From The Very Beginning

Scarecrow

Sam nodded, watching as Allie settled into the backseat of Baby and closed her eyes. He felt a twinge of sadness at seeing her so content; it made him realize just how much he wanted to protect her from their dangerous lifestyle. "You sure you don't want me to drive?" he asked softly, glancing over at Dean who was focused on navigating through traffic. "You look like you're thinking about something."

Dean shook his head, focusing on the road ahead as he drove. "Nah, I'm good," he said gruffly, trying to shake off the strange mix of emotions swirling inside him. It was true that Allie had been through a lot with them recently; she deserved some rest after all they'd been through together. The day was a good temporary distraction but that's all it had been. A distraction.

But there was something else bothering him too - an underlying attraction that seemed impossible given their scenario and their respective... situations. Allie was his mentee for Christ's sake! And Bobby's daughter! But Dean wasn't used to having such... close relations with a woman. The sound of Allie's soft breathing filled the backseat as she slept. Classic rock played in the car and strangely it felt like a lullaby. Despite all they had been through... she found herself caring about the Winchesters. They were important to her. It felt like she belonged somewhere when the trio operated together. Gentle and content sounds came from her as she dreamt in the backseat, small purrs of satisfaction while the sunset came over the horizon.

Sam turned back at the sound of Allie's gentle snores, watching as her chest rose and fell with each breath. She looked so peaceful in that moment; it was hard to imagine all they had been through together. He glanced over at Dean out of the corner of his eye, noticing how he still seemed lost in thought behind the wheel despite their conversation only moments prior.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, sensing something unspoken between them. He felt a bit jealous that Dean had been friends with Allie for nearly a year while he was at Stanford. In a way, it felt like he had missed out. Growing up they hadn't exactly gotten chances to have meaningful friendships. One minute they were in a new town, the next they were gone. "Surprised you haven't..." Sam stopped himself, eyes glancing back and forth between Dean and Allie. "Never mind."

Dean glanced over at Sam, raising an eyebrow in question. "Surprised I haven't what?" He asked warily, his mind immediately going to the worst possible place before he realized that wasn't what Sam meant. "I mean...yeah," he admitted with a shrug, trying not to think about how close they were getting or how much he enjoyed her company. It was dangerous territory; something he had sworn off long ago when their mother died and left them alone together.

Sam nodded, understanding the unspoken tension between them. "Yeah," he agreed softly, looking out at the passing scenery as they drove towards their motel room for the night. He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at Dean's closeness with Allie once again; it was hard not to when she seemed so comfortable around him and shared such an easy rapport.

"You know," he said after a moment, turning back to face his brother, "I don't think I've ever seen you have an actual friend before."

Dean's eyes widened in surprise, turning to face Sam with a raised eyebrow. "What the hell does that mean?" He asked defensively, his tone sharper than he intended.

"I have friends," he protested too quickly, thinking of all the people they had saved along their journey who would probably vouch for him if called upon. But none of them were like Allie; she understood him on a level no one else did —- not even Sam sometimes.

Sam held up his hands in a placating gesture, chuckling quietly as to not wake the blonde beauty resting just behind them. "I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly, shaking his head. "What I meant was... you know how we always joke about me being the brains and you being the muscle? You never really had anyone who sees both sides of you." He glanced over at Allie again before returning his gaze to Dean.