Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a curse, Sam was sure of it. Really, what the hell else could it be? Dean sat next to him, shivering and twitching against the smooth leather of the Impala's upholstery. Sam reached out a hand and ran it along his brother's head, marveling at the soft hair beneath his fingers. His hand strayed to Dean's cheek and his finger was rubbing tiny circles across it as he pulled into a parking space in front of their motel. His hand moved back to stroke Dean's head as he put the car in park and apparently Dean had had enough, because Sam found himself cursing and pulling back a bloody finger.

"Jesus Christ, Dean. You bit me!" Dean didn't answer of course and Sam cast another glance down at his brother, sitting quietly in the shotgun seat, as he cradled his injured digit. Dean was looking back at him, green eyes narrowed as if to say-Of course I bit you, bitch. Stop petting me!

"Sorry," Sam mumbled, "but you're so fucking soft." With that comment firmly on the wrong side of his teeth, Sam chanced another quick look at Dean. His brother's lips drew back and Sam promptly placed both hands on the steering wheel. He'd never given much thought to the teeth before. He knew they had to have them. How else could they eat all those carrots and lettuce and stuff? He hadn't known, however, how rat-like their teeth were and-Sam realized that his mind was getting away from what it really should be thinking about. "Okay, Dean we have to go into the motel, and for that I have to pick you up and you'd better not bite me again. I don't want to drop you in the parking lot." Sam reached out and Dean backed against the passenger door. "Cut the shit, Dean. You're a fucking rabbit and I'm not letting you hop to the room. Now get the fuck over here and let me carry you." Dean's eyes promised murder when this was over, but he hopped to Sam and jumped into his lap, making sure his muscular back legs landed squarely in Sam's crotch. "Oof," Sam grunted. "I'm so going to kick your little cottontail ass when this is all over." Dean just looked up at him and twitched his nose adorably. Sam squelched the idea of picking Dean up by his long bunny ears and scooped his brother up, cradling him in his arms and resisting the urge to stroke the silken fur.

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When Sam was still on the phone with Bobby twenty minutes later, Dean left his vigil at the foot of his brother's chair and began hopping around the room. His newly sensitive nose twitched as it picked up all the smells assaulting it. And assaulting was the word-the room stank. Thankfully, Sam had left the window open a crack, so Dean wandered over and sat up on his haunches beneath it. The hotel was in the country and the smells coming through the window were fresh and clear. They didn't all smell like roses, of course, and Dean had no clue what any of them were, but none were as bad as the harsh smells of the inside.

"Yeah, Bobby. Well, how the hell should I know? You know what he's like!" Dean looked over at Sam at this declaration, only to find Sam staring back at him with a classic bitchface. "Okay, Bobby. Call me back if you find anything and I'll keep researching on my end. What's that?" Sam's bitchface morphed into a reluctant grin. "Oh definitely. Floppy ears, whiskery nose, fluffy white tail. He's fucking adorable."

Sam's grin widened as Dean's nose twitched violently in what was probably supposed to be a rabbit version of fuck you, Sam, but was really just pretty damned cute. The grin faded a little as Sam remembered that Dean was cursed, and he began to relate Bobby's side of the phone call to his brother. Dean seemed to understand what he was saying perfectly well and he wasn't doing too bad a job of communicating his thoughts to Sam with nothing more than head tilting, ear waggling and nose twitching.

"So, Bobby has an idea about what might have happened. Apparently you're not the first guy to get turned into a rabbit in his experience." Dean tilted his head and Sam took that as Yeah? So what happened to the other guy and how'd he get out of it? "Well, Bobby says the other guy he knows about ran into a coven and got a little too friendly with a few too many of them, if you know what I mean. You were pretty, um, busy in Atlanta and I'm wondering if you got involved with the wrong women. Because, you know, what would be the chances of that happening?" Sam's tone sharpened for that last sentence and Dean glared back at him for a moment before returning his attention to the fresh breeze coming through the window. Go to hell, Sam. Sam sighed. "Bobby says it's probably a timed thing and you'll be back to yourself in a few days, a week at the most." Dean continued to ignore him so Sam turned to his laptop to continue his research.

Dean's heart was beating like a drum beneath the thin ribs that now caged it. HIs turning away from Sam wasn't a go to hell motion. He'd never wish that on Sam, not since he'd found out first hand what it was like. He was pissed at Sam though. His condescending remark to Bobby- You know what he's like. What the fuck did that mean? And Sam had a lot of nerve accusing him of getting involved with the wrong women when he was screwing a fucking demon.

Dean took deep breaths of the cool night air and tried to calm down. He had tried to go out and have a good time in Atlanta. He was so sick of feeling empty, of being scared. And he was pretty damned tired of waking up screaming every night in an empty hotel room. The women he'd been with had been uncomplicated, open to just about anything and unbelievably hot. He'd never had trouble attracting that kind of woman, so nothing about them had set off any alarms. Hell, at the time Sam had been relieved to have Dean out of his hair, so he could go do his secret, demon loving things without having to lie about it. Of course, the last night they were there, he'd run into three of the women he'd already been with coming into a bar while he was leaving with his companion for the night. It had been awkward that the four of them had seemed to know each other, but none of them seemed upset about it. It wasn't until Sam had woken this morning to a small shape burrowing around under Dean's covers that they'd even known there was a problem. If Dean hadn't poked his head out from under the blanket before Sam got his hands on the club that he was going to beat him to death with they wouldn't be having this problem now. Dean wondered if, when the angels brought him back from death when he was a rabbit, if they'd leave him a rabbit or give him his body back, but decided he wasn't desperate enough to go that route yet.

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A few hours later, Sam had come up with nothing and the rumbling of his stomach reminded him that it had been too many hours since he'd eaten. The fact that Dean was nibbling on his bootlace cinched it. It was time to get some food. Which brought up another problem. What the hell did you feed a rabbit anyway? Sam googled it up and started to grin. He grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair and crouched down to get closer to his brother's level.

"Hungry, Dean?" Sam laughed as Dean laid his ears back.

Thought I'd have to eat your whole boot before you noticed, bitch.

