Chapter One

Dean stomped down the hall to detention with one thought in mind; Sammy was going to pay big time. He couldn’t believe his little brother had done this to him. Sure he had pulled pranks on Sammy but they were harmless. The kid even laughed about them later. But this crossed the line and he was determined to make his little brother pay for the mess he now found himself in. Turning the corner Dean spotted Mr. Walsh standing in the detention room door with his arms crossed. Not wanting to get in even bigger trouble Dean quickened his pace making it to the door just as the final bell rang. Trudging past Mr. Walsh he made a beeline for the desk in the back corner. He needed a quiet spot to work out his revenge.

At the elementary school

Sammy happily walked out of the school building and down on the few steps. Sitting on the bottom stair he tugged his book bag off his back and set it in front of him. Unzipping the top he dug around in the bag until he found what he was searching for; his latest library book. He opened the book and settled against the step to wait for his big brother to come. Paying no attention to the groups of kids around him Sammy submerged himself in the story of the little Hobbit and his quest. He was so engrossed in the story that he jumped at the sound of the impala’s strong engine. Sammy watched his father stop in front of the school as his mind raced to come up with a reason for the change in plans. Thoughts of Dean hurt or sick had Sammy grabbing his book bag and running to the car. Pulling the passenger side door open he threw his bag in the back seat before climbing in and holding on as John tore out of the parking lot. “What’s going on dad?” he asked breathlessly. “Did something happen to Dean?”

John’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel at the mention of his oldest. Glaring at the Sunday driver in front of him he yanked the wheel to the side and accelerated passing the slow poke before answering Sammy’s questions. “Something happened alright.” John snapped. “The school called a little while ago. Your brother decked another student, landed in detention.”

“Oh” Sammy said turning to stare out the side window. “Dean’s dead meat.” Sammy thought recalling his dad’s threat of punishment if either of the boys caused trouble in the small town they were currently calling home. Shaking his head he spent the remainder of the ride home wondering just what had started the fight this time and what their dad’s punishment would be for Dean’s little slip up.

At the middle school

Dean sat at the desk in the back planning the perfect prank for Sammy. Part of him, a very small part, was proud of his little brother for managing to sneak into and out of both schools without being caught. The other part was just plain ticked off. He’d thought they were finished with the prank wars for a while after Sammy’s last prank resulted in a cracked side window on the impala and a sore behind for Sammy. He guessed the kid had been lying low waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Dean sighed as he crossed another prank of his list. That one was just too complicated and there was no way he could get everything he needed in a hick town like this one. He needed something simple yet effective. Glancing around at the brightly colored character trait posters he mentally went over some of their past pranks hoping to get a great idea. “Let’s see” Dean thought. “There were the plastic spiders in the bed, the jello in his sneakers, the huge toy rat in the shower, and of course the hands down winner the ex-lax hot chocolate.” Hmmm seems Sammy usually turned to phobias as a way to prank him. Not that Dean had any phobias. He just played along for Sammy’s sake since the kid had so many.

Knowing his little brother’s fear of small, dark spaces Dean momentarily contemplated locking his brother in their closet. But he quickly tossed that idea. After all Dean loved the kid, even though he really hated his guts at the moment.

His eyes stopped on a poster of a brightly painted face complete with red nose. Grinning evilly Dean began to hastily scribble notes in his notebook. Minutes later he sat back contentedly. The plan was perfect. He’d need to get a few things but he could do that on the way home. Grinning maliciously he made a list of all the things he would need. Hearing Mr. Walsh call out that time was up for the day Dean gathered his belongings and headed for the door.

“Glad to see you put the time to good use, young man.” Mr. Walsh said as Dean walked past his desk.

“Oh yes sir. I got a lot of work done Mr. Walsh.” Dean replied as he stepped out the door feeling much lighter than when he’d arrived only an hour ago.

Dean walked into the store and hurriedly glanced around knowing he didn’t have much time. Spotting what he needed two aisles over he quickly made his way over and began piling items into his basket. After double checking his list he raced over to the register to pay and then hit the road once more. When he finally reached his street, Dean carefully stashed the bag of goodies in his tattered book bag before heading up the short walk way to their latest home. It was time to face the music.

