Home for the Holidays for tabaqui
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spn_summergenTitle: Home for the Holidays
Author: swaggerdoodle
Recipient:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tabaqui
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: This may be a little angstier than was hoped for so I hope you still enjoy it! I'd also like to thankreapertownusa for the amazing beta work and doing so on such short notice! You're awesome, BB!
Summary: Dean comes to Stanford for the 'major holidays' every year - St. Pats, Cinco de Mayo, National Pie Day and of course - Sam's birthday. Jess's observations through the years.
New Years, 2001
The first time Jessica met Dean Winchester, he was wearing a black plastic topper hat with 2001! printed on the front in bold, glittery silver.
“I'm glad we can finally meet. Sam's told me so much about you,” she said with a big, friendly smile.
“Damn. Sam told me about you, but he uh... forgot to mention a couple of big things,” he slurred. At first she didn't realize what Dean was talking about. He then reached out towards her with cupped hands like he was going to grab her breasts. “I mean, wow. If I'd known you hot college chicks dug the nerds, I'd have done my homework!”
Sam always talked about the guy who was like a second parent to him, cooking his meals and always making sure he had what he needed. Somehow, she just couldn't picture Dean being that guy.
With a polite, and totally insincere, smile she said, “Well, it was nice meeting you,” before making her escape to the back of the room and grabbing her sweater.
St. Patrick's Day, 2002
Dean had dropped by a few times since the last New Years. Jessica made sure to wear an oversized shirt every time. She sighed and prepared for a night of dodging his advances when he showed up at their apartment already drunk and wearing a green t-shirt that read, “Kiss me, I'm Irish!”
“Dude, this place has some amazing parties. Why do we always gotta hang around your tiny apartment?”
Sam looked sheepish. “We don't. I mean, we could go out if you want. I kinda just thought you'd be more comfortable here.”
That was partly true, but Jessica knew the real reason why he never took his brother around campus. He was embarrassed of him.
Sam never really talked about his family, but from the few times he had opened up, it seemed pretty obvious he wasn't proud to be from a family of drunks. He loved his brother, that much was obvious, but she also got the impression that Dean was like a hangnail left over from his old life just waiting to be clipped off.
“Nah,” Dean said. With a shit-eating grin as he walked over to Jess and held out a bottle of Jim Beam green label. “At least this way I get to hit on your girlfriend.”
National Pie Day, 2003
The first time Dean showed up at their door unannounced with a frozen Marie Calendar's pecan pie and ice cream, she thought it was a joke. How in the hell did National Pie Day constitute as a damn holiday?Sam spent the rest of the day apologizing for forgetting to mention it, though it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It turned out to be her favorite holiday with Dean. No booze. She also finally had an excuse to put her baking skills to use.
This year, she decided to bake a dutch apple pie from scratch. Their little apartment smelled amazing. The pie tasted even better.
“Where'd you learn to bake like this?” Dean asked as he scooped up his second helping and topped it with double-churned French vanilla ice cream.
“My dad owned a small bakery over in San Francisco. I earned my money as a teen helping him out around the kitchen. He also made the craziest, most amazing cupcakes.”
“Really?” Sam said. “You never told me that.”
Jessica shrugged. “You never asked.”
Cinco de Mayo, 2004
Tequila and nachos were to Dean what birds and fish were to a cat. Sam spent the majority of the night rolling his eyes and pretending that the guy scarfing down the spicy bean dip and doing belly shots wasn't his brother. They'd gone out to the bar that night.
Jessica sat at their table running her thumb along the stem of her margarita glass and watching Dean talk with the group of sorority girls he had in the palm of his hand.
“I'm sorry,” Sam said with the stench of Jose Cuervo on his breath. “I didn't want to go out either, but he begged me.”
“It's okay,” she said, sipping at her cool beverage. “At least our apartment won't be a train wreck tomorrow morning.”
Truth be told, Jessica really wasn't all that upset about going out. Not even with Dean. He deserved to have a little fun after everything he'd been through.
A wave of laughter erupted from Dean's table. Whatever he had said must have been funny. He seemed like he was having a good time, but Jessica could see the exhaustion and the pain in his eyes.
“Maybe we should get him home,” Jessica said. “It's getting pretty late.”