"Okay, I'm going to run to the diner down the road and grab us some food." Dean hopped to the door and waited expectantly for Sam to open it. "Um, I don't think so Dean. I can't take you in the diner and I don't want to leave you in the car. Why don't you just wait here and I'll be back before you know it."

Dean's ears waggled incredulously. Dude. What the fuck am I supposed to do while you're gone? Gonna put the magic fingers on for me?

Sam grinned and grabbed the remote to the t.v.. "Here you go, Dean. Watch some Animal Planet while I'm away." Dean stared at him balefully, but backed away and let Sam out the door.

The program that was airing was about dolphins and while normally Dean would have surreptitiously watched and been totally fascinated, while mercilessly mocking Sam for having it on, tonight he couldn't manage the concentration. Within minutes of Sam's departure he found himself back under the window. There was something out there. Something that smelled damned good. Maybe when Sam got back he'd be able to convince the jerk to let him go outside. A sudden sharp sting in the lower part of his belly had the rabbit part of Dean reacting instinctively. He rocked back on his hips and bit at the offending spot before licking the fur flat again, tongue smoothing and slicking it. Perfect. He was a rabbit with fleas. The grooming was oddly soothing, so Dean continued, stretching out his hind legs and and licking and nibbling at them, working out any tangles in the silky fur. He worked down the inside of one leg and was nibbling his way across to the other when his tongue brushed against something stiff protruding from between them and oh, holy fucking God. He didn't know if the squeal that came out of his mouth at that moment would be considered manly for boy rabbits, but he was glad Sam hadn't been around to hear it and he really hoped his brother wasn't hurrying back with the food. He lapped the hair around his little bunny dick flat so he could see what he was dealing with and then started back in on the hard, pink protrusion. Dean was never quiet when he masturbated-people five rooms down knew when he was jerking off-and now was no different. He couldn't be as loud as normal with his mouth otherwise occupied, but the whines that were vibrating out his throat totally obscured the sound of Sam entering the room.

"Oh fuck. Jesus Christ. Dean!" Sam squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as he turned around to put the bags of food on the table. Dean's super sensitive rabbit nose smelled the most amazing aroma it had come across yet. He was torn between finishing up and going to get his dinner, but really it was a no brainer. This wasn't the first time Sam had walked in on him getting himself off, it was just the first time he was doing it in this particular manner. Though, fucking hell. If he could do this in his human form? This wouldn't have been the first time Sammy caught him at it. Dean's head dropped back down and his tongue lapped and stroked and if he could have, he would have laughed out loud at the way Sam's head dropped into his hands at the loud squeal he let out as he finished. After giving himself a few last licks to clean himself up, Dean hopped over to Sam and nuzzled at his ankle.

Sam lifted his head from his hands and, as he looked down into the laughing green eyes staring up at him, his own mouth quirked up. "Guess you couldn't exactly clean the weapons or surf porn to keep yourself occupied." His hand dropped towards Dean's head, but the narrowing eyes had him lifting it back up again in a hurry. "Hungry?" He grinned as Dean's ears waggled. Feed me, bitch. The grin widened as he opened the first box on the table and Dean's nose practically vibrated. "Mmmm. That smells freakin' delicious, doesn't it?" He opened the other box and placed it on the floor in front of Dean. Dean peered into the box on the floor, then looked pointedly back at the box on the table before glaring at Sam. Sam's grin turned to outright laughter. "Rabbits don't eat bacon cheeseburgers and chili fries, Dean." The glare became deadly. Neither do you, asshole. "What can I say. Tonight I had a craving. Come on Dean, look what I got for you. Endive, beet greens, broccoli, green peppers- all the things you, yourself, have repeatedly referred to as rabbit food. Am I the best brother ever, or what?"

The look Dean shot Sam in response to his question was clearly of the or what persuasion, but he was starving so he lowered his head and pulled a dark, bitter leaf from the container and chewed it slowly. He caught Sam's eye again. Could at least have gotten me dressing. Sam snorted back a laugh and popped a loaded chili fry into his mouth. I hope you get indigestion and die. Sam didn't even finish the burger and fries, the fucker, but he refused to put the container on the floor so Dean could at least make sure rabbits really couldn't eat bacon cheeseburgers and chili fries. Dean ate most of the salad in the container and his rabbit self even liked it, but he'd never in a million years admit that to Sam.

After dinner, Dean discovered another pressing need to be taken care of and he wondered how the hell he was going to take care of it. Their room had a bathroom attached, but it didn't exactly have facilities for rabbits. What the hell, he was a guy, wasn't he? It wouldn't be the first or even the hundred and first time he'd pissed or taken a dump outside. He'd just hop behind a bush or something. Hell, he didn't even have to do that. He was a rabbit for Christ's sake, it wasn't like anybody was going to call the cops if they saw him taking a piss on the hotel lawn. The exhibitionist in Dean grinned at the thought. Now he just had to figure out a way to get Sam to let him outside.

Dean made his way back to Sam and butted his head gently against Sam's ankle. "Food's gone, Dean. You're going to have to wait 'til breakfast." Idiot. Dean butted harder and Sam pushed him away gently with his foot. "Knock it off, Dean. I know you're bored, but I have a lot of shit to look up on curses so leave me the hell alone." Asshole. Dean briefly considered sinking his teeth into Sam's leg above his boot, but decided against it. Sam's boots were heavy and if he kicked out in reflex when Dean bit the shit out of him, Dean would be one hurting bunny if he wasn't quick enough to get out of the way. Okay. Plan B then.

Dean's next stop was the bathroom. Going in here was going to be the last fucking resort, but it wouldn't be the first time he'd missed the toilet in his life either. He backed up to the door and gave it a resounding kick with his hind feet. Sam looked up in startled annoyance.

"Dean, would you get out of the fucking bathroom..." Sam's voice trailed off as Dean stared at him like he was extremely mentally defective. "Oh."

Yeah, oh.

"Um." Sam looked around desperately before taking a section of the newspaper off of the table. "I'll, uh, just put this on the floor in there and you can just, uh, do what you need to on it."

Oh, I don't think so. Dean hopped out of the bathroom and continued past Sam until he was sitting beside the unit door.

"No, Dean. It's dark out there and you're not going out." Sam sat back down at the table and began to type on the laptop. "I'm looking up housebreaking rabbits so just hold on a minute and I'll see what people who keep rabbits do in this situation." He cast a quick glance Dean's way.