At the house

John sat glaring at the front door hands clenched in anger. Hearing someone walking on the porch he stood and crossed his arms. “Bout time.” He growled at Dean as soon as he came in. “Thought they said detention only lasted an hour.”

Dean set his book bag on the floor beside the door before going over to the couch. “It did. Took a while to cross main street with all the traffic.” Dean explained.

“Wanna tell me what’s going on, Dean?” John gruffly asked. “Fighting after I told you to stay under the principal’s radar is one thing. I kind of understand that. What I wanna know is why the principal was ranting about my gay son attacking another boy?! What the hell is he talking about?!”

“It’s really no big deal dad. Some guy at school started that rumor about me. Guess he didn’t like the competition.” Dean smoothly lied. “I took care of the big mouth. End of story.”

John let out a relieved breath before scowling at his son. “I understand your anger son but that was not the way to go about fixing things. Not when we’re trying to keep a low profile.” He said. “You’re grounded for two weeks. Double training schedule”

“Two weeks?!” Dean groaned. “C’mon dad!”

“Want me to make it three?” John threatened.

“No sir” Dean replied dropping his head. Two weeks without hunting was almost more than he could stand. “Sorry sir” he mumbled.

“Go upstairs and get washed up.” John ordered. “Supper will be ready in ten.”

“Yes sir” Dean automatically replied. He slowly climbed the few stairs and glumly walked to the bathroom head down. He washed quickly and then went to the room he shared with Sammy.

Sammy glanced up as Dean entered the room. “What happened at school Dean?” he innocently asked.

“Like you don’t know.” Dean thought. Plopping down on the edge of his bed he schooled his features before looking at his little brother. “Some jack ass decided it would be funny to plaster my locker with pictures of some Chippendale’s dancer.”

“That’s horrible Dean” Sammy sympathetically said.

“Yeah it was.” Dean went on waiting for the kid to crack a smile and say “got ya”. “See I was talking with Tracy, you know the captain of the cheerleaders. Anyway I was in the middle of asking her out when I opened my locker. She took one look inside my locker and fled. Some jock was hurling insults while he laughed so I walked up to him and knocked him flat.”

“Sorry man” Sammy said. “I know how long you’ve been trying to hook up with her.”

“You should be sorry. I mean you will be.” Dean thought. To Sammy he just shook his head. Grabbing some spare clothes he walked out of the room. “I’m taking a shower.” He called over his shoulders before heading to the bathroom to put his plan in motion. Dean tiptoed down the stairs, snatched up his bag, and silently made his way back up the steps to the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror he quickly applied the face makeup careful to make his eyes look angry. He completed the look with the fake nose and brightly colored wig and suit. Looking in the mirror he snorted at the object of his little brother’s deepest fear; clowns.

Dean opened the door an inch and peeked out. Once he ascertained that the hallway was empty, he quickly and quietly made his way down the hall to the closet and stepped inside to wait. He didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later their dad shouted up that supper was ready. He watched through the cracked door as Sammy came bounding down the hall. “Closer” he thought. “That’s it Sammy. Just a little more.” He stayed hidden waiting for Sammy to get close enough.

Sammy bounded down the hall stopping at the closed bathroom door. Knocking he called out “Dean supper’s ready” before continuing on his way. At the end of the hallway he started to turn when a figure leapt out of the closet at him.

“BOO!” Dean shouted as he jumped out at Sammy. He laughed as his baby brother turned and ran for the stairs. Dean’s laughter stopped as Sam suddenly lost his balance half way down and tumbled head over heels down the remaining steps stopping with a sickening thud at the bottom of the staircase.

---

Chapter Two

“Sammy!” Dean shouted in horror as he stared at his little brother lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. Noticing that Sam wasn’t moving he yelled for his dad as he raced down the stairs to aid his injured sibling. Falling to his knees beside Sam, Dean gasped at the rapidly growing pool of blood under his brother’s head. Training taking over he took a moment to appraise his brother’s condition. Sammy was lying on his stomach with only the left side of his face showing. Dean couldn’t see the obvious head injury but he assumed that a cut somewhere on the right side of Sammy’s head was the cause of the blood. Two other injuries immediately caught Dean’s attention. The unnatural way Sam’s right leg was bent under him revealed at least one break and his left shoulder appeared to be dislocated judging from the look of the limb. There were no other visible injuries but that did nothing to ease Dean’s worry. He carefully reached out and put shaking fingers against Sammy’s neck. He let out a relieved breathe at finding a strong heartbeat. Dean then placed his hand in front of his brother’s nose mentally cheering at the small puffs of air he felt. Needing to see his little brother’s face Dean forgot all his training and put a hand on the back of Sam’s neck to turn his brother over.

