Home 3

Sam stalked across the open phone book, searching for entries on psychics and palm readers. So far, the few he'd been able to find sounded like they belonged in the looney bin instead of the hunting world.

They'd gone around the town, interviewing their father's old buddies. Well, Dean had been at least. Sam had spent most of the time in his brother's pocket, listening to the words that passed over his head the entire time. It was frustrating that he couldn't even tell Dean any questions that he came up with while listening. There had to be a way he could talk to Dean like that. Somehow.

But with or without Sam's help, Dean had been able to garner a few new tidbits they'd never heard before. Like the fact that their dad had gone to see a psychic. Something their old man had never seen fit to tell either of his sons. Sam would have figured John would have opened up more to Dean when he got old enough to help with hunting on a regular basis, but instead their dad had kept his secrets.

Still, after being cooped up in the dark for so many hours, Sam was happy to have some space from his brother. They'd checked into a small motel near their old house to go over what they could, dig up information on psychics in the area. Dean was pacing back and forth in the room, scanning through their dad's journal searching for clues they'd missed while Sam kept flipping through the enormous phone book. He couldn't help jerking in Dean's direction every time Dean reached the end of the room and changed direction.

He was doing much better around Dean's size, but it still made him nervous on occasion. Dean hadn't grabbed him against his will since that one time in the forest, so Sam could feel trust building between them again. Still, the sound of those humongous boots hitting the ground each step and shaking the table Sam sat on made him jump. He figured that would never go away. Dean was one thing, but if it was any other person Sam would be running for cover, regardless.

Then there was how fast Dean covered the distance in the room. It would take Sam several minutes walking to cross what was, for Dean, a few steps. At Sam's fastest it would take him a minute. Dean could leap from one end of the room to the other in seconds.

"How's El Divino sound?" Sam said, breaking the silence in the room to cover up his jumpiness. Some of the names that people came up with cracked him up. He took a few steps over the entry to the next one down on the page. "Or how about the Mysterious Mister Fortinsky?" He laughed.

Dean rolled his eyes as he paused by the table. "Do people expect to be taken seriously with names like that?"

"Yeah, no kidding." Sam snickered. A few more steps down over the oversized letters. "We got Missouri Moseley..."

Dean cut him off, sharp eyes catching Sam in their gaze. "Hold on a sec. Missouri Moseley? That's a psychic?"

Sam stared down at the writing he was standing on. "Yeah, guess so."

He took a few steps back when Dean came over to the table, leaning over the phone book and Sam. He squinted down at the page for a moment, brushing a hand over the entry as he read it. "Sam... you gotta take a look at this." He reached into his jacket and pulled out their dad's journal. "Here..." he opened to the first page and gestured at the first sentence.

Sam came over, reading the words his brother indicated. "I went to Missouri and I learned the truth..." he mused out loud.

Dean's green eyes met his smaller hazels. "I always thought he meant the state." He tapped a finger over the entry in the phone book. "She's got a local address." Sam stepped back as Dean scooped the journal back up, tucking it safely in his jacket. He put his hand down near Sam, letting his little brother climb up his arm to the shoulder. "Think it's time to visit us a psychic."

Sam slid behind the collar of the jacket, ducking down as Dean stepped out the door, locking the room behind them. He stayed there the entire trip, putting off going into the pocket as long as he could. He might not mind sitting in there as much as he'd thought he would, but it still wasn't fun to spend the entire day tucked out of sight. For a few moments, he found himself wishing that they could find a case where they'd have to talk to people Sam's height... see how Dean felt having to hide or talk to people so different.

But that wasn't really fair, since it wasn't Dean's fault that things were the way they were. He was the one good thing going for Sam. Without his brother, he'd be back living in that motel, only all alone and without his family to help him. After all, they'd been killed because of him, not Dean. Dean had done everything he could to stop the witch. How was anyone supposed to know she'd have demonic backup going after Sam's tiny family at the same time as she'd confronted the brothers?

Less than ten minutes later, the car rolled up in front of a small house. Sam was tucked out of sight yet again by his brother, squirming for a few seconds to find a comfortable position inside the cloth walls.

"You alright in there, Tom Thumb?" Dean's voice came from outside. He was still sitting in the car.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... been in here way too much today, I guess." Sam said grumpily.

A weight pressed against the outside of the pocket supportively. "Sorry, kid. I know this whole situation sucks."

