Title: What If... Racing Towards Destiny
Author: Restive Nature
Disclaimer: Neither show represented in this fiction belongs to me. Dark Angel is the product of Cameron/Eglee and Fox, whereas Supernatural is the product of Kripke and The CW. No profits are made from this fiction and it is intended for private enjoyment only.
Rating: PG-13- NC-17
Genre: Crossover
Type: Romance
Pairing: Max Gueverra/ Sam Winchester
Summary: What if... Max had been having a different dream?
Spoilers/ Time line: This starts when Max is thirteen and going into heat for the very first time.
Feedback: Always welcome!
Distribution: Ask first please.
A/N: This story, while being in the same universe as When It Changes, does not actually occur within that storyline. This fiction is just an off-shoot of what might have happened.
Chapter Twenty
Happy Holidays Holly Homemaker
Sam waved at Dennis as he climbed out of his car. His next door neighbor was up a ladder, attempting to string Christmas lights across his housing eaves. "Hey! Need a hand?" Sam called jovially.
"Nah! I'm good!" Dennis called back from his perch. "Just trying to keep up with the Winchester's, you know!" Sam grinned, looking over his and Max's house. Thanksgiving had barely passed, with all of their friends gathering at their home for a pot luck dinner, when Max had started decorating for Christmas. Sam had been confused at first, since family Christmas' weren't much more than gift exchanges, a meal somewhere and usually a hunt. But when Max had pointed out that this was the first time that she actually had a home to decorate and a deeper understanding of the holiday, he happily indulged her sentimentality. And even enjoyed quite a bit of it himself. Especially all of the Christmas goodies that she and the other girls had gotten together on occasions to make.
"Well don't hurt yourself trying," he called back to Dennis and with another wave, headed inside. "Max? I'm home!" he called as he pulled off his coat and hung it up in the closet. He heard the shower running and headed that way, making sure to knock, in case she hadn't heard him before. "Max? It's me," he announced.
"Hey Sam," she greeted from inside the tub. The shower curtain was drawn and it, along with the spray of the water, muffled her voice. "Feel like joining me?" That he heard loud and clear and he began shucking his clothes immediately.
"Always," he laughed. He kicked his clothes into a pile out of the way and climbed into the back of the tub. He sucked in his breath, finding that she was facing him, standing under the spray, rinsing shampoo from her hair. Her head was tilted back so that she wouldn't get soap in her eyes. "Hey babe," he whispered against her neck as his hands spanned her waist. Max sighed dreamily, leaning into him. Sam ignored the sting of reflected spray on his face to continue nuzzling at her neck.
"I thought you'd be gone longer," Max murmured, though she didn't sound upset by the fact that he was home earlier than expected.
"Oh, well," Sam frowned, trying to re-direct his thoughts. He hadn't meant to be distracted when he'd come up with his idea earlier. "A little bad news there. Nothing major though," he hastened to assure her when her eyes went wide.
"What was it?" Max asked, moving slightly out of the spray.
"I didn't get the packages shipped," he informed her.
Max frowned and asked tightly, "how come?" Sam shrugged.
"The place was closed."
Max's face grew indignant. "But I called to make sure," she protested. "They've expanded their hours for the holidays."
"Well, I don't know anything about that," Sam offered genially. "But the store was locked up tight, the lights off. But it'll be okay. I'll run down there tomorrow and if we have to, we'll pay the extra to ship them express."
Max wrinkled her nose up at him. "Now you see why I didn't want to wait?"
"Yes, you're omniscient," Sam teased. "Now, do you want to hear the good news?"
"Mm, spill!" Max grinned as they switched positions and Sam readjusted the spray to accommodate his height. He let the warm water cascade over him for a few minutes, enjoying Max's squirming in more ways than one.
"Well," he drawled as he reached for his bar of soap, "I figured out the perfect Christmas gift for you today."
"Oh really? And what would that be?"
"I'm not going to tell you," he laughed.
"Well now, that's just mean," Max pouted. "Getting me all excited and then leaving me hanging..."
"You love it when I get you all excited," Sam taunted.
"Uh huh," Max retorted dryly, "but you know that the longer you take to satisfy me, the crankier I get. And you know what that means!"
"Actually I don't," Sam fought his grin and arched one eyebrow at her. "Because as far as I'm aware, I've never left you unsatisfied. Or have I been missing something?"
"Oh all right," Max grudgingly conceded. "You're very good in that department. But be warned, I will worm this secret out of you."
"And you're welcome to try," Sam smirked. "Because I am not going to be the one to spill the beans." He replaced the bar of soap on the shower caddy and reached next for his shampoo. He poured a generous measure into the palm of his hand and then began scrubbing it through his hair. Max watched him for a moment, waiting until he'd worked the shampoo through and began rinsing it out before she sank to her knees before him. Sam's eyes snapped open and a startled gasp escaped him. Oh lord! She was not playing fair!
*****
"Boy! Tells me to call at seven and doesn't even bother to answer the damn phone," Dean grumbled disgruntedly under his breath as he listened to the phone ringing endlessly, yet again. He was about to hang up when someone finally answered.
"Hello?" asked a slightly out of breath Max.
"Hey Max!"
"Dean? What's up?"
"Not much," he grunted, though he was smiling widely. "What were you doing? I tried calling a couple times."
"I was in the shower," she replied.
"Well isn't Sammy home yet?"
"He is," Max confirmed.
"Well why didn't he answer the phone then?" Dean snorted and then could almost hear the amused silence coming across the line. "No, wait! I don't want to know!"
"No, I don't imagine you do," Max laughed.
"Uh huh," Dean groaned. "Actually, what I called to ask is, how long is your couch? The new one."