“Stop Dean! Don’t touch him!” John shouted as he burst through the doorway. Skidding to a stop he dropped down next to Dean and roughly yanked his hands away from Sammy. “Damn it Dean! You can’t move him! You know that!” he growled performing his own visual exam of his youngest son. Once he finished his assessing Sammy’s condition, John hurried to the phone and dialed 911. After relaying the basic facts to the operator he threw the phone down and quickly went back to Sammy’s side.

Dean watched quietly as his father took charge of the situation. He tentatively placed a gentle hand on Sammy’s wrist needing some reassurance that his little brother was still alive. He sat there replaying the disastrous prank over and over again as his guilt began to grow. Feeling someone shaking him Dean started. Hearing his name called he turned to look into the furious face of his father.

Kneeling back down beside Sammy John checked his son’s pulse and respiration once more before turning to Dean. John’s worry bled into anger as he took in the clothes and make up his eldest was wearing. He scowled instantly figuring out what had happened. The anger he was feeling grew into rage when calling Dean’s name garnered no response from the boy. Grabbing his son’s shoulder he roughly shook Dean while continuing to call his name. As soon as Dean turned to face him John’s anger came tumbling out. “What the hell were you thinking Dean?!” John hollered. “Sammy could have been killed!”

Dean flinched as his dad’s harsh words hit home. “I, I didn’t, didn’t mean...” he stammered.

“Zip it! I don’t wanna hear it!” John raged. “Go get that crap off your face and change before I do something I’ll regret!”

“Yes sir” Dean whispered. He slowly stood and made his way up the stairs. He quickly walked past the closet and over to the bathroom. Trudging to the sink he turned on the hot water and snatched a wash rag off the towel rack. He ran it under the faucet several times and then lifted it to his face. Dean thought about the night’s events as he began to scrub the clown paint off. He had let his anger at a stupid prank get the better of him and Sammy had suffered the consequences. His little brother could have been killed and for what? Some prank? He scrubbed harder as the image of Sammy falling flashed through his mind. He scrubbed and scrubbed as he continued to mentally berate himself. The sound of sirens broke through his thoughts and he raced to their room. After a quick change, he sprinted back down stairs making it to Sammy’s side just as John opened the door for the paramedics.

John warily watched as the paramedics descended on Sam. They swiftly assessed the youngest Winchester’s condition calling out vitals and injuries. Once they put a neck brace on the little boy, they worked together to situate the youngster on a backboard being careful of his neck and back. They then strapped Sam to the board and placed him on the waiting gurney. After instructing John to follow them, they hurried out to the ambulance.

Several minutes and red lights later found John and Dean impatiently sitting in the tiny hospital’s waiting room. Neither spoke as they sat waiting for news on the youngest member of their family who had disappeared behind swinging doors. Spotting a doctor coming out of those same doors both Winchesters tensed.

“Family of Samuel Winchester?” the young doctor called from the doorway.

“Here” John hollered as he stood and started towards the doctor. “How’s my son?”

“He’s being treated.” The doctor replied as he suspiciously eyed the hunter. “Mr. Winchester, I need some information about Samuel’s…”

“Sammy” John and Dean corrected.

“About Sammy’s “accident” the doctor amended. “What happened tonight? How did he fall?”

“It’s my fault.” Dean said gazing at the floor.

“Your fault? How?” the young doctor questioned with a frown. “Did you push him?

Dean’s head snapped up at the question. “What?! No way! I’d never do that!” he shouted.

“Then how did your brother get hurt?” the doctor prodded.

“Sammy played a prank on me earlier. I just wanted to get him back. He’s scared of clowns. So I dressed up like one and hid in the hall closet. When he came by, I jumped out at him.” Dean explained. “It was just supposed to scare him. I didn’t mean for him to fall. I’d never hurt Sammy. He’s my little brother.”