Sam rolled his eyes, knowing Dean couldn't see him and punched the wall. "Don't worry about it, it's not like it's anyone’s fault. Just something I gotta deal with now."

The hand pressed against him fell away and Sam felt Dean stand up, slamming the car door closed. He shifted one more time in the pocket, adjusting himself so he was leaning against his satchel for some support. Dean's swaying gait rocked the pocket from side to side. A few moments into walking, Dean was knocking against a door.

"Come in, come in! Make yourself right at home, I'll be right with you!" Came a nice voice from further in the house.

Once Sam was certain Dean was alone in the room, he poked his head out of the pocket, taking a peek at the room. It was nice, white walls, pictures hanging around the room. Dean sat down on the couch nearby, flipping through a few magazines sitting on the coffee table in front of him while he waited. He didn't pay any mind to the curious, tiny hunter in his pocket.

They stayed there for around ten minutes, waiting almost patiently in the room. Soft voices could be heard from the other room, the psychic apparently doing a reading for another person. Running a business like this out of her house must keep her busy a lot. Once the cadence of the voices changed, Sam dropped back down out of sight, listening through the fabric while he heard a door open to the room.

Missouri's voice was talking to another man while she walked him out of her house. "All right there, don't you worry 'bout a thing. Your wife is crazy about you." She let him out the door, saying goodbye as he walked away. Her voice changed slightly as she addressed Dean. "Poor bastard. His wife is cold-banging the gardener."

There was surprise in Dean's tone when he spoke up. "Why didn't you tell him?"

She scoffed. "People don't come here for the truth. They come for good news."

There was a few moments of awkward silence between the two humans during which Sam couldn't help squirming a bit. He hoped Dean would get his act together and get the show rolling so he didn't have to spend the rest of the day smooshed in there.

Missouri was the first between them to break the silence. "Well?" She said, clapping her hands. "Sam and Dean, come on already, I ain't got all day."

Sam practically fell to the bottom of the pocket in shock. Twice in one day, there was a human that wasn't his brother who knew about him. He pushed open the pocket barely in time to see the woman leaving through the open door she and her previous client had entered through.

Dean was just as flabbergasted. "Wha.... what?" He sputtered as she left him there. He stood up fast, knocking Sam down without noticing. With rapid footsteps, Dean stalked after the psychic. "How do you know about him?" Dean demanded.

Smooth, Dean.

She turned around just as Sam pulled himself up again. "You think I'd be a psychic for so many years without some small ability to read minds? The moment you came into the house, I could feel you both. Even though his mind is much quieter than yours, Dean, I knew he was here." She smiled down at Sam. "At least one of you knows how to think quietly. There's nothing for you to fear here, dear. If you want, you can come out of hiding while you're visiting."

A look passed between the brothers before Dean sighed, gently reaching up to scoop Sam out of the pocket. He was placed on Dean's shoulder, secretly glad to be free of the stifling confines of the pocket.

Once Sam was settled out in the open, Missouri smiled at them both. "Oh, you boys grew up handsome." Sam blushed at the scrutiny, not used to being seen by anyone. She pointed a finger at Dean. "And you were one goofy-looking kid, too."

Sam couldn't help snickering while Dean shifted uncomfortably. Dean was always so proud of his good looks too. He peeked up at his brother, unable to see the expression on Dean's face from where he was sitting, but he could sure see his brother's ear turning red in embarrassment.

They were both caught off guard when Missouri leaned in closer, taking Sam's tiny hand delicately between two fingers before either of them could react. Her grip was light and gentle, but Sam froze in fear. "Sam," she said softly. "Oh, you poor dear. I'm so sorry about your family... to have to go through that twice in your life..." Her finger rubbed supportively against his hand before letting him go. "And your father... he's missing?"

Recovering swiftly, Sam leaned closer to Dean for comfort. He couldn't stop himself. "How did you know all that?" He asked.

"Well... you were just thinking it."

Despite the fact she'd already told them that she could read minds, Sam couldn't stop the surprise on his face at her confirmation. Dean leaned forward, almost knocking Sam off from the unexpected movement. "Well, where is he, is he okay?" He practically demanded. Sam could hear the desperation in his brother's voice.

Missouri was unintimidated by Dean's sudden intensity. "I don't know."

"Don't know? You're supposed to be some kind of psychic, right?"

