InsaneJournal

Who: Sam Winchester and Dean Winchester
What: A Very Supernatural Christmas
When: Day 25, Christmas Day 2007
Where: Ypsilanti, Michigan
Status: Complete
Rating: PG

When Sam opened his eyes he expected to see the pitch black interior of the Theatre. That was where he'd fallen asleep, his legs stretched out and propped up on a seat in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for another sunless day to start. Instead he found himself sitting on a thin and worn leather couch in a motel room. He looked around the room. The duck hunting mural on the wall and the olive colored comforters on the double beds could've been in half a dozen motel rooms he'd been in while growing up and during his time on the road, the part that was out of the ordinary was the sad looking Christmas tree in the corner propped up in a paint bucket and adorned with tackle lures and pine tree shaped car fresheners.

Sam pushed himself to his feet, feeling a sharp pain shoot through his left arm at the movement. He looked down to see a white bandage wrapped around his forearm. The wrapping looked fresh. So did the clothes he was wearing. He pulled at his over shirt, recognizing it as one of his favorites and something he hadn't seen in a while. On the wall over the television was a cheesy looking sign that read Merry Christmas. Great. It must be an experiment day and this time they were trying to ruin Christmas. To bad Dean had beaten them to the punch fifteen years ago when he'd told Sam that their dad fought monsters and that Santa Claus wasn't real. Ever since then Christmas had been more about what Sam didn't have - mainly, the perfect family - than anything else.

His head snapped up at the sound of the motel door opening and he tensed quickly looking around for anything he could use as a weapon. There was nothing in his immediate vicinity and when he looked up at the sound of heavy footsteps entering the room he found himself looking at a slightly bewildered Dean holding a bag with beer in it. "Hey," Dean asked, shutting the door and walking towards him to put the beer on the rickety coffee table. "What's all this?"

All Sam could do was stare at him, a pained expression on his face. He couldn't do this. They couldn't keep taking him away and bringing him back. "Dean…" He started but found himself unable to finish.

His brother was studying him closely a small smile curving up the corners of his mouth. "What made you change your mind?" He asked, giving Sam a curious look. When Sam didn't answer him he raised an eyebrow. "Sam?"

"You're alive," Sam said stiltedly, unable to voice anything but the one thought going through his mind.

"Yeah, I am," Dean said his voice low. He looked slightly uncomfortable and his shoulders fell a little . "Look, Sam. I get it. I really do. I know this is hard for you, but I'm not dead yet. Maybe I won't be here for next Christmas, but I'm here for this one. Let's just make the most of it, alright?' He shrugged and looked down at the coffee table. "I mean we just stabbed the June and Ward Cleaver through with evergreen branches, I think we deserve it." Dean looked up at him again, his eyes lighting up. "Dude, is that eggnog?"

Sam blinked and looked blankly at Dean as he moved for a cup of eggnog on the coffee table. Dean grinned at him and held up the glass as if in toast, pausing to study Sam. "You alright? You look like you're about to hurl or--" Dean raised his eyebrows as Sam suddenly crossed the distance between them and gave him a death grip hug. "Alright," Dean said, somehow managing to find the breath for the words despite the fact that Sam was trying to crush his lungs. "Awkward."

It was a long moment before Sam was able to allow himself to let go of Dean. "Sorry," Sam said, clearing his throat and finally pulling back. "I'm just…its really good to see you, man."

Dean raised his eyebrows and stepped back, regaining some of his personal space before taking a sip of the eggnog and then tilting his head to the side. "Wow," he said, his eyes widening a little. "That's…definitely got a kick." He shook his head slightly and then took another drink before plopping down on the couch.

Sam glanced down at the carton of eggnog and quarter depleted liquor bottle beside it. None of this felt familiar. Shannon had been sent back to the day of her brother's death, but Sam didn't remember a Christmas like this at all. He looked around the room and his eye caught a cheap insurance calendar in the corner. He frowned. 2007? Had they sent him to the future? That explained Dean's earlier comment, now that Sam's brain could function enough to process it. He didn't think he would be there next Christmas because of the deal. Sam reached up and wiped at his suddenly dry mouth. The Deal. He'd almost forgotten about it.