"How long is...?" Max repeated, sounding suspicious, like she thought she was being set up for some joke. "Six feet. Why?"
"Is that total," her brother asked. "Or is that seating area?"
"Total," she answered shortly. "Why...?"
"Oh well, see, Dad and I flipped a coin over who got the bed in the spare room and I lost," Dean explained.
"Who got the bed...?" Max repeated, now sounding mystified.
"But on the up side," Dean continued, "this way I'll be closer to all the presents. I can get into them as soon as I get up. Did you get me something good?"
It came together suddenly for Max and she cried out excitedly, "you're coming for Christmas?"
"Yeah," Dean confirmed, and then tried to sound casual. "Didn't Sam tell you he called us this afternoon to invite us?" he asked, just as his little bother had told him to do. He was startled by a clatter and surmised from the far away sounding shriek, that Max had dropped the phone.
"Oh Sam! This is my surprise?"
Dean could hear his brother laughing. "I told you that I wasn't going to be the one to spill the beans."
There was a long pause and Dean muttered under his breath, "yeah, don't mind me, the guy who has to spend all his time driving to get there..." his rant was disrupted by his brother's panting voice.
"Dean? We'll call you back later." And then there was nothing. Dean chuckled and shut off his phone. It was going to be a good Christmas this year.
*****
"Let me guess," a stout young man announced from beside Sam, who was watching Max. Sam turned his head slightly. "First time buying a real tree?"
Sam grinned as he glanced down at the much shorter youth. "First time buying any tree," he informed the young man who was obviously working in the Christmas tree lot that they had stopped at.
"Ah," the kid nodded. "That would explain it."
"Explain for what?" Sam asked.
"The look on her face," the kid grinned cheekily. "Usually you only see the kids lookin' like that. Most adults already know what they want when they get here. But kids? They just have to look at every single one, you know?"
"Yeah," Sam smiled fondly at his girlfriend as she debated between two trees. Her hand brushed over the pines of one, found a pine cone and gave it a little tap, setting it to swinging. Her eyes were brilliant points of light as she turned to him.
"What do you think Sam?" she asked as she gestured to the tree.
"It looks perfect," he told her, even though it looked just like the rest of the trees surrounding it.
"I thought so too," she murmured, turning back to brush her fingers over it again.
"That the one you've decided on?" asked the lot salesman, stepping forward after helping direct some other customers meandering through the converted parking lot.
Max nodded. "Yeah, that's the one."
"Okay," the salesman turned to the young man beside Sam. "Jimmy, go get the saw please."
"I'm on it Dad," the kid saluted, but stopped to tell Sam, "you know, it's a happy face like that, that makes this whole thing worthwhile. That... and the tips!" He darted away as Sam laughed over his brazenness.
"So? You're setting it up right away?" the salesman was asking Max.
"Tomorrow night," she confirmed, with a nod.
"Okay, Jimmy will square it off right for you. And then you'll want to keep it in a bucket of moist sand or water until then." He continued to give Max instructions about watering and how much needle drop off she could expect and she nodded along, as if this were the first Christmas tree she'd ever been around. It wasn't, since Bobby had always managed to cut down something to decorate his living room with. And Molly Gallagher had invested in an artificial tree all those years ago. But nothing seemed to dim her excitement. The youth, Jimmy, returned and expertly squared off the slanted edge of the base and together, he and his father bound the tree with a length of baler twine. His father took the chainsaw back to the office and Sam followed along so that he could pay for the purchase. Max led Jimmy and the tree to their car that they'd decided to buy that summer, overseeing the very careful procedure of strapping it to the roof.
When Sam returned, Jimmy and Max were finished and the boy was telling Max about their family expeditions to the mountains to cut down the trees. Finding out that it was a locally owned family business made Sam glad that they'd chosen this lot instead of the more commercial lots that they'd seen. He thanked Jimmy, shaking his hand and slipping him a five dollar bill.
"Hey thanks!" the kid grinned as he slipped the money into his jean pocket.
"Yeah, well just keep up that advertising," Sam teased as he moved around to the driver's side, as Max had already climbed into the passenger's seat. As soon as he settled his long frame comfortable, Max was off, talking excitedly about the tree decorations that they'd bought earlier and the glitter spray that she was going to decorate the pine cones with. Sam just held her hand as he drove, and listened contentedly as she rambled on.
*****
"Thanks for inviting me over guys," Jess grinned as Sam took her coat as they stood in the hallway.
"Well, I know you were disappointed about not being able to make it up to your parents place to help decorate theirs," Max shrugged as she led their friend into the living room. Jess went right over to the far corner by the window where they'd set the tree up. There was maybe half a foot between the top of the tree and the ceiling.
"Oh, this is great," she enthused, and as Max had, she ran her fingers over the pine cones. "My parents bought an artificial one a few years ago. I miss the smell of a real pine."
"Well, sniff all you want," Sam teased, "it's not going anywhere for a while."
"So what made you guys change your mind about having a tree?"
"Dad and Dean are coming out on Christmas Eve," Sam supplied, though he didn't explain to Jessica the significance of that. That he was reaching out to his father to try and mend this rift between them, for Max's sake. He alone knew how desperately she missed them and that their visit was where all of her real excitement over the holiday was stemming from.
"Oh, so we'll finally get to meet your Dad, huh?" Jess chuckled.
"Maybe," Sam shrugged. "I doubt it though. They'll only be here for a few days. He's really dedicated to his job."
"I'll say," Jess snorted delicately. "The way Max talks, he never takes a break."
"Not usually, no," Max agreed and then hurried to say ," would you like something to drink?" Jess nodded and Max looked to Sam He shook his head and moved over to begin separating some packages lined up along the wall. Jess followed after him.