In this situation? This situation? The situation where your brother-who doesn't need to be housebroken, thank you very much-has been turned into a fucking rabbit? That situation?

"Um, it says here, that rabbits can be trained to use litterboxes."

Litterboxes?

"Litterboxes."

Litterboxes?

"Yes, Dean, fucking litterboxes. Unfortunately, there's no pet store around here or even a department store open to get one tonight. So just use the fucking paper and stop being such an asshole!"

Dean leveled a disdainful glare at Sam. Plan C it was, then. Sam got up and put the paper on the floor in the bathroom and went back to working on his laptop like he thought Dean was just going to relieve himself on a section of newspaper like an untrained puppy. There was no way Dean was doing that. Not when there were so many more satisfying things he could be peeing on. When he was sure Sam was engrossed in his work, Dean made his way stealthily and nonchalantly over to Sam's open duffle.

Chapter Text

Dean managed to scramble into Sam's duffle without attracting his brother's attention and he rooted around in it quietly until he located Sam's favorite ugly ass t-shirt. He didn't bother being quiet as he struggled back out of the bag. If Sam didn't notice what he was doing, then what was the point? But Sam didn't notice what he was doing, the big dork, so Dean dragged the t-shirt across the floor, scuffled it into a ball and crouched on it before kicking at the door.

Sam turned around in annoyance that became anger when he saw his t-shirt under Dean's twitching tail. "Oh, don't even fucking think about it!"

Or what?

Sam took two steps toward his brother, then froze as Dean's tail rose. "Hossenfeffer, that's what." Sam almost laughed at the look of utter confusion on Dean's little bunny face. "Okay, let's try something a little more your speed." Sam crouched down and the menace in his voice doubled. "Mittens. Nice soft furry rabbit-skin mittens."

Yeah, as if. Just take me the fuck outside for two minutes, princess.

Sam got up and took a quick glance out the window. The parking lot was fairly well lit, but the strip of grass beyond it was mostly in shadow and only about a dozen yards separated the parking lot from the blackness of a grove of trees. Even though he knew it was useless, Sam tried to reason with his brother.

"Dean, man, I know this isn't easy for you. But dude! We're in the middle of nowhere. There's woods out there and there could be foxes or coyotes or just somebody's dog! And you're fucking helpless!" He really should have known better. Dean seemed to double in size as he bristled at Sam's words.

Helpless? I'll show you helpless. TAKE ME THE FUCK OUTSIDE, BITCH!

Sam sighed and scooped Dean up. "I'll put you down when we get to the grass. And just so you know, you stubborn jerk. If some animal comes out of the dark and carries you off, I'm not coming after your ass. I'm not. The last thing you'll hear is my voice in the far, far distance. Because I'm not coming after you. And my voice in the distance will be saying "I told you so!" Got it?"

Dean stared at Sam's face for a long moment, and his bristling hair flattened out. Dean dropped his eyes from Sam's and seemed to shrink in on himself in his brother's arms. Not coming after me. Got it. All bravado was gone now. Can we just go out so I can piss and then I won't bother you any more.

"Dean?" Sam tilted Dean's face back up so he could see it and pulled his hand back just in time to avoid another bite. The glimpse had been more than enough though. Throughout this whole ordeal, Dean's eyes had been panicked. They'd been angry and annoyed and laughing. This was the first time Sam had seen Dean's eyes looking like they had before he'd been changed. Empty and shuttered. Hurt. "It was just a joke, Dean. I was a little pissed, but I'd never let anything take you, and if it did manage it, I'd be right behind it to kick it's ass and get you back."

Dean looked up at him again. Already got taken, Sammy. You couldn't stop it and you couldn't get me back. Shouldn't make promises you might not be able to keep. "

"Not going to lose you again Dean." Sam sighed and this time when his hand came up he let it free to stroke Dean's trembling side and Dean sat still and allowed it. Sam carried Dean across the parking lot and placed him at the edge of the grass where the light made him just barely visible. Dean hopped a foot or so and looked up at Sam.

A little privacy?

"Yeah, like I'm turning my back. Can you just do what you need to do so we can get back inside where there's light and walls between you and anything that wants to eat you?" Dean snuffled softly, but took care of his business quickly and Sam carried him back inside.

Sam went right back to the laptop while Dean hopped over to the bed and looked up at it briefly, then dragged Sam's t-shirt to a spot under the window and curled up on it. He got up a few times and turned around before laying back down again, but he couldn't seem to get comfortable. Deciding he needed more layers, Dean made his way back to Sam's duffle and began pulling another shirt out, but this time Sam was more on the ball. "No, Dean." Dean turned wide innocent eyes his way.

No, what?

"No more of my t-shirts. You want a softer bed use your own." Dean huffed softly, but went to his own duffle and began pulling out shirts, laying them on the floor next to Sam's and then pulling Sam's on top. He made one last trip to his duffle and soon Sam heard grunts and soft thuds as Dean tried to excavate whatever it was he was trying to get from the bottom of his bag. Sam glanced over, but all he could see were Dean's hind-quarters sticking out of the bag as he scrabbled in its depths. Sam watched for a few minutes until he could see Dean's sides heaving with effort and heard a low, whining growl of frustration, then he got up and dropped to his knees beside the bag.

"Something I can help you with?" His words startled Dean, who flung himself backwards out of the duffle and sat, staring at Sam with aggravation.

Don't sneak up on me like that, Sam!

"Didn't sneak up Dean, you just didn't hear me because you had your head buried in your bag. Good thing I wasn't a coyote."

Oh, that's funny.

Sam looked into the vacated bag and saw his brother's knife leaning against the side, the leather sheath indented with marks that he knew would match Dean's teeth. Sam quirked an eyebrow at his brother.

What?

"What the hell are you doing?"

Dean's eyes shifted between the bag and his brother before he turned away and hopped back to his bed. Nothing. I was done in there anyway.

Sam grinned and, pulling the knife from the duffle, followed Dean across the room. Dean was circling around his bed again when Sam lifted up the pile of t-shirts and placed the sheathed knife underneath them with the handle slightly uncovered. Dean flopped down in his nest of shirts, gave a weary sigh and closed his eyes. "Night, Dean," Sam hesitated, then reached out and stroked down Dean's head with a finger. Dean twitched in protest, but only opened one sleepy eye in response.