The young doctor gave the upset boy in front of him a sympathetic smile before standing. “That’s all the information I’ll need for now. Thank you son.” He said.

John waited until the doctor was out of sight and then turned to glare at Dean. “How could Sammy have pranked you Dean? You two have been at different schools all day?” he asked.

“Sammy’s the one that got the rumor started about me dad.” Dean stated. “He planted a bunch of pictures of a Chippendale’s dancer in my locker.”

“What?!” John gasped. “How do you know Sammy did it?”

“He ummm,” Dean started. “Who else would have done it?”

“So you just assumed your brother did it?” John asked crossing his arms.

“Yes sir” Dean meekly replied as that fact hit him. He grabbed his head with both hands as doubts about Sam’s guilt assailed him.

John was so focused on the ER doors that he didn’t notice the toll Sammy’s accident and his words were taking on Dean. Worried and angry he let his mouth get the better of him. “You know what. I can’t talk about this right now. Just know that I’ll be watching over Sammy from now on since I obviously can’t trust you to.”

Dean sank further into his seat. “Dad’s right. I was supposed to take care of Sammy.” Dean thought. “And now he’s in the hospital because of me. Some big brother I am.”

Both Winchesters sat silently waiting for news on Sammy. After the first hour John had started pacing the length of the waiting room. He walked around the small room over and over attempting to calm his nerves and alleviate some of his anger. He was about ready to go find Sam himself by the time he saw the doctor emerging from the ER. Altering his course he met the young man at the door. “How is he?” he asked.

The doctor smiled at the worried father. “Sammy’s going to be fine.” He assured the man. After ushering John to the nearest chair, he continued. “Sammy came in with several injuries the worst of which is a severe concussion. He did come to in the ER long enough to correctly answer questions for me. We will be admitting him for at least tonight so we can monitor him. Other than that Sammy’s left arm, which was dislocated, was successfully reduced. His right leg was broken. That break was set and casted. There was also a nasty gash on the right side of his forehead which required ten stitches. We will be admitting him for at least tonight so we can monitor him. All in all I’d say he’s one lucky little boy. His injuries could have been a lot worse.”

“Thank you for taking care of my son.” John said smiling for the first time since the accident. “Can we see him now?”

“Sammy’s being moved to a room as we speak. A nurse will be along to get you as soon as he’s settled.” The doctor informed him.

“Thank you” John stated again as he shook the doctor’s hand. Exhausted he leaned back in his chair allowing himself to relax. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited eyes glued to the doorway.

Minutes later a nurse came into the waiting room and announced, “Family of Sammy Winchester?”

John quickly stood and walked over. “I’m his father.”

“Nice to meet you Mr. Winchester. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your son’s room.” The nurse instructed.

“Come on Dean. Let’s go.” John ordered scowling as his son slowly shuffled over. Both Winchesters followed the nurse to the elevator anxious to see for themselves that Sammy was truly alright.

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Chapter Three

John sat back in his chair and rubbed his tired eyes. He needed some more coffee or he was going to fall asleep. Glancing across Sammy’s bed he stared at Dean who hadn’t moved since they’d walked into Sammy’s room hours ago. It looked like his eldest felt guilty as hell about his little brother’s accident. “Good” John angrily thought as he focused back on Sammy.

It wasn’t the prank he was mad about. It had all the makings of a great joke. Besides, he couldn’t blame the boys for pranking each other. They’d practically grown up watching the prank wars he engaged in with Bobby, Josh, Caleb, and sometimes even Jim. It was a great way of relieving the stress of the hunting life. It was also a fun way to practice their job. After all, pranks followed the same formula as hunting from researching right down to the planning. Which is where his eldest had screwed up. The first thing you did for every hunt was research to make sure you knew who the guilty party was. Dean had just assumed Sammy had done the locker prank. He didn’t even bother to check it out. If he had taken the time to look into it, he probably would have found out that his brother didn’t have anything to do with that prank. It just wasn’t Sammy’s style. The kid was only ten so his pranks were still very simple. He’d never have even thought of a joke like that. Heck Sammy still thought girls were gross. Strike one for Dean.

Dean’s next failure had been the planning. Every hunt needed to be planned out to the smallest detail taking into account things that might cause problems such as rough or uneven terrain. He had been drilling that into Dean’s head for years now. And yet the kid hadn’t even noticed something as big as the stairs! He was a hunter, for crap’s sake! Strike two!