"Oh my goodness. Max has been busy."
"Yup," Sam grinned as he found the bags that contained the tree decorations, as opposed to other household decorations and some gifts. "She's been buying stuff for everybody." There were several bags left against the wall as Sam began unloading the decorations.
"And I'm hoping that's for Tasha," Jess chuckled, pointing at the toy store bag which contained a toddler's activity table.
"I suppose so," Max sighed as she returned from the kitchen with a soft drink for her friend. "I mean, Sam'd look awful funny trying to fit his legs under that."
"Oh, speaking of, how'd she like her birthday gift?"
"It was a huge hit," Max grinned. "I'm glad you suggested it."
"Yeah, Trish really appreciated it," Sam nodded and then laughed at the memory of Tasha's first birthday party that he and Max had been invited to.
"I'm sensing a story here," Jess laughed, wrinkling her nose in amusement. She and Max took seats on the couch as Sam continued organizing things.
"Well," Max began, "you can tell that this is the first grand baby on either side." She made herself comfortable before continuing. "Dennis' mom bought jewelry for Tash, even though Trish is against piercing her ears. And Trish's mom wanted to give her a kitten, even though Dennis is allergic to them."
"Oh good lord," Jess chuckled, rolling her eyes.
"And of course, tons of gifts. Well every time Tasha would open one, she'd want to play with it. But oh no, the grandparents would take it away and shove another one at her."
"That must have been very frustrating for the baby," Jess noted and Max nodded.
"Well, Trish finally took her to the bedroom, crying her eyes out while Dennis lectured the parents. So when they came back out, they let Tasha find something to play with. And she heads straight for this walker that Trish's mom got her. So Andrea's showing it to her, helping her push it around. And its got this compartment in it, so you can store the accessories, right?" Max explained and Jess nodded. "Well, Andrea showed her that and I guess she thought it was just like her stroller and she sits down on it. Busted it right apart."
"Oh no!" Jess gasped and then laughed.
"It was made to do that," Sam interjected as he started untangling a string of lights. "It just pops together."
"But then Dave and Steve are trying to tell Dennis how to fix it," Max picked up the thread of the story again through her laughter. "And they keep yanking it from each other, trying to prove their manliness over a plastic toy." Jess was laughing so hard by now that she was holding her stomach. "So Tasha's crying, everyone's fussing over her and she just wanted her toy. Finally, she crawled over to Sam and hid behind his legs." She glanced fondly at her boyfriend who was smiling over the memory. "So he picks her up and takes her over to the couch and helps her open our gift."
"Which was the toy stroller," Jess nodded, keeping up with the story.
"So he puts her in the stroller, which she just fit into and they go zooming all over the house. Which was so funny to watch, since the thing barely came up to Sam's knees. He had to crawl all over the house to push her."
"Well it didn't seem fair to just leave her sitting there," Sam defended himself with a huff and then a chuckle.
"So on one of their trips through the living room," Max continued, "I hand Tash the baby doll that we got for her and suddenly now, Baby has to have a turn. So Sam helped her get the doll in the stroller and off she went."
"Sounds like it was a very good gift," Jess commented.
"It was," Max nodded. "Trish told me that the next day, Tasha was pushing it down the hallway and it got away from her. Well, she was so busy trying to catch up with it, that she just kept on walking."
"Oh, that's awesome," Jess crowed, knowing from previous gossip, that the couple had been fretting over their daughter not walking on her own at that point. Sam laughed and turned back to the women.
"You know," he mentioned, "it was a good thing that Max decided on that plush doll instead of the plastic one." Max giggled and nodded.
"Oh yeah. When it was time for cake, Marissa picked up Tasha to take her to the table, but Tash wanted to keep playing. She starts yelling 'no no!' and smacked Marissa right in the face with it." Jess began laughing again. "Here, I should get the pictures," Max decided, getting up from the couch after setting her drink down. She headed for the study and was soon back with a very full shoe box.
"Oh my God," Jess snorted as Max placed it on the coffee table. "Are you ever going to get a photo album?"
"Oh, one of these days," Max shrugged as she rifled through the pictures.
"You know," Jess spoked contemplatively, "you should talk to Allison. She knows one of those ladies that does those Creative Memories photo album things. You know, where you make theme pages and stuff, instead of just shoving pictures in those plastic sleeves. I think the woman does workshops and stuff."
"That could be fun," Max smiled.
"Oh great Jess," Sam snorted. "Give her another hobby to clutter up the house with."
"Hey," Max pouted teasingly. "I notice you don't complain about the end results of those hobbies. Like all the cookies I bake?"
"Well somebody has to eat them," Sam retorted.
"Or riding my motorcycle?"
"Because we didn't have the car back then."
"Or the slippers I knit for you?"
"They keep my feet warm."
"Or the afghan I made?"
"Because that covers all of me without having to stretch it out."
"Or the necklace that I made in jewelry class?"
"Because that's all you were wearing when you showed it to me..." Sam's mouth snapped shut and he flushed, realizing what he'd just admitted out loud as both women laughed. "Dean's right," he chuckled. "You are a brat!"
"But you love me anyway," Max cooed right back. Sam's lip twitched.
"Yeah, I guess I've learned to put up with you."
Max grinned and went back to finding the photos that she wanted. She handed them to Jess, who set down her glass to flip through them. "These are hilarious," she chuckled.
"Yup," Max nodded. "Dean loved them too. Especially the one where Tasha smooshed cake up her nose. Actually, he offered me fifty dollars if I could get a shot of Sam wearing a lamp shade sometime."
Jess laughed and shook her head. "There's no way you'd ever get Sam that drunk."
