The Birthday Gift

Author: Bj Jones
Rating: PG
Summary: Dean watches from a distance
Beta: Star (Gil)

Author's Note: Told from Dean's POV -


~*~

He doesn't know I'm here.  I've been less than fifty feet from him all night, and he's got no fucking clue.  I'm half filled with pride for being able to sneak up on him, and half pissed off that he's let his guard down that much.

I sip my beer as I watch him with his friends.  He's laughing and having a good time.  He looks good, relaxed and happy.  I don't think I've ever seen him that relaxed.  In this business, you can't let your guard down and relax with buddies, laughing over beers and nachos.

I've been in Pal Alto for a few days just watching.  He's got a set schedule.  I snort into my bottle; can set my fucking watch by him.  Monday, exactly at 10:05 AM, he walks across the squad into the Social Sciences building, at 10:08 he enters History 101, and at 10:10 he sits in the third seat from the right, second row from the front.

Like I said, predictable and one hundred percent geek.  That's my Sammy. Well I guess he's not mine anymore.  According to the school records, Sam Winchester is an only child whose parents died in a car accident when he was sixteen.  Dean Winchester didn't exist in Sammy's new little world.

So I wasn't surprised that on January 24th, I found him drinking with his buddies having a good time, with no thought of his non-existent brother's birthday.

I glance down at my watch; 12:01 AM.  January 25th.

I down the rest of my beer and set it on the table. Getting up, I head over to the bar and tell the bartender to give a round of beers to the college brats.

"What shall I tell them?" She grins at me.

"Tell them it's in celebration of the birthday boy." I hand over a few twenties.

"Who should I say they are from?" she asks, putting the bottles onto the tray.

"Dean."  I give a short wave and head out the door of the bar.

I walk out to my girl, slipping behind the wheel, running my hands over her gently.  I let the vibrations settle over me as I start up her engine."Looks like it's just you and me girl."

As I head out of the parking lot and turn onto the open highway, I look back in the rearview mirror to see Sam standing in the doorway, watching.

It was the last time I would see him until dad went missing.