“Yeah, okay. I'll get him.” Sam stood, had to take a moment to find his balance, and went to Dean's table. “I'm ready to go, Dean.” From the side of the table, he grabbed his brother's second-hand wooden cane and held it out for him.
Jessica still didn't understand how someone could just shoot themselves in the gut by accident. As much as Dean annoyed her and made her want to punch him in the face, a part of her felt genuine pity for him. It looked exhausting always putting on such a carefree act.
May 2nd, 2005
Jessica stood just outside their dining room holding the homemade chocolate cake she'd made for Sam's birthday. The two little candles shaped like a two and a one were already lit, but she found herself unable to move when she overheard Sam and Dean's conversation.
“You're about to graduate. You've done the whole study-buddy indie rock half-caf double vanilla latte thing already. What more do you want?” Dean asked.
“A life?” Sam said. “Dean, I didn't just come to college for the experience. When I...” His voice dropped to barely a whisper, but Jess could still hear it if she strained. “I meant what I said when I walked out on you guys that night. I'm done with it. All of it. For good. This is my life now.”
“Well, that's crap,” Dean said in an equally soft tone. “What about everything Dad taught us? Everything you've seen with your own two eyes? Don't think that I don't get it. I do. Really, I do. This whole apple pie life with your crappy little apartment and cute girlfriend suits you, but you can't just turn your back on everything you know. It's gonna find you one day while you're off playing family man whether you like it or not. Do you really want to put Jessica in the middle of that?”
“That's not going to happen.” Though still a whisper, Sam sounded angrier than she'd ever heard him. “I would never let anything happen to Jess, and I am going to make a life for myself whether you or Dad like it or not.”
The room went silent. Jessica looked down at the birthday cake. Both the candles had gone out, leaving a big glob of melted red wax.
Halloween, 2005
Cold nipped at every bit of Jessica's bare skin as she felt her way through the dark. A familiar voice came from the living room and she followed it until she found the light switch. Sam and Dean were standing in the living room and neither of them looked too happy. Well, Dean did, but only after he saw her in the tiny Smurf shirt and striped pink girl briefs.
“Sam?”
He looked nervous and that put a knot in her stomach. Dean hadn't been back since what happened on Sam's birthday. Didn't even call. Now they were whispering in the dark in the middle of the night and Sam had that look on his face like something bad was about to happen. He'd been acting strange the last couple of days whenever she entered the room, but that was the first time it scared her.
“Jess. Hey. Sorry, did we wake you?”
“What are you doing here, Dean? I thought you said you weren't coming?”
It took a moment for his eyes to move up from her boobs and meet hers. “Love the Smurfs. Did I ever tell you that you are way out of my brother's league?”
She rolled her eyes. Seriously, weren't they past all that? “Let me go put something on.”
“No, no, no. I wouldn't dream of it. Seriously.” Something caught Jessica's attention. Dean's eyes didn't have their usual boyish sparkle. Something was wrong. She felt it in the air. “Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here, talk about some private family business, but it was nice seeing you again.”
Sam looked out of sorts, but overall he just looked frustrated. “No,” he said, going to Jessica's side and putting his arm around her. “Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her.”
She looked up at him. Her boyfriend. Her best friend. They'd been together for almost four years and yet that was the first time she ever felt like the girlfriend of Sam Winchester rather than Sam the insanely tall, but friendly book nerd with a secret mysterious past.
“Okay. Um...” Dean looked just as shocked as she felt. “Dad hasn't been home in a few days.”
So it was about their dad. Maybe she'd finally get to learn something about him other than his intimate relationship with booze.
“So he's working overtime on a Miller Time shift,” Sam said. “He'll stumble back sooner or later.”
Or not.
Judging by the look on Dean's face, there was something Sam wasn't getting. She had no idea what.
“Dad's on a hunting trip, and he hasn't been home in a few days.”
She couldn't explain it. Maybe it was a vibe or a feeling in her gut. But she knew there was a meaning behind those words that she wasn't supposed to understand. That feeling only amplified when she felt Sam go stiff. She looked up and saw an expression on his face she could only interpret as fear.
“Jess,” he said without taking his eyes off of Dean. “Excuse us. We have to go outside.”
“Okay,” she said.
What else could she say?