Sam tried to intercede. "Dean..." but ended up cut off by Missouri.

"Boy, you see me sawin’ some bony tramp in half? You think I’m a magician? I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room, but I can’t just pull facts out of thin air. Sit, please." Putting action to words, Missouri turned from them, seating herself in a soft armchair.

Sam smirked at the scolding Dean had received even as he clutched the collar to keep his balance as Dean moved. Dean sat himself down, shifting to get comfortable on the sofa right when Missouri reprimanded him again. "Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table, I’m gonna whack you with a spoon!"

This time Sam couldn't hold in the snickers at Dean's offended expression. He slumped against the neck, laughing at the surprise in Dean's tone. "I didn’t do anything!"

"But you were thinking about it."

There didn't seem to be much you could say to that one. Sam grinned at how easily she'd shut his brother up. Too bad Sam didn't have the same ability. He could imagine how much more peaceful driving would be if he could argue with Dean like that.

Since Dean didn't seem inclined to say anything more after his scolding, Sam bravely took the initiative. "Okay, so our dad - when did you first meet him?" He couldn't help leaning slightly forward, curiosity consuming him. In so many ways, his dad's past and present were shrouded in mystery, and the chance to find out some of what had been hidden from them was something neither brother could pass up.

She nodded in memory. "He came for a reading. A few days after the fire. He was one of the few people I see that wanted to know the truth and not just some lie to help them get by in life. All I did was let him know what was really out there in the dark. I guess you could say I drew back the curtains for him."

Dean finally spoke up again, sitting forward. His eyes were intently focused on her now, all discomfort forgotten now that they'd gotten down to business. "What about the fire... do you know about what killed our mom?"

"A little. Your daddy took me to your house. He was hoping I could sense the echoes, the fingerprints of this thing."

"And... could you?" Sam asked, unable to hide the trepidation.

"I..." Her voice trailed off.

"What was it?"

This time her voice came softly. "I don't know. Oh, but it was evil."

Sam sat back, crossing his arms worriedly. So, no new information on what the thing was. In fact, it was starting to seem like he and Dean had more information than their dad had had. After all, because of what Dean had been able to find after Sam's family had been murdered, they knew it was a demon. That had never been mentioned once in the journal or by Missouri.

Sam was starting to wonder if John Winchester had known that Dean would end up with his journal. The book had a ton of information about the supernatural, but it was incomplete. Like there were things that had been purposely left out. Just pieces of an ever-growing puzzle. Why wouldn't he tell his son things that would help keep him alive during hunts? Especially since Dean was his only remaining family.

It just didn't make sense.

Missouri's voice cut through his thoughts. "I know you didn't come all this way just to ask me these questions about your daddy. So what brought you boys here?"

Since it was his visions that had lead them to this case, Sam took the initiative. He filled Missouri in on everything that had happened to bring them to her. Knowing it would be useless to leave out details with a psychic, he was more open than he'd ever been with anyone but Dean. Both the humans stayed quiet the entire time, listening to his soft, almost hard-to-hear voice fill the room. It was odd to be the center of attention for two giants like that, yet not be in any danger whatsoever.

He wished life could be like this more often.

After his account was finished, Missouri spoke up. "So... you think something is back in that house?"

Sam kept his eyes locked on hers. "Definitely."

A small bit of confusion passed over her face. "I don't understand."

"What?"

"I haven’t been back inside, but I’ve been keepin’ an eye on the place, and it’s been quiet. No sudden deaths, no freak accidents. Why would it act up now, after all these years?"

It was another part that was bothering Sam too. "I don't know." He glanced up at his brother's profile. Dean hadn't said a word since Sam had told his story. "But with my family dying, and our dad going missing, and now this happening, it just feels like... something's starting." He met her eyes with his expressive ones, unable to keep the fear from them.

Dean finally spoke up. "That's a comforting thought," he said dryly. Sam could feel him swallow nervously from where he was leaning against his brother's neck.

Sam spoke up again. "Missouri... is there any way you could come to the house with us? See if you can find out if what's there is the same thing that killed our mom?"

She smiled at him reassuringly. "Of course I can. Anything to help that poor family."

---

A little over a half an hour later found Dean standing outside the former Winchester house, Missouri by his side and Sam tucked back in his pocket. The sheer amount of times Sam had been seen that day had Dean's instincts on edge, determined to keep anything else from happening to his tiny brother. He couldn't take it if something were to happen to Sam.