"Who says I'd have to be drunk?" Sam retorted as he finished laying the lights across the floor. "I'd consider it... if the bribe was right." He threw a wink at Max over his shoulder. Her grin widened as she stood up.
"Excuse me Jess," she murmured. "I have to go scheme on that for a while, er, I mean check on dinner!"
*****
"It looks wonderful," Jess sighed as they all stood, staring at the fully decorated tree.
"You guys did a good job,' Sam complimented as he stood behind Max, his arms draped loosely around her waist. Max rubbed at his bare forearm.
"You helped," she reminded.
"Only because you didn't feel like getting the step stool," Sam teased. He'd been more happy just to watch the animation of her face as she'd fussed over the tree.
"I can't believe we went through so much popcorn," Max marveled, fingering a strand of the old fashioned garland.
"I warned you," Jess said. "Although, I think that the microwave popcorn worked better than regular popped kernels did."
"They grow it specially," Sam informed her," to be bigger and puffier." Jess nodded.
"I'll have to tell Mom about that. She always complains about the kernels popping so small and then breaking on the needle."
"The pine cones turned out nice," Sam offered. And the were, with hints of gold and silver sparkling at them from the depths of the tree.
"And we can take them off before we take the tree out to the curb and put them in a bowl," Max announced. Sam's eyebrows furrowed together.
"Why would we do that?" he asked as the telephone began to ring. He let Max loose as he moved to the kitchen to answer it.
"Cause it'll look pretty, silly," Max grinned. Sam grinned back and disappeared around the corner to get the phone. Jess and Max continued to fuss over the tree.
"Hey Max?" Sam called, poking his head around the corner. "Are we free next Saturday night?"
Max shook her head. "I have to work Saturday night, remember?"
"No, the Saturday after that," Sam clarified.
"Yeah, we're free," Max declared. "Why?"
"Dennis was informed today that attendance of the company Christmas part is mandatory. Trish wanted to know if we could babysit."
"That's fine with me," Max grinned. Sam pulled the phone back up to his mouth.
"Trish? Yeah, we'd love to!"
Jess threw Max a heavy look, full of meaning.
"Grr," Max growled playfully, understanding the meaning behind the look immediately. "When we're ready," she warned yet again.
"If it weren't for Sam's determination to finish school," Jess grinned, "I'd say he's ready now." Max made a non-committal sort of noise. She shared Jess' opinion, but between her and Sam, they had definitely decided to wait on the kid issue. They had all the time in the world. "So speaking of schedules," Jess very graciously changed the subject.
"Were we?" Max frowned.
"We are now," Jess chuckled. "You'll have to let me know when you're both free for the Christmas party I'm planning. We've all decided that we're not taking advantage of you guys again just 'cause you have a house."
"It's no problem," Max shrugged. "We don't mind."
"Yes, but for once, you need a night off just to relax, instead of having to run the show," Jess pointed out. "Besides, you'll have enough of that while Sam's family is in town."
"And I can't wait," Max smiled benignly.
*****
"Max, come sit down," Sam implored to her yet again. "They'll get here when they get here."
"Blah," Max snorted as she moved from the window over to the couch where Sam patiently sat. "Dean said Christmas Eve and knowing them, they'll stroll in here just before midnight."
"Exactly," Sam stressed as he caught her hand and pulled her into his lap. "So quit fussing and just relax."
"I'm sorry," she apologized, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm just so excited."
"I've noticed," Sam remarked dryly.
"It's just been so long since I've seen them."
"I know," he murmured, playing with her hair.
"And it's been even longer for you and Dad."
"It has," he agreed mildly and though he didn't say it, he was nervous as well. Mostly about seeing his father. He wondered if John was coming out just for Max's sake. Did he possibly have any interest in seeing his son? Would he accept Sam's apology? He coaxed Max's head back and whispered kisses along her face. Suddenly, distracting her seemed like an excellent way to pass the time. And as he hoped, her focus narrowed down to him as she pulled the arm of his that was resting on her thigh up around her waist and returned his kisses. He slid his finger under the loose hem of her cheery green sweater she was wearing as her tiny fingers caressed his jaw. Both knew that it wouldn't go farther than this, since Dean and John really could show up at any moment. It was almost like they were kids again, Sam mused, trying to get in some loving moments before they had to go back to being what everyone thought of them as. But this time it was different. There would always be later, alone in their bedroom, in their home, where their couple hood was an established and welcome fact. Looking forward to that later, made it easy for them to take it slowly now. Just a little something to fuel that anticipation. But after a little bit Max pulled away.
"Phone," she told him breathlessly and only then did Sam hear it ringing. She made to get up, but Sam tightened his grip on her waist. She turned to protest and he planted a quick kiss on her nose before he let her loose. Max flashed him a grin and hurried to the kitchen to answer. Sam relaxed against the sofa, listening in as she answered. "Hello?" she asked. "Oh hey Dean! Where are you guys?" Sam waited for her to continue. "Why? What happened? Are you guys okay?" That did not sound good. Sam propelled himself off of the sofa and into the kitchen. Max's back was to him. "No, no, I understand," she was murmuring. Sam stepped up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked up at him, but quickly glanced away. But not before he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. "No Dean," her light tone sounded forced. "It's okay. Really. I'm not mad. I just need to... go... get something out of the oven," she ended faintly. She handed the phone blindly back to Sam and when he took it, she hurried to their bedroom. Sam gritted his teeth as he heard the very quiet click as the door shut behind her. Only then did he pull the phone up to his ear.
"Dean?" he spoke slowly, trying to keep a lid on his suddenly simmering anger.
"Boy, she's really turned into a little hausfrau, hasn't she?" his brother joked immediately.
"Dean," Sam's tone held a warning in it.