Night, Sam.

When Sam emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, Dean was fast asleep with one leg stretched out so his paw was resting on the exposed knife hilt.

Sam smiled at the picture his brother presented, but only for a moment. Dean was so small now. Delicate and helpless, no matter what he seemed to think. In Dean's mind, if he was a rabbit, he was the most bad-ass rabbit to ever roam the planet. Never mind that the most bad-ass rabbit ever would be no match for a dog, never mind a demon. Sam slid the window closed, the salt line in front of it undisturbed. He left the lamp in the corner lit at it's lowest setting, the glow just illuminating his sleeping brother, and climbed into bed. Sam watched his brother sleep for a long while before his own exhaustion overtook him. He couldn't remember the last time Dean had slept this soundly without the aid of a bottle of whiskey. If he could make it through the night without dreaming, there might be at least one thing this curse would be good for while it lasted.

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The next morning dawned bright and sunny, but Sam slept well past his usual early morning rising time. The first thing he did on waking was look for Dean, hoping that this had been a twenty-four hour curse, but no such luck. Dean was still a rabbit and he was...."Again? Uggh, Dean! I'm going to take a shower. Be done by the time I get out."

Dean just looked at him. About time you woke up. I've been up for a while.

"Yeah, I can see that."

Dean waggled his ears. You're just jealous, dude. This is fucking awesome!

Sam just shook his head and headed for the bathroom. When he emerged from the shower fifteen minutes later, Dean was sitting by the door.

My turn.

Sam picked Dean up and opened the door, stopping dead at the sight that greeted him as he stepped outside. The swath of grass between the pavement and the woods, dark and empty last night, now had a half dozen rabbits wandering around it. Dean's nose twitched. There weren't just rabbits in the grass over there, there was food too. He began to fidget in Sam's arms.

Look, Sam! Come on let's go!

Sam hesitated. "I don't know, Dean. They might not be friendly rabbits."

Dude, they're rabbits. And if you don't get me over there soon, I won't be responsible for how messy your shirt gets.

Sam sighed and walked across the parking lot before placing Dean on the grass, as far from the warily watching rabbits as he could. Dean hopped to a spot far from the piles of vegetables to relieve himself, then started hopping back towards his breakfast. He was just about to start munching on a carrot when Sam's voice froze him.

"Dean, stop! Don't eat that!"

Why not? Saves you buying me another salad.

"We don't know why it's here, jerk!"

Looks like it's here for the rabbits to eat, bitch. What's wrong with you?

"Why would they be feeding wild rabbits, Dean? Maybe they think they're pests and the food is poison or something!"

Man, you booked us into a motel where they'd poison RABBITS? We've stayed in some crap places before, but damn. I mean, didn't you make sure it was rabbit friendly before you brought me here?

"Rabbit friendly? I didn't exactly tell them I'd have a rabbit in my room. Come on, I'm going to ask in the office what all the wildlife feeding is about." Sam moved to grab Dean but his brother scampered out of reach.

Come on, Sam! I'm not going into some motel office with a bunch of bunny haters! Let me stay out here! I won't eat anything until you get back, I promise.

Sam glanced around the area uncertainly. The other rabbits didn't seem to think there was anything too worrying about being in the open like this, but Sam didn't like it. There were things after Dean that rabbits had no idea about and the thought of him alone, even for a small amount of time, made Sam's blood run cold. Dean was making it clear that Sam could stay with him or Sam could go to the office alone. There was no way Sam could catch his brother if he decided to play keep away. "Okay, I'll go, but I won't be long. You keep your eyes, ears and nose peeled for anything strange. Anything, Dean, you hear me?"

Yeah. Dean gave Sam a straight look. I hear you. Now go see what's up. And Sam? If this food is a bunny trap then when you go to get breakfast make sure you get enough for everybody.

Sam grinned and headed toward the office, glancing over his shoulder every second or two to keep an eye on his brother. The other rabbits were watching Dean carefully, but they didn't retreat as he hopped slowly towards them. Dean was by far the largest rabbit out there, but Sam still worried. He had no idea how rabbits fought. Hell, he had no idea if rabbits fought. He knew Dean had no idea either, but his brother had spent his life fighting and surviving. Well, mostly surviving, and he'd back Dean in any form against anything else in the same form.

As Sam approached the office he could see the woman inside looking out the window at the rabbits. She was smiling and didn't look at all like a bunny poisoner, but Sam had seen more innocent looking people doing way worse things than killing small, adorable, furry creatures. A bell chimed as he walked through the door and the woman turned her attention to him, her smile still lighting up her face.

"Good morning! How can I help you?"

" Morning, um Angie" Sam replied getting a look at her nametag. "I'm Sam. I was just going out for breakfast, when I noticed all the rabbits by the woods. Are they here every day?"

"Sure are! Adorable aren't they?"

Sam hadn't really paid much attention to the other rabbits- his focus had been on not taking his eyes off his brother- but if they were anything like Dean.... "Oh, yes. Cutest things ever!" He smiled himself as he pictured Dean's response to this. "I noticed carrots and other veggies in the grass. You feed them?"

"We do! They were out there one morning and they were such a hit with the guests that we wanted to make sure they came back." She picked up a coffee can with a slit in the cover from the desk. "We take donations! Feeding these guys isn't cheap!" Angie turned to the window again. "There's a new one out there today. Big guy, beautiful markings. Haven't seen him around here before. The does will be happy. I haven't seen the buck in about a week. Good that another one came along to take care of them."

Sam moved up next to Angie at the window, keeping his eyes on Dean. A pretty light brown rabbit had come up to him and they were sniffing each other. "What do you think happened to him?"

"The other buck? Who knows? They live in the woods and there's lots of things in there that love rabbit. Foxes, coyotes, dogs..."

"See, I tried to tell him that, but does he listen? No, not him."

Angie looked at him strangely. "Tell who?"

"My br.. um rabbit."

"Your brabbit?"

"No, um, my rabbit. That's him out there. His name's Br..er. Um, Brer Rabbit." Sam's words stumbled to a halt well past the time they should have just fallen over dead.