Dean knocked on the door and waited patiently. Jenny opened it, holding Ritchie close in her arms. Dean could feel Sam start trembling nervously when he spotted the child, ducking down further into the pocket for safety. Dean frowned briefly, wondering what had happened to make Sam so deathly afraid of children. He'd been fine around Sari once she'd started talking to them. He couldn't help feeling guilty at the amount of discomfort Sam had been subjected to so far that day. If only Sam understood Dean would never let anything happen to him like this.

"Dean," Jenny said, sounding harried. Her eyes passed curiously over Missouri. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Jenny," Dean said, smiling to break the sudden tension in the air. "This is my friend Missouri. If it's not too much trouble, I was hoping I could show her the old place... for old times’ sake."

She shook her head slightly. "You know, this isn't a good time... I'm kinda busy." She went to turn from them. "Maybe another day."

Dean took a step forward, worried they'd lose their only chance to help the family. "Listen, Jenny, this is..." something hit the back of his head, cutting him off. He was slightly thrown forward by the force, and he felt Sam twitch in surprise at the movement. "OW!" He glared at Missouri.

She glared right back. "Give the poor girl a break, Dean! Can't you see she's upset?" She turned her kind gaze to Jenny. "Forgive this boy, he means well. He's just not the sharpest tool in the shed. But hear me out..."

Dean could feel himself staring daggers into the back of her head as she stepped in front of him, taking charge. The shivering had stopped in his pocket, replaced by what Dean recognized as uncontrollable laughter. Although it was good to see Sam recovering from his fear, knowing Sam was laughing at him slightly pissed Dean off. Sending a glare down at his brother's position, he patted his hand against the pocket, knowing how much Sam hated being taken by surprise. And sure enough, the laughter stopped, replaced by a sharp jab that was Sam's punch after he gave up struggling against the massive hand.

Dean grinned evilly as he turned his attention back to Missouri and Jenny, neither of which had noticed his strange behavior, thankfully. Adding Jenny to the list of 'people who'd spotted Sam' was the last thing either of them needed or wanted to have happen that day. And Missouri would probably just point out that he was taking advantage of Sam's tiny size, or something like that. Ruining the fun. Besides, Dean thought to himself. It's not like I'd ever do anything to ACTUALLY hurt him. Just annoy the hell out of him.

Pushing down the sudden memory of his fist clenched around Sam's fragile body weeks ago, he caught up to the conversation that was happening without him right as Missouri said, "...but you're gonna have to trust us just a little."

Needless to say, Dean hadn't expected Jenny to let them into the house. But for some reason Missouri's motherly demeanor got her to let them in and let Missouri walk around the house, sensing the psychic flows in each of the rooms in an attempt to find where the darkness was hiding. This led them to Sari's room, soft blue walls giving off a sense of comfort and calm that wasn't reflected by the trio.

Sam pulled himself up once he was out of sight of Jenny, watching with wide eyes as they walked through his childhood house. Dean couldn't help glancing down on occasion, still finding himself surprised to see his brother there even after the last month traveling with him.

Missouri walked into the room. "This room is where it's coming from," she said as she walked in a slow circle.

"Why?" Sam broke in, sounding surprised.

"This used to be your nursery, Sam. This is where it all happened."

That shut up both Winchesters for a few more moments. Thinking about everything that had happened, Dean dug into his jacket, careful to not jostle the pocket Sam was in too much, since what he was searching for was in one of the inner hidden pockets below his brother. He pulled out his EMF meter, powering it up and extending the antennae. He started to scan for the frequency spirits put off when they were active, or the residue left behind by the more powerful spirits. Sam pulled himself up enough so he could see what Dean was doing, standing almost on his tip toes to see over the edge of the pocket.

"That an EMF?" Missouri asked as she continued around the room.

Dean glanced at her as he continued to scan. "Yeah."

"Amateur."

Unable to prevent himself, Dean sent yet another death glare in her direction. She'd managed to hit every nerve he had so far today. Besides, she had an unfair advantage over the brothers, with her psychic ability. Although, he thought to himself, there's a good chance Sam's got some psychic abilities, what with these dreams of his. He pushed away the uncomfortable reminder, not wanting to think about anything beyond his control. He turned back to the meter as it started to buzz at him. He tilted it at Sam so his brother could read it with him.