And his last mistake had been not obeying orders. After Sammy’s last disastrous prank, John had sat both boys down and told them in no uncertain terms that pranks were strictly forbidden for the rest of the year. He knew that would be a tough order to follow but he had expected Dean and Sammy to comply. Yet Dean had seen fit to ignore that particular order. Strike three!

With all Dean’s mistakes John guessed he should be happy that this hadn’t been a hunt. But he wasn’t. After all if this had been a hunt, Sammy wouldn’t have made it out alive and that just wasn’t acceptable. He would have to fix this little problem once Sam was released.

Decision made John reached over and gently ran a hand through Sammy’s hair smiling as Sammy leaned into his touch. Blinking back the moisture in his eyes that was definitely from fatigue he slowly retracted his hand and stood. “Dean, go down to the cafeteria and get me some coffee.” He ordered as he walked to the window.

“But dad, I wanna stay with Sammy.” Dean argued.

“That was an order, Dean.” John growled. “Think you can follow this one.”

“Yes sir” Dean replied hanging his head. He slowly stood and shuffled to the door. He cast one last glance at his father and little brother before pulling the door open and leaving the room.

The next day

Sammy sat on his bed glancing between his brother and his dad and attempting to figure out how everything could go so screwy in the short time he had been out of it. First he’s in a hospital from a fall he doesn’t remember. And then there’s the way Dean and his dad are acting. It’s like they’ve switched personalities or something. Dean’s always been the one who took care of him when he was hurt or sick while his dad just kind of stayed in the distance. But ever since Sam woke up, his dad has been fussing over him while Dean quietly sat over by the window. Sammy needed some answers and he needed them now. That brought up another problem; who to ask? He usually went to Dean with any questions, but his big brother hadn’t said more than a handful of words to him all morning. That left his dad. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.” Sammy thought as he shifted on the bed trying to find a more comfortable position for his leg.

“Eat your soup, Sammy.” John ordered from his spot by the window. “The doc won’t let you out of here until you eat something and keep it down.”

Sammy peered at the thick concoction with the oily residue on the top and gagged bringing John immediately to his side.

“Sammy, you okay?” John asked snatching the kidney shaped bowl from the night stand. “You gonna be sick?”

“Only if I eat that.” Sammy replied pushing the tray table away from him. “It looks like something Dracula puked up.”

John snorted. He set the bowl back down and ruffled Sammy’s hair. “Thanks for the nasty mental image dude.” He said. “Want me to call the nurse and have her bring you something else?”

“Yes” Sammy mentally cheered. His plan was working perfectly. “Dad, could umm, Dean get me some chicken noodle soup from that diner? Please dad?” he asked as he turned his puppy dog look on full blast.

“Sure kiddo” John replied. Reaching into his wallet he pulled out a few bills and handed them to Dean. “Go get your brother some soup, Dean.” He barked.

Sammy watched Dean’s eyes light up as he took the money and hurried out of the room. As soon as the door shut behind Dean, Sam rounded on John. “What’s going on dad? What happened?” he questioned.

John gave Sammy the once over as he carefully sat down on the side of the bed. “What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked.

Sammy cocked his head to one side as he went over yesterday’s events in his head. “Umm, Dean coming home mad.” He answered.

“He tell you why he was ticked.” John probed.

Sammy thought for a moment. “I don’t remember.” He sheepishly confessed. “Why?”

“Seems someone played a prank on your brother yesterday. Plastered his locker with pictures of a Chippendale’s dancer.” John explained. “Dean seemed to think you were the prankster.”

Sammy mouth dropped at the accusation. Seeing the anger in his dad’s face Sammy tensed as the memory of his dad’s reaction to his last prank came to mind. “I, I, I didn’t do it” he stuttered. “Honest dad! It w-wasn’t me.”

“It’s alright, Sammy.” John soothed as he wrapped his youngest in a hug. “I’m not mad. I know you didn’t pull that prank.”