They left the apartment. It felt so small and suffocating all of a sudden.
Author: swaggerdoodle
Recipient:
tabaqui Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: This may be a little angstier than was hoped for so I hope you still enjoy it! I'd also like to thank
reapertownusa for the amazing beta work and doing so on such short notice! You're awesome, BB! Summary: Dean comes to Stanford for the 'major holidays' every year - St. Pats, Cinco de Mayo, National Pie Day and of course - Sam's birthday. Jess's observations through the years.
New Years, 2001
The first time Jessica met Dean Winchester, he was wearing a black plastic topper hat with 2001! printed on the front in bold, glittery silver.
“I'm glad we can finally meet. Sam's told me so much about you,” she said with a big, friendly smile.
“Damn. Sam told me about you, but he uh... forgot to mention a couple of big things,” he slurred. At first she didn't realize what Dean was talking about. He then reached out towards her with cupped hands like he was going to grab her breasts. “I mean, wow. If I'd known you hot college chicks dug the nerds, I'd have done my homework!”
Sam always talked about the guy who was like a second parent to him, cooking his meals and always making sure he had what he needed. Somehow, she just couldn't picture Dean being that guy.
With a polite, and totally insincere, smile she said, “Well, it was nice meeting you,” before making her escape to the back of the room and grabbing her sweater.
St. Patrick's Day, 2002
Dean had dropped by a few times since the last New Years. Jessica made sure to wear an oversized shirt every time. She sighed and prepared for a night of dodging his advances when he showed up at their apartment already drunk and wearing a green t-shirt that read, “Kiss me, I'm Irish!”
“Dude, this place has some amazing parties. Why do we always gotta hang around your tiny apartment?”
Sam looked sheepish. “We don't. I mean, we could go out if you want. I kinda just thought you'd be more comfortable here.”
That was partly true, but Jessica knew the real reason why he never took his brother around campus. He was embarrassed of him.
Sam never really talked about his family, but from the few times he had opened up, it seemed pretty obvious he wasn't proud to be from a family of drunks. He loved his brother, that much was obvious, but she also got the impression that Dean was like a hangnail left over from his old life just waiting to be clipped off.
“Nah,” Dean said. With a shit-eating grin as he walked over to Jess and held out a bottle of Jim Beam green label. “At least this way I get to hit on your girlfriend.”
National Pie Day, 2003
The first time Dean showed up at their door unannounced with a frozen Marie Calendar's pecan pie and ice cream, she thought it was a joke. How in the hell did National Pie Day constitute as a damn holiday?Sam spent the rest of the day apologizing for forgetting to mention it, though it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It turned out to be her favorite holiday with Dean. No booze. She also finally had an excuse to put her baking skills to use.
This year, she decided to bake a dutch apple pie from scratch. Their little apartment smelled amazing. The pie tasted even better.
“Where'd you learn to bake like this?” Dean asked as he scooped up his second helping and topped it with double-churned French vanilla ice cream.
“My dad owned a small bakery over in San Francisco. I earned my money as a teen helping him out around the kitchen. He also made the craziest, most amazing cupcakes.”
“Really?” Sam said. “You never told me that.”
Jessica shrugged. “You never asked.”
Cinco de Mayo, 2004
Tequila and nachos were to Dean what birds and fish were to a cat. Sam spent the majority of the night rolling his eyes and pretending that the guy scarfing down the spicy bean dip and doing belly shots wasn't his brother. They'd gone out to the bar that night.
Jessica sat at their table running her thumb along the stem of her margarita glass and watching Dean talk with the group of sorority girls he had in the palm of his hand.
“I'm sorry,” Sam said with the stench of Jose Cuervo on his breath. “I didn't want to go out either, but he begged me.”
“It's okay,” she said, sipping at her cool beverage. “At least our apartment won't be a train wreck tomorrow morning.”
Truth be told, Jessica really wasn't all that upset about going out. Not even with Dean. He deserved to have a little fun after everything he'd been through.
A wave of laughter erupted from Dean's table. Whatever he had said must have been funny. He seemed like he was having a good time, but Jessica could see the exhaustion and the pain in his eyes.
“Maybe we should get him home,” Jessica said. “It's getting pretty late.”
