ONE