"You named your rabbit brother?"

"Um, yeah. After the rabbit in the folktales. It was the only rabbit name I could think of."

"Really? Well it's different. Most of the guests come up with Thumper, or Peter Cottontail." She smiled when Sam just looked at her blankly and then she redirected her gaze out the window where Dean was now playing tag- or something- with the female rabbit. "You're just letting him run loose out there? Aren't you afraid he'll run away?"

"No, I don't think so. He's not the running away type. Is it safe out there? So close to the woods?"

"In the daytime it is. Usually. Never seen anything come from the woods. Last year an eagle took a rabbit a couple of times right in the middle of the day, but I haven't seen it this year."

Sam's eyes flashed to the sky, but they were clear and blue with no birds of any kind in sight. His eye went back to the window when Angie started to laugh. "Well, he's certainly a fast worker! Should have named him Daddy!"

"Oh, God. He's not. He is. Damn it, Dean."

Angie continued to laugh and laid a hand on his arm. "He's a rabbit, Sam. It's what they do. Clover must be in season. And who's Dean?"

"Dean's his, um, nickname. And doing what rabbits do is what got him into this mess in the first place."

Angie looked confused, but just said, "Maybe you should get him neutered, if you don't want this sort of thing happening."

Sam raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Neutered." he replied thoughtfully. "I'll mention that. I mean I'll keep that in mind."

Sam left the office and made his way back to the bunny feeding grounds. By the time he arrived Dean had finished his business with Clover and nuzzled her cheek before making his way nonchalantly back to Sam. When he arrived in front of his brother he sat up waggling his ears and attempting to look innocent.

So what's the scoop, Sam. Can I eat now?

"Worked up an appetite did you?"

Dean grinned up at him. Couldn't help myself Sammy. So...food?

"Go ahead and eat, Dean if this is what you want. But do it fast, because I'm hungry too. When you finish I'll take you inside and I'll go get myself something to eat."

I can't wait out here for you?

"No."

Sam!

"No. Eat your breakfast."

Dean took his time getting to the food and nibbled his way through quite a bit of it, finishing up by sharing a lettuce leaf with Clover. He then moped his way back to Sam, looking for all the world like a kid who didn't want to leave the playground. As Sam carried Dean back across the parking lot, Dean's head was turned back, staring wistfully at the rabbits playing in the grass. He butted Sam's chin. Think they''ll still be here when you get back? Sam glanced down into Dean's eyes and detoured back towards the office.

Angie laughed when he entered with Dean and reached out a hand.

"Careful," Sam took a step back. "He bites."

Angie carefully extended a finger and rubbed Dean's head. Sam was ready to jerk Dean away if he objected to the touch, but Dean rubbed against Angie's hand and Sam swore if he was a cat he would have been purring.

" I guess he only bites sometimes. Hey, how long do the rabbits usually hang out? I might want to let him out to play with them again later."

"Oh, they're here for most of the day. They graze and play. Sometimes the guests or their kids will scare them back into the woods, but for the most part they'll be here." Her hand stroked down Dean's back. "He's so soft!"

Sam winced and headed out the door with a "Thanks!" "Hear that Dean? They'll be here all day. So if you're a good bunny you can come out and play again later. Ow!" Sam pulled back another bloody finger.

I'll show you good bunny, bitch. But thanks, Sam.

Sam grinned as he carried his relaxed brother back through the motel room door. Dean was sleeping well- so far- eating his vegetables and having fun. As curses went this one could have been a lot worse.

Chapter Text

The next day passed pretty much like the first, as did the one after that. Bobby was still looking on his end, but the curse wasn’t coming undone no matter what they tried and the feelers they’d put out on the witches in Atlanta were coming up empty. It’s not like Dean could give them names, or even descriptions. They’d keep trying, of course, but it looked like they were just going to have to wait this out. Sam was strangely okay with that. And Dean…Dean was in heaven.

Well, mostly in heaven. Sam was still getting glares at dinner time. It was the one meal his brother didn’t eat with the other rabbits and the only time Dean seemed to mind getting roughage as his main course.

“You eat it fine when it’s served on dirty, germy grass! What, Styrofoam offends your delicate bunny sensibilities now?”

Clover wants me to spend the night, Dean sulked.

“What in the woods? No way, Dean. Forget it.

Dean wiggled his ears innocently and blinked up at his brother. We just want a little alone time.

“Alone time? What for? I can’t think of anything you could possibly do in private that you haven’t already done dozens of embarrassing times in public.”

Not be cooped up in here. Dean stamped his hind feet and hopped to his bed, throwing himself on it and not looking at his brother.

“Cooped up? You were outside all day! You’re not going to be outside all night too. Didn’t you get enough excitement this morning?” The cat that came bounding out of the woods into the midst of the grazing rabbits had been more than enough excitement for Sam. He wasn’t expecting his brother to charge the damned thing, though in retrospect he had no idea why not.

Dean’s ears twitched irritably. Sent it packing, didn’t I?

Sam rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and you almost gave me a heart attack. Cats kill rabbits, Dean!”

Not this rabbit, they don’t. What, I should have let it cut poor little Bramble out of the pack and eat him?

“Yes. No.” Sam let out a long breath. “It’s just that you’re not the mighty Dean Winchester any more. Could you try to remember that before you go off trying to save the world?”

Dean turned to look at his brother and Sam wanted to bite his tongue off at the sudden weariness on Dean’s face. Yeah, I know. Not like you haven’t been perfectly clear about it for months.

“No. Dean, that’s not what I meant.” Sam shook his head. Not what he meant this time, anyway. “You’re a rabbit, that’s all. Sure, you got the best of the cat today, but what if it had been a dog?”

Dean’s gaze hardened. I would have gotten rid of it too.

“Yeah, okay.” Sam threw up his hands in defeat. Dean in human form was panicking now whenever a dog got too close, Sam could just imagine how his rabbit self would handle one. “But just on the really off chance a dog could get rid of you instead, no slumber parties. Deal with it.”

Dean burrowed between two t-shirts until he was just a small, twitchy lump and it wasn’t long before his breathing evened out and muffled bunny snores buzzed through the room. Sam sighed and turned in himself, sure his brother would have him up extra early the next morning.