“Yeah, okay. I'll get him.” Sam stood, had to take a moment to find his balance, and went to Dean's table. “I'm ready to go, Dean.” From the side of the table, he grabbed his brother's second-hand wooden cane and held it out for him.
Jessica still didn't understand how someone could just shoot themselves in the gut by accident. As much as Dean annoyed her and made her want to punch him in the face, a part of her felt genuine pity for him. It looked exhausting always putting on such a carefree act.
May 2nd, 2005
Jessica stood just outside their dining room holding the homemade chocolate cake she'd made for Sam's birthday. The two little candles shaped like a two and a one were already lit, but she found herself unable to move when she overheard Sam and Dean's conversation.
“You're about to graduate. You've done the whole study-buddy indie rock half-caf double vanilla latte thing already. What more do you want?” Dean asked.
“A life?” Sam said. “Dean, I didn't just come to college for the experience. When I...” His voice dropped to barely a whisper, but Jess could still hear it if she strained. “I meant what I said when I walked out on you guys that night. I'm done with it. All of it. For good. This is my life now.”
“Well, that's crap,” Dean said in an equally soft tone. “What about everything Dad taught us? Everything you've seen with your own two eyes? Don't think that I don't get it. I do. Really, I do. This whole apple pie life with your crappy little apartment and cute girlfriend suits you, but you can't just turn your back on everything you know. It's gonna find you one day while you're off playing family man whether you like it or not. Do you really want to put Jessica in the middle of that?”
“That's not going to happen.” Though still a whisper, Sam sounded angrier than she'd ever heard him. “I would never let anything happen to Jess, and I am going to make a life for myself whether you or Dad like it or not.”
The room went silent. Jessica looked down at the birthday cake. Both the candles had gone out, leaving a big glob of melted red wax.
Halloween, 2005
Cold nipped at every bit of Jessica's bare skin as she felt her way through the dark. A familiar voice came from the living room and she followed it until she found the light switch. Sam and Dean were standing in the living room and neither of them looked too happy. Well, Dean did, but only after he saw her in the tiny Smurf shirt and striped pink girl briefs.
“Sam?”
He looked nervous and that put a knot in her stomach. Dean hadn't been back since what happened on Sam's birthday. Didn't even call. Now they were whispering in the dark in the middle of the night and Sam had that look on his face like something bad was about to happen. He'd been acting strange the last couple of days whenever she entered the room, but that was the first time it scared her.
“Jess. Hey. Sorry, did we wake you?”
“What are you doing here, Dean? I thought you said you weren't coming?”
It took a moment for his eyes to move up from her boobs and meet hers. “Love the Smurfs. Did I ever tell you that you are way out of my brother's league?”
She rolled her eyes. Seriously, weren't they past all that? “Let me go put something on.”
“No, no, no. I wouldn't dream of it. Seriously.” Something caught Jessica's attention. Dean's eyes didn't have their usual boyish sparkle. Something was wrong. She felt it in the air. “Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here, talk about some private family business, but it was nice seeing you again.”
Sam looked out of sorts, but overall he just looked frustrated. “No,” he said, going to Jessica's side and putting his arm around her. “Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her.”
She looked up at him. Her boyfriend. Her best friend. They'd been together for almost four years and yet that was the first time she ever felt like the girlfriend of Sam Winchester rather than Sam the insanely tall, but friendly book nerd with a secret mysterious past.
“Okay. Um...” Dean looked just as shocked as she felt. “Dad hasn't been home in a few days.”
So it was about their dad. Maybe she'd finally get to learn something about him other than his intimate relationship with booze.
“So he's working overtime on a Miller Time shift,” Sam said. “He'll stumble back sooner or later.”
Or not.
Judging by the look on Dean's face, there was something Sam wasn't getting. She had no idea what.
“Dad's on a hunting trip, and he hasn't been home in a few days.”
She couldn't explain it. Maybe it was a vibe or a feeling in her gut. But she knew there was a meaning behind those words that she wasn't supposed to understand. That feeling only amplified when she felt Sam go stiff. She looked up and saw an expression on his face she could only interpret as fear.
“Jess,” he said without taking his eyes off of Dean. “Excuse us. We have to go outside.”
“Okay,” she said.
What else could she say?
They left the apartment. It felt so small and suffocating all of a sudden.
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