"Or maybe I should call her Holly Homemaker," he continued to joke.
"Dean," Sam's voice was deeper than usual with emotion.
"Yeah?"
"She finished all of her baking yesterday," he told his brother pointedly. "And we've already eaten dinner." He heard his brother sigh.
"Sammy, I'm sorry." His older brother sounded suddenly weary. "But an urgent case came up."
"Right," said Sam shortly. "And how hard did Dad search to find it, so that he'd have an excuse not to come out here?"
"Look Sammy, don't be that way," Dean cajoled, but it had no effect. "This just can't wait."
"And no one else can take care of it," Sam snarled. "Yeah! I've heard that line of crap before Dean. All my life I've heard it. And you just go right along with it."
"Damn it!" Dean suddenly snapped. "This is what Dad was afraid of. That we'd get out there and you two would get into it about something and ruin Max's Christmas."
"And instead he's just made her feel unimportant," Sam snapped right back.
"Hey," Dean roared, "you two left. Remember that? You walked out on us!"
"And I was the one that reached out, because I wanted to put this separation behind us," Sam told his brother heatedly. "But there is obviously no way in hell that Dad could handle that, is there? Because if he doesn't have his anger, then he has nothing. Doesn't he Dean?"
"Shut up Sam!" Dean warned and then softly, "he has me. He needs me."
"Don't delude yourself man," Sm snorted. "It's the other way around. You need him. Otherwise, what've you got? A pissed off brother who can barely stand to speak to you, your sister crying in the bedroom, because she misses you so badly it makes her sick and the rest is just emptiness."
"Sam," his brother muttered faintly. He could hear the pain and hurt in Dean's voice, but it didn't change how Sam felt.
"You know what Dean? Maybe you're right. Maybe you and Dad need each other. But right now? Right now Max needs me!" He hung up before his brother could say another word. But now that he'd burned off the worst of his anger, hurling accusations at his elder brother, Sam felt kind of sick inside. He set the phone back gently in it's base and headed for the bedroom.
He opened the door to see Max, lying stiffly on her side, hugging herself tightly around the middle, staring at the wall. He padded quietly over to his side of the bed. He climbed onto the bed and laid himself out beside her, though he propped his head up with his hand. "Hey," he whispered against her shoulder as he slid his free hand around her waist and arms. She held herself stiffly still for just a moment longer and then turned herself over, and buried her face in his chest. Sam rubbed soothingly at her back.
"I really wanted them to come," Max sobbed suddenly as the tears she'd been holding back finally began to flow.
"I know baby, I know," he told her quietly. And not knowing what else he could do, he simply held her until she had cried herself to sleep.
*****
When Sam woke the next morning, Max's side of the bed was empty. He glanced around, noting that it was just after seven and that the bedroom door was ajar. He could hear sounds in the kitchen and scents tickled at his nose. He pulled the covers back and sat up. He rubbed at the gritty feeling in his eyes. Yawning, he found his slippers under the bed and pulled them on. He slipped out to the kitchen where he found Max vigorously stirring something in a bowl. "Hey sweetheart," he greeted, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "Merry Christmas." She turned her head and gave him a tight smile.
"You too," she offered softly.
"You're up early," Sam observed.
"Well," Max shrugged one shoulder. "I couldn't sleep any more. And I figured that there was no reason why we shouldn't enjoy the day. So I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast."
"Mm," Sam's nose twitched appreciatively. "That's what smells so good. And what's this?" he asked, trying to swipe a finger through the white, creamy confection in the bowl.
"Cream cheese frosting," Max chuckled a little as she tried to keep the bowl away from him and keep stirring at the same time. It did Sam good to hear her honestly making an effort. At last he got a dab of the frosting and instead of eating it, smeared it over the end of her nose. "Sam!" she laughingly protested. Before she could say any more, they heard a knock at the front door.
"Wonder who that is," Sam asked as the oven timer beeped.
"Maybe it's Trish and Tasha trying to escape mother in law mayhem," Max joked.
"One way to find out," Sam sighed as Max bent over the now opened oven to retrieve the rolls. Sam shuffled through the hall, yawning once more as he rubbed one eye. He pulled the door open and stopped short when he saw his brother's slightly haggard, yet grinning face, waiting for him.
"Ho ho ho," Dean offered quietly.
"Dean?" Sam mumbled and they both heard a clatter from the kitchen. "Is it...?"
"Yeah, it's just me," Dean told him, shrugging awkwardly and then Max was there.
"Oh Dean! You made it!" Max enthused, stepping forward to Sam's side.
"Yeah," he agreed roughly. "Had to drive most of the night, but I'm here."
"Well come in," Max invited. "I'll get some coffee going and the cinnamon rolls are almost ready." Both men couldn't help but notice the way her eyes were sparkling.
"That sounds good," Dean grinned, "but I need Sammy out at the car first." He glanced at his brother and Sam nodded weakly.
"Just let me grab a coat first." He did so, glad he had worn sweats and a t-shirt to sleep in. He followed after his brother as Max happily headed back to the kitchen to make the proffered coffee. "Dean," Sam called after him as his brother stepped off the porch. Dean turned back expectantly. "Um, about last night... I'm sorry. I didn't mean it," he rushed on. "I was angry and... you know?"
"Yeah, I know," Dean accepted calmly. He jerked his head toward the car and continued down the front walk. "I was too."
"Oh," Sam muttered, following.
"Yup," Dean confirmed easily. "So pissed that I walked back in and told Dad that I was coming out here come hell or high water."
Sam grinned at that. "What'd he say?"