When Sam woke, sunlight streamed through the crack in the drapes. He sat up and stretched, eyes automatically going to Dean’s makeshift bed under the window. “Jesus Christ!” Sam almost bit his tongue in half as his jaw snapped shut mid-yawn. His brother sprawled on his back, face tented by a t-shirt that puffed up with each breath. The rest of his totally human body was bare and Sam quickly averted his gaze, partly horrified and partly relieved that Dean was going to have to take care of his morning needs the old fashioned way. Sam grabbed a pillow and flung it at Dean, grinning as it landed squarely on his brother’s crotch. Dean rocketed into a sitting position with the t-shirt still draped over his head and froze, breath coming in short gasps.

“Sam?”

“Dean?”

“Am I…?”

“Yes, you’re a real boy again,” Sam said with a laugh. “Ungh,” he added, wrinkling his nose. “Dude, you need to hit the showers.”

Dean glanced quickly at the door then sighed, shifting under the pillow. “Yeah,” he replied morosely. “I guess I do.” He got to his feet, sending the pillow back into Sam’s face before his brother could duck and darted into the bathroom.

Sam waited until the water had been running for a few minutes before banging on the door. “Still human in there?” he called.

“Feeling more human by the minute,” Dean yelled back.

Sam opened the door and poked his head inside. “I’m going to grab us some breakfast. Anything special you want for your first re-humanated meal?”

“Scrambled eggs, bacon and home fries…and a side salad sounds good. Can you get a salad with breakfast?”

Sam stared silently at the shower curtain for a moment before replying. “Still got some whiskers there, Dean?”

Dean poked his head around the edge of the curtain and squinted at his brother through a screen of shampoo. “Well, yeah. I haven’t shaved in a week; of course I’ve got whiskers.” He blinked a few times and added, “Go get me some food, I’m starving.”

Sam sketched a salute and headed out the door. He was out of luck in procuring early morning salads, but he did manage to order a tomato and green pepper omelet with bacon and fried potatoes that he hoped would satisfy his brother’s newfound vegetable needs. When he got back to the room Dean was dressed and sitting at the table, nervously tapping his fingers on the wood.

“No salads,” Sam announced right off the bat. “But I got you some veggies in your omelet.” He grinned as Dean tore off the cover and dug in. “Looks like you being a bunny for a week was good for something at least.”

Dean shot him a look full of something that was there and gone so fast Sam couldn’t catch it. “Yeah,” he replied. “I guess.”
Sam waited until Dean was wiping up the last of his omelet with a few potatoes before broaching the subject of leaving.

“So,” he said diffidently, “where do you think we should head next?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, where do you want to go now?”

“Back to Atlanta, of course. Where else would we go?”

“You’re going after the witches?”

“Yahtzee.”

“Why? “ Sam stared at his brother through narrowed eyes. “This wasn’t exactly the worst week of our lives and you might just end up as something way less cuddly for a whole lot longer if you piss them off again.”

“You can’t go around turning people into rabbits, Sam. I mean to find those ladies and make sure they realize the error of their ways.”

Sam muttered something indistinct but negative into his egg-white and avocado wrap.

“Want to wait here?” Dean asked. “I’m sure it wouldn’t take you long to scare up some company.”

Sam didn’t rise to the bait, thinking of the furious texts and voice mails from Ruby that were currently sitting unanswered on his phone. If Dean was going after these witches his brother was going to be right behind him in case it was necessary to scoop him up and beat a hasty retreat. “Nah,” he replied. “If they turn you into a lizard or something, you’re going to need me to get you a tank and a lifetime supply of mealworms.”

“Haha.” Dean’s lip curled in a totally non-amused way. His eyes flicked to the door then back to his brother. “Um, I’m just gonna…why don’t you finish your breakfast and get packed.” He pushed his chair back and stood, grabbing his duffle from the bed.

“What, you’re packed already?”

“I didn’t exactly unpack, genius.”

“Manage to get your knife back in there okay?” Sam asked innocently.

Dean just wrinkled his nose at his brother on the way out the door and Sam grinned. “That was a lot cuter when your nose was tiny and pink and twitched all the time.”

Dean’s middle finger was the last thing Sam saw before the door closed behind him. Sam took another bite of his sandwich and chewed slowly. He knew his brother was going to say goodbye to the rabbits and he wanted to give Dean enough time to get his emo over with before joining him. The thought that it would embarrass Dean to be seen getting sentimental was amusing Sam to no end. Dean was fine with having wild, public bunny sex, but having a mist in his eye while making his farewells would have him deflecting for days.

Sam meandered around the room, gathering what little he’d left lying around back into his duffle. He snorted softly when he came to his t-shirt, the only bit of Dean’s bed left beneath the window. A quick peek around the curtain revealed his brother’s back as he squatted on the grass across the parking lot. Small brown shapes surrounded him, the nearby pile of food ignored in favor of nibbling on the cuff of Dean’s jeans and his bootlaces. Sam tucked the shirt into his bag and went to join the party.

Dean was rubbing a finger between the ears of a small, dull brown bunny and Sam was a little pissed that the animal wasn’t trying to take a chunk out of him. Apparently even wild animals took to being petted better than his brother did.

“Now listen, Bramble,” Dean said, stopping the petting and using the finger to tap the rabbit on the nose. “If something comes after you, run if you can, but if you’ve got no other choice you rush it and knock it off balance. That goes for all of you,” he added, sweeping his gaze over the group that had its big brown eyes collectively fixed on him. “Run if you can, but fight like hell if you can’t. Understand?”

Sam almost expected the tiny heads to nod, but a mass of twitching whiskers was the best the bunnies could manage. He was so engrossed in the speeches Dean was giving on everything from self defense to rabbit practical jokes that he barely restrained himself from taking Angie down when she laid a hand on his arm.

“Who’s the hunky rabbit whisperer?” she asked, staring at Dean.

Sam internalized a sigh. Human or rabbit, his brother always got the girl. “That’s my brother, Dean,” he said with a little shrug. “He’s just…really into rabbits, I guess.”

“Where’s yours?” she asked, scanning the furry assembly.

“Oh, um, he’s gone.”

