AU: Brothers Saved
Timeline: Sam is 10, Dean is 14
“What happened in there?” John demanded as he gunned the Impala, aiming for the highway.
Sam shook his head, Dean held close to his chest like an anchor. “I– I don’t know,” he blurted in shame, feeling his ears turn red. He had no idea what had happened, but he knew that if Dean hadn’t shoved him out of the way, that spell would have hit him instead.
So small. Sam brushed a finger down one of Dean’s tiny arms, marveling at how soft the normally thick jacket was. Then, he lifted his older brother up, hesitantly leaning an ear over Dean as he realized he had no idea if his brother was even alive after that attack.
“What’s the matter?” John asked, his voice lowering as the adrenaline from the fight began to wear off. It wasn’t lost to him that Dean was missing, and Sam was acting strange, but he needed to get his youngest as far from her as he could before he considered any other course of action.
Sam was silent, holding his breath as he listened carefully. There, just at the edge of hearing. A soft sound of a tiny breath. Sam pulled his hand away from his ear, and then held out his hand with reluctance so John could see what he was holding.
The car jerked to the side when John caught sight of just what was in Sam’s hand. Another car roared past, horns blaring and lights flashing. Sam clutched Dean close to his chest, paranoid that Dean might be sent flying by the car’s erratic motions.
A minute later, they were parked on the side of the road with the four ways on. John stared blankly into the distance. He hadn’t said a word since Sam held Dean out to him.
Sam busied himself making sure his older brother didn’t look uncomfortable. This mostly meant he carefully nudged Dean to the center of his palm, letting his head rest on a cushion of skin and assuring that none of his arms or legs looked like they’d twisted into an uncomfortable position.
It was painful for Sam to realize that for all he knew, Dean had broken bones from the fight. He was so small.
John took a deep breath, startling Sam from his older brother. Their eyes met.
“Sam,” John said slowly. “Is that who I think it is?”
Sam nodded, blinking rapidly. “He… he pushed me out of the way of her attack,” he mumbled, looking down at Dean. “Then…” Sam trailed off, having a hard time continuing.
John held out a hand. “Let me see.”
Sam held Dean closer. “But… he might get hurt if we move him too much,” he said.
John sighed, leaning over so he could take a better look. “Just… hold him out for me.”
Extending his hands, Sam kept them cupped as though he held the most precious gem in the world. John looked over his older son, his brown eyes intent as his brow furrowed. He reached forward and nudged Dean’s hand. The colt Dean had tried to defend himself with slid onto Sam’s palm, a small speck of silver against Sam’s palm. It might as well be a toy.
Sam wasn’t the only one who looked terrified at the realization that Dean would be helpless on his own.
“He’s breathing,” Sam said. Dean was the one who’d taught him what to check if he ever found someone passed out. Since he was too big to take Dean’s pulse, it had only left him one option. “But he hasn’t moved since that lady attacked. The room got bright, and I couldn’t see anything, and when it stopped, Dean had fallen to the ground.”
He looked down. “This size.”
John swallowed. “Right. Don’t worry, Sam. We’ll figure this out and get him back to normal. We’re just gonna take a trip to Bobby’s to get some backup.
“Keep an eye on Dean for me, will ya?”
Asks and prompts open for this AU! More coming tomorrow!
Brothers Apart 