"Nothin'," Dean shrugged. "He just grabbed his stuff and left. But when I got out to the car," he opened the back door and gestured inside, "this was here." Sam glanced inside and saw a very large, wrapped package. Bending over, he turned the gift tag to face him and saw in his father's handwriting, 'for Sammy and Max'. He blinked a few times and glanced up at his brother. "Why should I have to carry it in?" his brother teased. "Go ahead and grab it. I've got to get the other stuff." He pulled his keys from his pocket and went to unlock the trunk. Sam carefully heaved the package out, surprised by the weight of it. Dean had slung a bag over his shoulder, picked up a few presents that hadn't fit anywhere else and expertly closed the trunk lid with his elbow. Once Sam was out of the way, he bumped the back door shut with his hip. He followed Sam, who'd luckily left the front door slightly ajar.
Sam pushed the door open with his shoulder and led Dean into the living room. Max was waiting there. Her eyes widened as she saw what Sam was carrying and he flashed her a grin. "From Dad," he explained as he stepped around her to lean it against the far wall. Dean approached her, an apprehensive smile and held out the packages that he was carrying in his arms. Max arched a single brow, took the packages from him and set them carefully on the sofa nearest her. She turned back to Dean and then threw herself into his arms. Sam watched as the apprehension on Dean's face melted away in a millisecond and was replaced with a look of peace.
"Thank you," Max murmured. Dean didn't say anything at all, just hugged her a little more tightly. Finally, they let each other loose and Max stepped back and cleared her throat. Dean gently lowered his remaining bag to the sofa as well. "So how long can you stay?" Max asked, striving to keep her voice clear of any petulance or accusation.
"Tonight at the latest," Dean sighed. "So? Presents?"
"They can wait," Max decided. "You need some more sleep."
"Nah, I'm fine," Dean protested as he pulled off his coat. "Although, a little coffee probably wouldn't hurt."
"Dean, if I know you, you're probably swimming in it by now," Max teased. "Don't worry, we won't start without you."
"Well," Dean tried to smother a yawn, "if you guys don't mind...."
"Go Dean," Sam instructed. Dean flashed them a grin and disappeared into the study. Sam approached Max from behind and wrapped his arm around her waist again. He pulled her hair out of the way and pressed a kiss against her neck. "Well, this morning is turning out better than we thought, huh?" he asked softly.
"It is," Max agreed. "Okay," she grunted suddenly, pulling herself up straighter. "I need to frost the rolls as soon as they're cool. And I think that I'll put the turkey in a little early. We can probably eat at about one."
"Anything I can do to help?" Sam grinned. Max nodded. She was full of ideas to help the morning move along quickly.
*****
When Dean woke up that morning, he knew that several hours had passed. His nose twitched as several tantalizing smells assaulted it. Most of all, the appreciated scent of brewed coffee. Clambering out of the bed, he looked around, actually noticing the contents of the room this time. The bed was in the same place as before and right beside it was a small bookcase. It was crammed full of school books and reference books. The desk was neat and tidy, though Dean knew that even if Sam weren't on winter break, it would still be that way. There were a few photos in frames littered across the top of the desk. Dean saw the familiar one that Max had had done last year, with the kittens. But now there were some of just her, some of Sam and Max together and one of them gathered with a huge group of friends. Dean smiled, happy to know that they'd built themselves a good life. And if he were honest with himself, just a tiny bit jealous. He glanced at his watch, and saw that it was nearing eleven a.m. He probably could have slept for longer, but he felt hunger gnawing at his belly. And it wasn't just for food. He wanted to spend as much time with Sam and Max as he could.
Dean headed back into the main area of the house and found the couple in the dining room. As soon as Max heard him, she'd moved out of her chair to retrieve a cup of coffee for him. She placed it before him as he took a seat and he gratefully took a deep swallow. He heard the microwave beeping and the next thing he knew, she had placed a huge cinnamon roll, piled high with frosting before him. Eying it appreciatively, Dean picked up the fork accompanying it and cut in. He didn't care about their chuckles as he shoved a huge piece of it into his mouth. Damn it! He was hungry! As the flavors melded in his mouth, Dean's eyes rolled up in his head and he moaned, "oh my God! That is sooo good."
"Thank you," Max chuckled modestly. Dean swallowed and pointed at the baked confection with his fork.
"You made this?" he demanded. She nodded. "Seriously?" Max grinned and Sam chuckled.
"Yeah," she confirmed. "Jess and Alli took turns giving me cooking lessons.
"Cool," Dean enthused as he cut another portion off. He saw now that they had used, empty plates before them, though they were lingering over their coffee.
"Oh, speaking of Jess," Max grinned. "She dropped off a present for you a few days ago," she told him.
"She did?" Dean paused, his eyebrows going up in surprise.
"Yeah," Sam confirmed, stretching. "She said that she thought of you as soon as she saw it and just had to get it for you."
"And that you'd understand it," Max threw in. "Gotta say, it's a little curious." Dean snorted and grinned at his brother.
"In other words, Max is getting impatient and wants me to hurry up and open it so her curiosity will finally be satisfied."
"Pretty much," Sam nodded, trying not to smile.
"Jeez," Dean snorted inelegantly. "I'd have thought you;d have broken her of that by now," he taunted.
"Well, I gotta say, I get a little impatient myself," Sam retorted, throwing a wink at Max and Dean understood immediately the innuendo when a blush highlighted her cheeks.
"I don't wanna know!" he announced.
"Oh, and how many times did he talk your ear off about his sexual acrobats?" Max calmly asked her boyfriend.
"Too many times to count," Sam assured her.
"I'm warning you," Dean waved the fork threateningly, "my brain'll explode if you go there."
"Do it Sam!" she cried out ruthlessly as she grinned. "I'd pay good money to see that."
"Such a brat," Dean sighed. "I guess you just don't love me anymore, huh Maxie?"