“Gone?” Angie stared at Sam so accusingly that he backed up a step. “What happened?”

“Nothing!” Sam raised his hands in placation. “A friend took him back to his place when he dropped Dean off last night. He’s fine, really.”

“Oh. You scared me there for a minute.” She turned her attention back to the rabbits just as Dean tried to scoop Clover up and she leapt from his grasp, landing a few feet away and settling in to scamper further if he should try it again.

“Come on, sweetheart, don’t be that way.” Dean’s attempt to wheedle Clover back into his clutches was unsuccessful and Angie stepped up and smacked him on his shoulder.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“I was just trying to pick her up,” Dean muttered, defensive in the face of Angie’s outrage.

“Well, don’t. Can’t you read the signs?” Angie made a sweeping gesture and Dean followed it until his eyes landed on a sign reading, ‘These are wild creatures, please don’t touch’.

“Look, I wasn’t going to hurt her. And I’ve handled much wilder creatures than a tiny little bunny. I’m not afraid of her hurting me.”

“Well, I’m sure you had no intention of hurting her,” Angie conceded. “But she’s been a busy little bunny this past week and in about a month she’s likely going to have a litter.”

“A litter?” Dean looked pole-axed and Sam really couldn’t blame him. “As in…”

“As in a bunch of baby bunnies, yup. And any sort of stress could mess everything up and we don’t want that to happen, right?”

“No. I definitely don’t want that.” Dean stood, sticking his hands in his pockets and staring at Clover in dismay. “But she should be someplace safe, right? We could take her with us and…” He stopped, mouth opening and closing helplessly, obviously at a loss for what his former paramour could do while he and Sam drove constantly and tried to stop the apocalypse. “I can’t just leave her here.”

“She’s a wild rabbit,” Angie said, obviously perplexed. “She belongs here. She’s raised one litter already and hopefully she’ll have many more.”

Sam wanted to laugh at the thought of having nieces and nephews with long floppy ears, but he couldn’t in the face of Dean’s distress. He gripped Dean’s sleeve and gently steered him out of Angie’s earshot.

“Look,” Sam said. “You know we can’t take her with us, right?”

Dean glared at him then nodded his head miserably. “Yeah, I know.”

Sam turned back to Angie. “You feed them all year round, right?”

Angie nodded. “Of course.”

“And they’re safe here?” Dean’s voice was tense.

Angie smiled and gave a small shrug. “As safe as they can be. Nothing’s guaranteed in this world, but this bunch has been around for a while, so I think they’ve got pretty good survival skills.”

Sam smiled back and gave his brother a nudge. “See?”

Dean nodded, but his expression didn’t lighten. He dug into his duffle and pulled out a wad of cash, flipping through the bills before peeling a few off and handing the rest to Angie. In Atlanta he’d managed to get a good bit of pool hustling in between witches.

“Good food,” he said. “And lots of it. And…and… bunny houses for them to stay in when it gets cold.”

Angie stared at the money. “I can’t…this is…are you sure you want to give me this much?”

Dean nodded and rubbed his hand across his lips. “Just…just take good care of them, okay?” He turned to the car and tossed his duffle in the back seat before making his way cautiously back to Clover. He squatted a few feet away and she slowly made her way over to him. “You take care, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I’ll be by to see you when I can.”

Sam watched his brother run his hand over Clover’s head one last time then slid into the passenger seat seconds before the driver’s door slammed. Dean’s face was closed off, but Sam knew how upset he was.

“That was a lot of money for rabbit food,” he said, trying to make a joke of it.

“Child support,” Dean answered flatly, his tone making it clear that the conversation was over. Sam steeled himself for a long ride back to Atlanta.

 

*********************************************************************

 

“This is the place?”

“Yup,” Dean replied with a grimace. “Hooked up with all of them right here.”

Sam snorted softly, but didn’t respond. Dean wasn’t up for recriminations, even if Sam had any right to give them. “Well, let’s see if any of them are on the prowl tonight.”

The bar wasn’t packed, but it was doing a brisk business and Dean didn’t spot them right away. It wasn’t until a tiny brunette stood up and waved at him from a table in the corner that he realized all four were here. He nudged Sam and gestured across the room.

“That’s them?” Sam muttered disbelievingly. How the hell Dean managed to score attractive, high class women like these appear to be was beyond his brother. Even if they were witches. “Is she waving at us?”

“Yeah.” Dean was just as perplexed as Sam.
“Dean!” The woman continued to wave as she called out his name. “Hey! Come join us.”

Dean reached behind his back and cocked his gun, confident that Sam was checking his own weapons. They threaded their way through the crowd until they reached the table and a leggy blonde pushed two chairs out. The women looked neither threatened nor threatening. Two sipped white wine spritzers, one was chugging a Margarita, while the fourth nursed a tumbler of bourbon on the rocks.

“Have a seat, boys,” the Margarita grinned.

“We don’t drink with witches,” Dean snarled and the bourbon drinker burst into laughter.

“Do everything else with them though, don’t you?”

Dean actually blushed and his lips began to twitch up before his brother elbowed him in the side and hissed, “Dude, upstairs brain time! Witches, remember? Gave you long floppy ears and a hankering for leafy greens? “

Dean gave his head a hard shake, trying to recapture the anger that had fueled him during the long drive to Atlanta. The women were relaxed, smiling and he got the same feeling from them now as he had before.

“Come on,” the blonde Margarita drinker said, more seriously. “Sit down.”

Dean nodded and took a chair, Sam following suit. The blonde, Jenna, Dean remembered suddenly, called to the waitress for two drafts and then all four were staring at him intently.

“How do you feel?” Kristy, the bourbon drinker, asked with a smile. “I’ve got to say you’re looking better.”

“Something wrong with the way I looked before?” Dean was a little offended here, and his reply was sharp.

“You looked tired, sweetie. Chewed up and spit out.” It was the brunette who had waved them over now. She offered a hand across the table to Sam. “Hi, I’m Maggie.” Sam looked at it suspiciously and she snorted. “It’s not catching you know. Being a witch.”

“Chewed up and spit out? I looked good enough for all four of you to….” Dean was cut off as the women burst into laughter.