At the same moment, Missouri spoke. "I don’t know if you boys should be disappointed or relieved, but this ain’t the thing that took your mom."

"Are you sure?" Sam called out to her. Ever since they'd left Jenny downstairs, still soothing Ritchie from something that had happened before they'd arrived, he'd been less worried about being seen. The only unaccounted family member left was Sari, who already knew about him.

Missouri nodded at him, solemn.

"How do you know?"

Even Missouri seemed perplexed as she answered. "It isn’t the same energy I felt the last time I was here. It’s something different."

This time it was Dean's turn to ask a question. "What is it?"

"Not it." Missouri went over to the closet, opening it wide. "Them. There’s more than one spirit in this place."

"What are they doing here? Why now?"

"It's because of what happened all those years ago, to your family. Sam, that night... real evil came to you. The barrier between our world and the supernatural world was weakened by its presence."

Sam responded to her. "What does that mean?"


"This place... your home. It's become easy for spirits to manifest here. Far easier than in any normal area. There's a poltergeist in the house, taking advantage. It won't rest until it kills Jenny and her babies."

"But, you said there was more than one spirit here..." Sam's small voice drifted off.

"Yes." Missouri was drawn back to the closet again. "The poltergeist is blocking it from my abilities. I can't quite make it out."

Dean gathered himself. "No one's dying in this house ever again. We're gonna to stop it."

---

Sam watched as Dean hit the wall with the small axe he had in hand. So far, purifying the house was going surprisingly well.

Missouri's plan was to use hexbags on each floor, on each side of the house. After putting holes in the wall, they just stuck the bags inside, letting the magic contained within purify the house. Jenny had let them in without her home (a surprise) after Missouri convinced her to take her children to the movies. "It'll be safer for you there, dear. Cleansing a home of spirits can get ugly."

And so, armed with the hexbags, Missouri had gone to the basement, leaving the first and second floors to Sam and Dean.

Despite everything else that had happened, Sam couldn’t stop from wondering if anyone else his size was living here… it would be terrifying to have holes knocked in the walls like that from his point of view. Especially if the holes were anywhere near a pathway setup for travel. It would make them vulnerable to being discovered, maybe even captured. But it was the only way - a poltergeist like this would be dangerous for people of any size. Best to get rid of it, any way they could.

So far, the most excitement they’d had was in the kitchen. The poltergeist had started to throw knives at the brothers. It was only Dean’s quick thinking that had saved them from getting a knife through the ribs. Dropping to the floor, he’d thrown up a table between them and the knives, seconds from getting skewered by five or more knives. Sam had almost been tossed out of the pocket when he’d dropped, hanging on to the pocket flap for dear life. Dean had scooped him back inside quickly, grabbing the hexbag from where it had fallen.

The moment the hexbag was placed in the wall, the manifestation had ceased, leaving the two of them picking themselves off the floor. Sam held on tight as his brother stood, leaving Sam's stomach several stories below. "How you holding up there, Sam?" Dean asked. His hand came up beneath the pocket, holding Sam steady for a moment after all the excitement.

Sam took in a shuddering breath, composing himself. "Great. Let's just get this over with already."

Nodding, Dean made his way to the stairs. The first few hexbags on the second floor went smooth, without any manifestations at all. Distantly, Sam realized he could hear noise coming from down in the basement. Maybe the poltergeist was distracted by Missouri for the moment, giving them a chance to finish this once and for all. Distantly, he hoped she was alright. They didn't need anyone getting killed on this hunt, especially since they'd gotten her mixed up in all this in the first place. Them, and their dad. Like father, like sons.

Holding the final hexbag in his hand, Dean went to Jenny's bedroom. He managed to knock a hole in the wall, down on the floor where it was easily overlooked. Might as well make this as easy on Jenny as possible. She hadn't asked for any of this, after all. Just had bad luck choosing a house.

The moment his hand moved to put the final bag in the house, cleansing it for good, Dean was yanked backwards, tumbling to the ground. Sam gave a cry of fear and alarm, almost falling out when his brother's immense body slammed back against the ground. It was like being in a collapsing building. "Dean?" He yelled as soon as he recovered.

There was no response past an attempted gasp.