Sam turned towards Dean. "When do I get back from the cage?" Sam asked, his expression serious and tense. If this was Christmas 2007 it was over six months since the last time he'd seen this version of Dean. He'd only spent twenty something days in the cage. He needed to know how long he was going to be there before he got returned. Unless this was him being returned. Time travel obviously wasn't a problem for management.

"What cage?" Dean asked, shooting him a wary look.

"Vas Captio," Sam said quickly, knitting his brow. "The glass cage?" He paused. "Hell?"

Dean's eyes narrowed as he leaned towards Sam. "Dude, are you drunk? On eggnog?"

"You don't know about the glass cage," Sam said, searching Dean's face. That didn't make any sense. Sam would've told him the minute he got back. Unless they'd just put him forward in time for their own entertainment.

"You mean the ones strippers dance in?"

Sam let out a surprised huff of laughter. "No," he said, staring incredulously at Dean. "That's not what I mean."

Dean scrunched up his chin and looked thoughtful for a minute. "That's too bad. Hey, I wonder if that strip joint down the road is open today." He leaned forward and put his cup on the table in front of him. "First things first though," he said, reaching into the bag and pulling out two packages wrapped in brown paper before holding them out. "Merry Christmas, Sam."

Sam took the presents, turning towards Dean and looking down as his foot connected with something under the couch. He reached underneath and pulled out two packages wrapped in the Sunday comic pages. It had been his trademark wrapping paper for years. He grinned and looked back at Dean, waiting for him to shrug off his jacket. "Looks, like I've got something for you too," He said, handing them over.

"Really?" Dean said, looking pleased as he took the packages. "Come on." He nodded towards the presents in Sam's hand. "Open them up. I got them special for you." Sam glanced down at the packages for a moment, wondering if he should say something to Dean about Vas but not knowing what he would say if he did. Where would he even start? Dean seemed to take read his hesitancy differently. "It's nothing fancy," he said. "Just something I picked up at the gas mart down the street."

"No, it's not that," Sam said, looking back up at Dean. He really did look like a kid at Christmas.

"What?" Dean asked, his smile fading a little.

Sam shook his head. "Nothing." He started tearing off the paper and then laughed as he held up the magazines. "Skin mags and…" He tore open the other present. "Shaving cream."

"You like?"

"Yeah," Sam said, with a nod. "I like. Thank you."

Dean nodded and opened up his own presents, motor oil and a candy bar. "Look at this," he said holding them up. "Fuel for me and fuel for my baby." He grinned at Sam and then looked down. "These are awesome, thanks."

There was a moment of silence and then Dean leaned forward to pick up Sam's eggnog before handing it to him and picking up his own. He held it up in a toast. "Merry Christmas, bro."

Sam smiled and bumped his glass against Dean's. "Yeah, Merry Christmas."

Sam lifted the glass up to his lips and took a long drink, his thoughts wandering back to the cage he'd left. He wondered if it was only a matter of time before he went back or if he was here to stay. Would he have twenty four hours to spend with Dean before being sent back to the cage where his brother was dead and buried? Or was this it? Maybe the Doctor's modulator had worked after all and they'd all gone back just six months in the future.

He swallowed down the realization that Andy was dead and Shannon… well he hoped that Shannon's flight had been rescued. She might actually be out there somewhere. In California, or France, though anywhere was better than Vas. He refused to think about the fact that she might still be on the island or worse hadn't survived. First chance he got he was looking for her.

He looked back at Dean and the realization hit him that he would lose him all over again in a couple of months if he couldn't find a way out of the Deal for him. He couldn't do that.

"So," Dean said, putting down his drink. "About those glass cages…" He stopped as he looked back up at Sam, his eyes narrowing at his expression. "Dude, you're not going to hug me again, are you? I'm starting to miss Sam the Grinch."

Sam smiled automatically, but it didn't reach his eyes. 'Dean…" He paused, not sure how to explain Vas or the fact that now, even though he still wished Dean hadn't made the deal, he understood why. The pain of not having his brother around was something he wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. He cleared his throat. "Where's my laptop?"

He had work to do.