Brief time jump! Things are settling down, John and Bobby keep searching for a cure, and the boys spend their days getting used to Dean’s new height and exploring the old house!

Lucky for you Brothers Saved fans, I forgot this part of the story is split into two parts, so tomorrow we get ONE MORE CHAPTER! After I get home from work tomorrow you will be treated to Brothers Saved: TV Time

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“Whaddya think’s in there?”

Sam squinted his eyes, flat on his stomach in order to see where Dean was gesturing to.

The smaller Winchester was peering into a crack they’d found in Sam’s room at Bobby’s house. They’d never noticed it before, after years of staying in the place. Not until Dean, reduced to a fraction of his height, had begun investigating the room while Sam read a book on the floor, relaxing in the summer heat with a glass of water nearby to help keep cool. 

Exploring the house at his new height was turning out to be a good way to pass the time while John and Bobby continued to try and track down a cure for Dean.

Sam stayed nearby, always keeping an eye out for any possible dangers for Dean. He was just as fascinated as Dean was at the new way of looking at the house, and kept pace with his older brother whenever they found something new and unexpected.

Like this crack in the wall, just wide enough for Dean to slip through, but too thin for Sam to fit his hand into.

“Think we should grab a flashlight?” Sam asked with a faint frown. The inside of the walls was pitch black, too dark for him to make out any features. If they couldn’t see, they couldn’t know what else might be in there.

“Yeah!” Dean said enthusiastically, glad for anything that would break the tedium that came from staying at a house that only had basic cable and he was too small to work on the junk cars out back.

Moments later, Sam had rustled up one of the clunky flashlights that Bobby had his place stocked with, and flicked it on. The sudden onset of bright light left Dean blinking to get rid of the glare, and keeping his hand up to try and block it. “You mind?”

“Sorry!” Sam hissed between his teeth, fumbling for a second before he had it correctly pointed at the dark hole. Lying flat on the floor again, he still could only make out the first few inches before darkness ate away at the light.

“Cool,” Dean said, leaning in and looking around. 

If Sam hadn’t pinched Dean’s shirt at the last second, he might have vanished into the walls there and then.

“Hey!” Dean protested, his arms pinwheeling as he nearly lost balance. 

“You’re supposed to stay where I can see you,” Sam pointed out. “Remember? Dad’s gonna get mad if you get stuck in the walls and I can’t get you out.”

Dean rolled his eyes, batting at Sam’s big fingers. Sam didn’t relent, keeping his grip on Dean’s shirt firm. “I’ll be fine, Sam, I’ll just go a few inches!”

Chewing the inside of his lip, Sam considered. “Where I can see you?” he asked.

Dean scowled. “Yes,” he huffed in annoyance. “You know, I can still take care of myself, I’m not an infant!”

Sam’s resistance crumpled. “I’m just trying to help,” he insisted, his voice cracking with guilt. His grip on Dean’s shirt vanished.

“Shit, Sam,” Dean took a few steps towards Sam. “I didn’t mean it like that, right? I won’t let you get in any trouble, I promise. I just wanted to see what’s in there.”

Sam nodded glumly, his hazel eyes staring at the ground under Dean instead of meeting his gaze. ” ‘Kay,” he said, his voice subdued. 

“I won’t go out of sight, promise,” Dean said, nudging Sam’s hand with a boot. “Dad can’t get mad at you.”

As much as Dean hated the way John had put the sole responsibility of the brothers on Sam’s shoulders now instead of his, he didn’t want Sam to suffer because of it. It wasn’t Sam’s fault any of this was happening. 

Sam half-heartedly nudged Dean back, giving him a ghost of a smile before it fell. 

“After this, we can go watch some cartoons, okay?” Dean coaxed, determined to cheer Sam up. “I’ll even let you be in charge of the remote.”

Sam’s eyes lit up. “Let’s watch Sonic!”

“Deal,” Dean agreed easily. “As much as you want.”

With Sam’s agreement obtained, Dean inched to the dark opening. As much as he wanted to dive in and check things out, he was cautious as he stuck his head into the walls. 

The light from the flashlight went several inches before it hit the wall in front. In each direction, Dean could see that the inner walls stretched out from where he was. Small motes of dust floated in the air, and he tried to wave them away before giving up. All his motion accomplished was causing more to swirl up from the floor and walls.

The sights reminded Dean of the hallway of an abandoned house. He’d gone with his dad on a few of the smaller hunts. If they just put some furniture and hung pictures on the wall, this would fit the view of any one of thousands of old homes out there.

The floor shook a little under Dean’s step, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Sam fidgeting. The kid might have been won over by Dean’s bargain, but he was obviously still nervous about losing Dean in the walls. Dean backtracked out of the walls, coughing away some of the dust and shaking his head.

“How was it?” Sam asked, unable to hide his envy.

“Dusty,” Dean said. “And dark.” He grimaced. “Let’s go watch Sonic.”

As Sam gathered Dean and the flashlight up in his hands, Dean sent a longing look at the wall entrance. He didn’t want Sam to worry, but he also wanted to see what it was really like in there.

One day.