"I fed you, didn't I?" she shot right back. "Besides, how else are you going to sharpen your wits?"
"They're plenty sharp," Dean retorted. "And as for feeding me, any chance of another?" He pouted at her as she took his plate.
"No chance," she grinned and ruffled his hair. "You have to save room for turkey dinner." Dean's eyebrows rose at that.
"And all the trimmings," Sam added.
"I guess Holly Homemaker was right," Dean chuckled. Sam gave a small nod as Max sighed.
"I'm not even going to ask." She placed their dishes in the dishwasher, refilled Dean's coffee and then wiped down the table hurriedly.
"Come on Max," Dean cajoled. "Presents!"
"And they call me impatient!" they heard her snort as she rinsed out the washcloth. While he waited for his sister to emerge again from the kitchen, Dean rose and crossed to the far outside wall and studied the collection of pictures lining it.
"This is a good picture," he commented, pointing at a studio portrait that they'd recently had done. Aside from that and the picture of Max on her Ninja, the rest were candids.
"Oh yeah," Sam agreed. "That turned out pretty well."
"But don't you usually face the camera?" Dean teased. In the picture, Sam was looking to the right, as you looked at it, or his left as he was sitting. Max's body was facing forward, but their eyes were gazing at one another.
"We were, but Max didn't like it. So she turned around and planted this big kiss on me..."
"... and the idiot photographer actually managed to snap that picture,' Max completed as she rounded the corner. She crossed the room to the end table by the window and picked up several filled-to-the-brim stockings. She held one out to Dean with a grin.
"Aren't we a little old for stockings filled by Santa?" he teased as he moved to accept it.
"Well if you don't want it..." Max chuckled, pulling it away.
"Uh uh," Dean snorted. "Gimme!" He snatched it back, careful not to spill his coffee. Max turned to Sam.
"And now do you see where I learned it all?" Sam grinned and accepted his stocking and a kiss from her.
"Dean, you're a brat," Sam announced. "And yet, such a wonderful role model."
"Somebody had to be," Dean grinned as he set his coffee on the end table and took a seat. He noticed that there was another stocking there, presumably for John. Max and Sam followed after him, although Sam opted to sit on the floor, between Dean and Max's feet.
"So what did Santa get me?" Dean muttered.
"Things that she thought you might be running low on," Max answered quickly. Dean began to dig through the stocking and found that she'd gotten all of his favorite brands of necessities. He laughed though, when he pulled out a bottle of cologne.
"What?" Sam asked, glancing up from his own pile of goodies.
"Your girl's got a mind like an elephant," Dean laughed. He showed Sam the bottle and then turned to Max. "You know, I always meant to get some of this, but I couldn't remember the name."
"Well, now you'll have an easier time of it," Max grinned.
"Still not getting it," Sam grunted.
Max leaned forward to tell him, "that's the scent I picked out for Dean when he was buying you all that date stuff, years ago."
"Ah," Sam nodded. He held his hand out and Dean obligingly passed the bottle over. Sam opened and then sniffed at it.
"It's not bad," he decided. "A little... wild man of the woods though."
"That's what I thought," Max giggled. Dean took the bottle back.
"As long as it drives the ladies wild, I don't care what you call it." He set the bottle aside and began pulling out the chocolates and other goodies that Max had managed to cram into the stocking, and then, "a lottery ticket?" he asked, pulling out a Southern California scratch and win ticket.
"Chuck was telling Max about how it's been a family tradition forever with them," Sam told him.
"And I figured, what could it hurt," Max chimed in as she scratched off her ticket. "Hey! Two dollars!"
"Two dollars," Sam repeated, holding up his own ticket. Max gave him a fond kiss and they turned expectantly to Dean.
"No two dollars," he informed them in a pouty voice. "But on the upside..."
"Not your money wasted?" Sam teased with a laugh.
"Well that," Dean conceded, "and it says that I won fifty. Guess I've got my gas money now!"
"I told you that Sam was a good luck charm," Max crowed.
"Huh," Sam grunted. "If I was so charming, that would've been my ticket." They all laughed and repacked their stockings.
"Now presents?" Dean asked hopefully, reminding Max of an eager little boy.
"Yup," Sam agreed as he crawled over to the pile underneath the tree and started handing them out. He found Jess' first, curious himself as to what the blond had bought for his brother. Both he and Max waited for Dean to open his first and he knew it. He played it out as long as he could before he drew out, from what the other two could see, was a black T-shirt. Dean shook it out and his smirk grew before he collapsed back on the sofa, laughing.
"What?" Max asked, grinning as well.
"That is so awesome," Dean chuckled and then turned the shirt around for them to see. Max stretched it out slightly to see a cartoon Smurf. But instead of the usual get-up, this one was wearing black pants, a black leather jacket, sunglasses and the word 'Smurf-a-licious' was emblazoned underneath.
"I didn't know you liked the Smurfs," Sam commented with a strange look on his face.
"Let's just say that I've recently learned to appreciate just how fun those little blue freaks can be," Dean grunted back with a satisfied smirk on his face as he looked the shirt over again. Max and Sam exchanged looks and shrugs and then set about opening their gifts. Max chuckled over hers and Sam glanced up at it and groaned, causing Dean to look up.
"How many hobbies does she think you need?" Sam demanded as Max admired the beginner's cross-stitch kit she and Jess had looked over several weeks before.
"Oh Sam," Max laughed. "I promise, I'll save it for when you're not home or when I can't sleep."
"You know, instead of doing that when you can't sleep," Sam began and then glanced at Dean. "Know what? Never mind," he mumbled, glancing again at his brother and then snapping his mouth shut.
