REVOKE ▸ d. winchester [1] ✔

Chapter 41

Sam's POV

"Dude. You've gotta try the pie."

I watch as, across the table, Dean slowly cuts a bite of his apple pie and brings it to his mouth. Closing his eyes, he savors the moment.

"Do you want a moment alone with that?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. As I take a sip of water, he glares at me and takes another savory mouthful.

"So," Dean starts, returning to our previous conversation. He pauses for a moment to chew. "Do you think this Aerona chick was telling the truth?"

"What do you mean? Bobby trusted her, she practically loved Jackie... Why would she have reason to lie?" I ask.

"I don't know. All I'm saying is that she was too nice. Sam, she's a witch. When have we ever trusted a witch?" Finishing his food, he sets his fork down on the table and gives me a fixed look.

"Everything she said made sense, though. Most of it checked out with what Cas was saying... I say we trust her. Besides, who else would we go to?"

Dean shrugs and looks around the diner. From our booth along the windows, we had a clear view into the kitchen.

"Bobby's not gonna listen to you, ya know. I heard you talking to him."

I think back to my conversation over the phone. Arguing with the most stubborn guy on earth didn't go so well, but I left my statement with him. "Jackie's able to make her own decisions. Bobby knows that."

"Sure he does." Dean puts his elbows on the table and leans forward. "But he doesn't care. Do you see the pattern here, Sam? The guy's got no family left, no besties, no nothing- except us. So of course he's gonna hold on to her. I'd do the same."

"You'd do the same," I say skeptically.

"Yes. I would. I did do the same exact thing for you during the apocalypse. And I'd do it again."

I nod, looking down at the table in front of me, understanding where Dean was coming from.

"I keep telling myself we should do what Jackie wants. I mean, she's got a point." I look up to Dean and continue. "But she's like a sister to me, you know?. Family. We don't just give up on family."

I don't know what was going through Dean's head. All I could do was watch as his eyes clouded over as he looked out the window. "Yeah. She's family."

His gruff response set me off. "What's wrong?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Nothing." Looking back to me, he adds, "We've just got a lot of crap on our plate right now."

Dean may have had a straight face, and he may have had a convincing glare, but he gave himself away as his eyes refused to focus on one thing. I knew him.

"Jackie's going to be fine. We'll get her out of this," I say.

"That's not what I was-"

"Yes it was," I interrupt before he could make up some bull crap excuse. Jackie may be like a sister to me and a daughter to Bobby, but Dean and her have gone through a lot more together, have a lot more in common, for it to settle at just that.

"I get it."

"Sam. Shut up." Dean gives me a dark glare, one that I would normally listen to, but this time, I wouldn't let him have it.

"You care about her." I smile, just to annoy him.

"Jackie needed my help, so I helped her. In case you haven't noticed, her dad just died and now, according to your oh-so trustworthy witch, she's supposed to, too. You don't think she would need anything from anyone? At all?"