Let Me Down Slowly Δ SPN [ 2 ]

chapter forty-six

Dean is on the floor in his room and reading a giant book.

"Hey." Sam walks in.

"Hey." Dean mumbles.

"Caught a case." Sam hands Dean the tablet. "Apparently something is taking people and leaving their clothes."

"Hmm. About time this gig got an R rating." Dean says. "All right. Why don't you check it out? I'll hold down the fort."

"Dean, you haven't left the bunker in a week." Sam says.

"And?" Dean asks, tossing the tablet onto the bed.

"And you can't just live the rest of your life locked up in this room." Sam says.

"I don't know. I got three hots and a cot. Could be worse." Dean says.

"Look, I know you're worried about the mark."

"Yeah, Sam. I am. Between what I did to Charlie--"

"Charlie forgave you. Evie forgave you, too. How about you forgive yourself?"

"Because I'm not exactly batting 1,000 here, you know? Plus, it's not the first time I've hurt Evie since this damn thing has been on my arm. It's not even the second time."

"Dean, I know. But staying locked up here, sitting on the ground reading the same lore books over and over and over again, it's not helping you. You need to get back in the game for your own good. You can beat this, Dean."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Yeah, you're damn right I believe that."

"You know, you also believed in the Easter bunny till you were 12."

"No, I didn't." Sam scoffs. "Look, I was 11."

"And a half."

"And a half. Right."

"Evie still believes in the Easter bunny, she's 10. She finally stopped believing in Santa Claus this year."

"And she's going to continue to believe in the Easter bunny until she stops. With no help from you or me." Sam states, giving Dean a pointed look to not tell her, liking that she still has some childhood innocence.

"So?" Sam asks after a moment.

"Okay." Dean closes the book.

+++

Sam and Evie are in the motel and Sam is doing research while Evie is coloring.

There's a knock on the door making both of them look to it. Sam motions for Evie to be quiet. He grabs his gun and carefully walks to the door. He opens it, seeing a teenage boy.

"Yeah?" Sam asks.

"Hiya, Sammy." The teen smiles.

"Dean?" Sam asks in shock, lowering his gun.

"Yeah." Dean walks in and Sam shuts the door after a few moments. Evie watches her uncle walk around the room, stunned, not believing it's her uncle.