"Jeez Sam," Dean guffawed over his brother's shyness. "I'm quite aware that you guys don't spend all your time playin' patty-cake." He turned to Max. "All this time with you and he's still this shy? Sometimes I wonder if we're even related," he snorted.
"Sam just doesn't kiss and tell, unlike some people," Max smirked. "And if you don't quit teasing him, I'll tell him about Darlene and the vodka incident." Dean sat up straight, his eyes widening.
"How'd you know about that?" he demanded, scowling.
"Bratty little sister, remember?" Max taunted. She opened her mouth, turning to Sam, but Dean leaned forward.
"Sammy, I beg you, appease her with gifts! Many, many gifts!"
"All right," Sam snickered as he pulled some more gifts from the pile. "I'll just get her to tell me later."
"No fair you two ganging up on me," Dean pouted yet again, until he caught sight of the gifts that Sam was piling up for him. "Man," he chortled. "I didn't think I was that good this year."
"Dude," Sam grinned, "she's been buying stuff since, like June!" They laughed together again and kept opening gifts.
There were funny stories behind the choices of some, that they just had to share. Dean was thrilled with all the clothes and the music. He was surprised by an entire box set of books and Max explained that they'd bought another set for John for those sleepless nights when television was a dud. They figured that they could trade sets when they were done reading. Sam was happily surprised to see that Dean had gotten them a portable photo printer. Dean explained that he'd priced it out and saw that it was actually cheaper that way, than sending out for pictures. And it was compatible with the camera that he'd given Max for her last birthday, so they could download right to the printer. And then Max had a good laugh over the photo album and accessories that Sam gave her. He told her that he'd already talked to Alli about it before Jess had ever said anything. Max figured out pretty quickly that that was why Alli had kept changing the subject or telling Max that her friend was taking a break until after the holidays. Sam was delighted in the silver chain that Max had hand-linked way back when in her jewelry class. Dean was surprised by the similar chain she'd made for him. Sam told Max that she'd have to show him the entire collection that she'd made. She teased that it was getting larger all the time, as Sam helped her put on the bracelet that he'd bought her to match the pendant from the previous Christmas.
Together, the couple opened the gift from Tasha and her parents. They found that Trish had made on of her handcrafted wooden shadow boxes. They'd filled it with little mementos of Tasha's first birthday and a picture of Sam hugging Max with one arm and holding Tasha with the other at the party. For Tasha's part, her parents must have helped, but her hand prints were all over the box in various colors.
"Oh she must have had so much fun with this," Max smiled.
"An artist in the making," Sam nodded. "I'm glad we got her that table. Maybe she could use it for art projects."
Dean snorted. "I don't see why you two get so excited over someone else's kid. Granted, she's cute, but why don't you two just have your own?" Sam and Max exchanged exasperated glances.
"Because when it's someone else's kid, who eventually gets cranky, whiny or hopped up on sugar, we don't have to deal with it," Max pointed out reasonably. Dean quirked an eyebrow up and mulled that over quickly.
"Good point," he conceded. "Now then? Can we finally get to that gift from Dad? It's driving me nuts."
The couple had deliberately saved it until last, a little hesitant at what the more hidden depths of this gift might signify. Pulling it away from the wall where it was leaning, Sam and Max began unwrapping it together. Dean helped them pull away what seemed like an entire roll of wrapping paper. When she finally saw what the gift was, Max gasped. "Oh my God, Sam, look!" They both stared at the large painting of an ocean scene, mouths agape.
"It's nice," Dean offered, looking at the painting as he wadded up the paper in his hands. He looked from it to them and caught the stupefication on their faces. "What?" he demanded. "I don't get it."
"This is the picture we were looking at a few months ago," Sam told him, his voice thick. "We really liked it, but it was too pricey."
"The next time we were there, it was gone," Max continued. "Somebody else had bought it. Dad... but..."
"How did he know?" Sam muttered and Dean gave an amused chuckle.
"You know, given recent events, it may not seem like it, but he does care about you guys," Dean pointed out.
"So his way of showing he cares is to spy on us?" Sam demanded incredulously. Dean shook his head.
"He doesn't spy Sam. At least I don't think there's a wire tap on your phone. No, he just checks in on ya when he can. He probably saw you guys looking at this and took a chance."
"We did linger over it for quite a while," Max reminded Sam quietly. He nodded, remembering that day in particular.
He and Max had decided to get out of the house for the day. No school, no work and no commitments to meet friends or to babysit. They'd just wandered wherever they'd felt like going, enjoying ice cream cones in the park. They'd leisurely wandered through whatever stores caught their eyes. Had lunch. The art gallery they found after had drawn them both. They'd looked and chatted with the owner and after having looked their fill, moved on. But, like Max had said, they next time they'd stopped at the gallery to look again, the painting they'd liked most was gone, and they hadn't found anything else that they'd liked as much.
*****
Many hours, a delicious turkey dinner and tons of cookies later, Dean was leaving. Both Max and Sam had helped him load up the car. Beside his own presents that he'd received, he was taking all of John's with him. Max had put John's stocking in a plastic bag, in case it tipped over. She'd also made up a platter of turkey sandwiches and a thermos of coffee for later. Before Dean could even ask, she'd removed two huge zipping lock bags from the freezer, full of the assorted cookies that they'd been snacking on that afternoon. And even as these were loaded into the car, she reappeared with an aluminum foil covered paper plate that Dean suspected contained either another slice of pumpkin pie or cinnamon rolls. Judging by the indentation, both.
Finally, after hugs farewell and a promise to drive safely, Dean climbed into the Impala. Before he started the car, he took one more glance at them, standing arm in arm, the tiny spurt of jealousy surging momentarily. They the very epitomy of the picture perfect.
RTD21- Revelations
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