Sagging in relief Sammy snuggled closer to his dad enjoying this seldom given form of comfort. Safe in his father’s arms he thought over what he had learned and suddenly Dean’s actions that morning made sense. Dean was angry at him! That’s why he wasn’t talking to Sam and why he was so happy to leave the room. He didn’t want to be around his little brother! Sammy hugged his father tighter as that realization sunk in. Sammy forced his sluggish brain into service trying desperately to come up with a way to get his big brother back. Unfortunately all that seemed to accomplish was to double the headache from hell. Deciding he needed to work on his plan sometime when his head wasn’t so close to exploding, Sammy pulled away from his dad and slowly laid back down. Closing his eyes he decided to take a little nap until Dean got back. There was just one thing he needed to ask his dad first. Sammy opened his eyes halfway and peered up at his father. “Hey dad.” He whispered. “Why would someone put pictures of two chipmunks dancing in Dean’s locker? Dad? What’s so funny?”

At the diner

Dean was sitting at the counter waiting for his order when someone placed a hand on his arm. He brought his fist up as he whipped around to face the newcomer. Staring at the person in shock he quickly lowered his hand. “Tracy? What are you doing here?” he asked.

Tracy smiled sheepishly at Dean. “I heard what happened to your little brother. Is he alright?” she asked.

“He will be.” Dean replied. “You come all the way here to ask that?”

“No” Tracy answered. “I, um, I found out something last night and I thought you should know. Jack Randall was the one who put those pictures in your locker. He’s had a crush on me since he moved here this year. Been beating up any boy that’s interested in me. Guess he knew he couldn’t take you on. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for the way I reacted. I should have known Jack was behind it.”

Dean’s eyes widened as Tracy said her piece. It was Jack, not Sammy that had pranked him. Sammy was innocent and he’d gotten hurt. His dad was right. He wasn’t fit to take care of his little brother. A hand on his cheek brought Dean out of his little freak out session. Realizing that he had zoned out on Tracy he blurted out, “Sorry. What did you say?”

“I said they’re calling your order Dean.” Tracy repeated glancing at her friend in concern. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Sure” Dean replied snatching his order and walking out the door with Tracy right behind him.

“Okay” Tracy hesitantly said. “Well I just wanted you to know about Jack and to tell you that you don’t need to worry about payback. The football team’s already taken care of that for you.”

“Wait! What?” Dean asked stopping dead in his tracks. “Why would the team do that? I thought he was their quarterback?”

“Oh, he is. But only because of the coach and of course his friends the wide receivers Craig and John. The rest of the team can’t stand the arrogant jerk.” Tracy informed him. “They really wanted you to try out when they saw you play at P.E. They said you were just what they needed; a great quarterback and a team player. Unlike mister “I’m so wonderful”.

Dean glanced at Tracy in surprise. He’d thought the other guys were just being nice to the new kid. “So what did they do?” he curiously asked when he finally found his voice.

“Oh, they just showed him that it takes more than one person to win a game.” She replied with a laugh. “You should have seen it. The coach had the offense and defense scrimmage against each other. When Jack called the play and took the ball, the offense line all kneeled down and let the defense through. They hammered him into the ground. It happened twice before the coach stopped it. By then Jack couldn’t even stand up.”

Dean snickered. “Remind me to thank those guys.” He said.

“I’ll tell them.” Tracy offered. “I need to tell them about my little prank anyway.”

“Your prank?” Dean questioned.

“Oh yeah.” Tracy replied. “I’m not letting Jack get away that easy. After all, that prank was directed at me, too.”

“So what are you gonna do?” Dean asked as the couple walked in the hospital.

“I’m going to make him my special chocolate cake and give it to him a little while before the game on Friday.” Tracy said. “You know the game against his old high school.”

“You wouldn’t?” Dean asked smirking.

“Oh but I would.” Tracy replied showing Dean the box of Ex-Lax in her purse. “Shame the field’s so far from the bathrooms.”

“You are awesome!” Dean complimented throwing an arm around the girl’s shoulders. He and Tracy talked and laughed all the way to the door of Sammy’s room.

After bidding Tracy good bye, Dean quietly stepped into Sammy’s room. Walking up to the bed he smiled as he looked at his sleeping father and little brother. He carefully set the soup and pudding on the tray table for later and reclaimed his seat at Sammy’s side.