Hauling himself out of the pocket, Sam ran up the chest to his brother's face. Dean had one of his hands wrapped around an electrical cord, which was wrapped around his neck, strangling him. His knuckles were turning white from the effort it took just to keep it from killing him. The huge effort Dean was putting into holding the cord off was barely enough to keep him alive. Sam had no doubt that the poltergeist was at work. Dean's other hand was stretching to reach the hexbag he'd dropped when he'd fallen, a few inches away from his outstretched fingertips.

Taking everything in, Sam dashed down Dean's shaking arm. He couldn't help Dean with the cord, he needed to go for the source. Balance wavering, he threw his arms out while he ran down the broad arm. He leaped off using the outstretched fingertips to get as far as he could.

The second his boots left Dean's hand the huge arm slumped down beneath him, as though his brother had used the last of his strength holding steady for Sam. Dean was losing strength every second that cord was wrapped around his throat. Grabbing the bag, Sam discovered it was light enough for him to carry - barely - and ran at the hole Dean had smashed in the wall, dragging it behind him.

By the time he managed to reach the wall, Dean's struggles had started to die down, weakening from the lack of air. The massive boots near Sam stilled as Dean lost the energy to fight. Sam shoved the bag up the wall and into the hole with a burst of adrenaline, determined to save his brother. The moment the bag tipped over the edge and fell in the wall, an explosion of light shot out. A strangled scream that didn’t come from either brother filled the air, dissipating with the light. Sam was knocked down from the force, hitting the floor with a small thump.

Dean sagged down, almost collapsing in on himself. Pulling himself back together, Sam ran past his brother's sprawling form until he reached the hand that had been trying to reach the hexbag. It was limp and unresponsive as he used it to climb up, running along the stilled arm until he reached Dean's face. "Dean?" He yelled.

Dean's lips were slack, no sign of his familiar smirk on them. Desperately kicking at his brother's motionless chin, Sam tried to keep his fear down.

No reaction.

He grabbed the cord that had been wrapped around Dean's neck, loosening it up as much as his size would allow. He wouldn't be able to do CPR at this size, or anything else to help his brother. Frustrated, Sam jumped on Dean's face, climbing up until he was perched on Dean's nose. Desperate for a response, he punched his brother between the eyes with a small fist. "Dammit, Dean. Get up. You can't leave me - not now. Not after all it took to find you again." There wasn't even a twitch at his punch. Sam slumped down, losing hope every second Dean lay motionless.

Without warning a huge cough wracked his brother, gasping in air like it was the first breath he'd ever taken. The huge green eyes cracked open, trying to focus on Sam. "Hey, Sammy," Dean managed to rasp out. Sam's body was shadowed by a hand, plucking him gently off Dean's nose. His arms were pinned to his sides for a few seconds as he rose through the air with Dean. Dean let Sam slump down in his hand once he was done pulling himself up, rubbing his neck and still coughing. “You can’t get rid of me that easy, kid,” he rasped out.

Sam let out a gasping breath, almost a sob as he stared up at his brother, alive and well. Thank God, Sam thought to himself up, smiling at Dean through hazy eyes. “Never thought I could,” he joked, hiding the fear he’d felt for his brother a few moments ago as best he could.

Missouri found them then. “You boys alright?” She asked, coming into the room. She helped Dean get shakily to his feet.

“Yeah…” Dean got out. “But without Sammy here, I’d be a goner.” He managed to pull away from Missouri, cupping the hand holding Sam against his chest.

Sam couldn’t help but be distracted by how heavy Dean was still breathing. He’d come close to losing his brother there… a few more seconds to get the bag in the wall, and it might just be Sam leaving this house. He could feel panic rise in him at the thought. He needed Dean - without his brother, Sam would have no choice but to go back to living the way he’d lived before finding Dean again. Staying out of sight of humans, living in the walls and under the floorboards. Never watching another movie with Dean. Never having another drink with his brother. Such silly things that were suddenly vitally important.

He couldn’t imagine a worse fate.

Once they reached the kitchen again, table still uprooted and a mess all over the floor, Sam realized he could hear a door opening to the house. “Dean…” he said, nervous about being out in the open.

Dean didn’t get to say anything back, with Jenny coming towards the kitchen, but Sam was tucked safely out of sight before she saw him. He slouched down to the bottom of the pocket, exhaustion catching up as he listened to Missouri and Dean talking to Jenny. He smiled at the sound of Missouri pushing Dean’s buttons again, glad to be returning to some semblance of normalcy after almost losing the only family he had left that knew about him.

That cared about him.