Later that day

By eight o’clock that evening Sammy had had enough. He had tried everything he could think of to make things up with Dean. However his brother just continued to keep his distance. And his dad’s mother hen routine was really creeping him out. Sammy was tired, sore, and he needed to go to the bathroom. But there was no way he was making that trip with his dad again. Once had been humiliating enough, thank you very much. Not knowing what else to do Sammy reached over, picked up the phone, and called the one person who could sort this mess out; his Uncle Bobby. After explaining the situation to Bobby, Sammy covered the phone and hollered for Dean who immediately appeared in the door way. He watched a wealth of emotions cross his brother’s face as he spoke to their uncle. Thirty minutes later Dean walked back over and handed the phone back to Sam. “Uncle Bobby? Did it work? Is he still mad at me?” Sammy asked.

“Dean’s not mad at you, Sammy. He never was. Dean’s upset with himself ‘cause you got hurt.” Bobby explained.

“But it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t mean for me to fall.” Sammy defended.

“I know that.” Bobby assured the little boy. “But it seems your dad opened that big mouth of his again. Gave Dean both barrels and your hard headed brother believes every word. I think I managed to get through to him a little bit. Afraid the rest is up to you. Now let me talk to that daddy of yours. I’ve got a few things to say to that idjit.”

Sammy chuckled as he called for his dad. After handing the phone to his father, he held his good arm out to Dean.

“What’s up, Sammy?” Dean asked as he took Sam’s hand in his.

“I gotta go, Dean.” Sam said. “And I’m gonna need your help to get there.”

“Dad will be through in a minute, Sammy.” Dean told him. “He’ll take you then.”

“Two things wrong with that Dean.” Sammy stated. “One, I can’t wait that long and two, I can’t handle dad taking me again.”

“That bad, huh?” Dean asked smirking. “Fine, I’ll take you.” Taking Sammy’s arm he carefully helped his little brother to his feet. They slowly made their way across the room and disappeared down the hall.

John sat at the table phone held tightly in his hands. “You don’t get it Bobby! Sammy could have been killed!” he growled into the phone. “Dean’s Sam’s big brother. He’s supposed to take care of the kid, not let him get hurt.”

“Like the boys have never gotten hurt with you on watch.” Bobby huffed out. “You forget about Sammy’s first steps, Johnny boy. Seems to me you were the one watching him then. And I also seem to recall that you were the one that left that gun on the table. Or what about the time you took the kid to the park and he ended up taking a swim? Or the time…”

“Enough! I get it okay. I’ve screwed up, too.” John admitted. “But Dean’s”

“Dean is a kid.” Bobby broke in. “And a damn good one at that. You seem to forget that John. He’s not some soldier on the front line, he’s your son. And he’s going to make mistakes. What happened to Sammy was one of them. Dean feels bad enough. He doesn’t need you to make it worse.”

“So I should just what, blow it off? Pretend it’s okay?” John snarled. “I can’t do that. I’m his father…”

“That’s right. You’re his daddy. And it’s time you started acting like it.” Bobby admonished. “Now go make up with your boy before I decide to come kick your a$$.”

“Bye, Bobby” John said. Hanging up the phone he slowly stood and walked into the living room. He leaned against the doorway and waited for the boys. Hearing his boys’ laughter John smiled. He had missed that sound lately. He watched as the boys came into the room and froze smiles dropping off their faces.

“S-sorry, dad.” Dean stammered as he led his little brother back to the couch. “Sammy had to uh go to the bathroom. Said he couldn’t, couldn’t wait.”

“Time to fix things.” John thought. Careful to keep a smile on his face John walked over to the front door. “I’ve gotta go out for a while boys.” John told his sons. “Dean, you’re in charge till I get back. Watch out for Sammy for me.” Grabbing his keys John walked out the door.

“Dean, what just happened?” Sammy asked as he stared at the front door.

“Umm, not sure.” Dean replied scratching his head.

“Think Uncle Bobby threatened to fill dad full of buckshot again?” Sammy snickered.

“Maybe” Dean said sitting beside his little brother. Shaking his hand at his father’s actions he snatched up an old notebook that was lying on the table and waved it in front of Sam. “Time to put that geek brain of yours to good use. We have a payback prank to play.” He stated as he grabbed a pen.

Together the two boys carefully planned out the perfect prank making sure that they left nothing to chance.