“You sure did, honey.” Lauren was the last to speak. “Even chewed up and spit out you’re easy on the eyes. But now you look like you’ve spent a week eating your vegetables, sleeping through the night and getting some good healthy exercise.”

“Got good healthy exercise with you,” Dean muttered and the women raised their glasses in a toast.

“You certainly did,” Maggie grinned. “You kept going and going and going. A rabbit was definitely your spirit animal.”

“Well,” Jenna interjected, “there was a little discussion over that. Kristy wanted to turn you into a stallion, but we managed to convince her that it would be a logistical nightmare. A horse trailer behind that classic Chevy? And where would poor Sam find a hotel that had a pasture? A rabbit was much easier to manage, right Sam?”

“Oh, I think he would have been perfectly easy to manage if you hadn’t turned him into anything at all.” Sam wasn’t going to play into their ‘we’re just a bunch of girls out for a night on the town’ charade.

“Yeah, because you’ve been managing him so well since he got back from hell.” Kristy was staring daggers at Sam and Dean and Maggie spoke at once to defuse the tension.

“Managing? What the hell?” Dean was pissed. The last thing he needed was to be managed.

“Now, Kristy, this isn’t about Sam. We all agreed to keep it civil tonight.” Maggie sent Sam a rueful grin. “Can we at least agree that there’s a lot on his shoulders and he needed a break?”

“You want us to believe you were actually trying to help him?” Sam stared at her incredulously. “You’re witches. We know that ultimately, you work for the other side.”

“Figures you’d buy into that anti-witch propaganda,” Kristy muttered, gesturing to the waitress for a refill.

“Propaganda?” Sam glared at her through narrowed eyes. “You’re witches!”

“And all of us are the same, is that it? Hypocrite.” Kristy’s eyes were just as angry as Sam’s. “I mean, you’ve got yourself convinced that a damned…” Her mouth snapped shut and she swallowed whatever she’d been about to say, but she was clearly furious.

Dean couldn’t tell for sure, but he’d bet money that Maggie had kicked her under the table. He was pretty sure what Kristy’s next words would have been and was just as glad she’d been cut off.

Sam seemed equally happy to let the subject drop. “So,” he started, obviously choosing his words carefully. “You’re good witches? How does that work, exactly?”

“Like anything else.” Lauren set down her glass and folded her hands, staring at Sam intently. “There’s power everywhere if you know how to look. “ She took a sip of her wine, never taking her eyes off Sam’s. “Sometimes that power is a snare, designed to drag you down into the worst evil imaginable. Sometimes it’s a gift, full of light and promise and the opportunity to do good things for the world.”

Dean looked up as the waitress placed a loaded cheeseburger and a glass of water in front of him then set a chicken Caesar salad and a draft in front of Sam. Lauren’s lips quirked into a smile and Dean exchanged glances, then glasses with his brother.

“Um, we didn’t order this,” Sam protested.

“Oh, these ladies ordered it for you,” the waitress said. “They told me you boys would be along eventually and to just cook it up when you got here.”

“Thanks,” Sam said to the table in general and shot a glance at his brother, who just shrugged.

“So,” Dean said, taking a big bite of the burger and continuing on while chewing, “turning me into a rabbit was a ‘gift full of light and promise that did good things for the world’? How do you figure?”

“You needed a break,” Maggie said, laying one hand on Dean’s arm and reaching across him to grip Sam’s wrist with the other. “And I’m sure Sam didn’t mind taking care of you for a while.”

“I’m fine,” Dean said, baring his teeth in an unconvincing smile.

“No you’re not,” Kristy said. “But not having the weight of the world on your shoulders for a week has helped a little. Tell me it wasn’t fun.”

Dean’s lips curved into a smile as he remembered his time with Clover and the other rabbits, then dropped as he remembered that he’d been forced to leave her there with babies on the way. “Why does it matter to you?” he asked. “What’s your stake in all this?”

“Our stake?” Lauren stared at Dean. “It’s the Apocalypse, Dean. Everyone in the whole world’s got a stake in this fight, don’t you think?”

“Well, unless you’re planning on turning the entire demon army into rabbits, your idea of fighting leaves a lot to be desired.”

“Ha,” Jenna said with a laugh. “If only. No. One rabbit is doable, barely, but we’re not that powerful.”

“Really,” Sam said. “So, how did you even know who Dean was? Why was it so important that you help him?”

Maggie sighed and answered. “You think you’re fighting this war on your own, but you’re not. You two are the big guns, but there are soldiers out there doing what little they can in whatever way they can. We happen to be among them.”

“That doesn’t answer the question of how you even knew who we were.”

“You hunters have a network,” Jenna answered. “There are other networks out there as well. And we, well, we went to Missouri and learned the truth.”

“Missouri?” Dean choked on his mouthful of burger and Sam slapped him between the shoulder blades until he stopped coughing. “She put you up to this?”

“She told us you’d be in our town and that you needed some help and we did the rest,” Maggie said with a grin. “Trust me, the getting to know you part was no hardship.”

“No offense, ladies,” Sam broke in, “but most witches we’ve met could have helped a lot more, if you know what I mean.”

“There are more powerful practitioners than we are, that is very true.” Maggie gave Dean a rueful smile. “But each of us has to fight with the weapons we possess. There are things you have to do, lines you have to cross, to get that kind of power and we’re happy with what we’ve got, thank you very much.”

Sam shifted, suddenly unable to meet Maggie’s direct gaze. He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed slowly, keeping his eyes on the table.

Dean looked at his brother curiously, but took up his line of questioning without comment. “So, what exactly can you do?”

“We can misdirect.” Maggie answered. “We can hide. There’s a certain bunch of rabbits that are under our protection from now on. We’ll take care of the little things while you take care of the big ones.”

“Specifically,” Jenna said with a smile, “we’ll take care of your little things.”

Dean pinked up a little around the ears. “You can protect them?”

“To the best of our ability,” Jenna replied. “And in this kind of thing our ability is pretty damned good.”

“Well, uh, thanks.” Dean dragged his palm across his lips and rose from his chair. “I gotta, um, yeah.”

Sam waited until Dean entered the restroom before excusing himself and pulling out his phone. It had been vibrating in his pocket for the last ten minutes and he was pretty sure what he’d find when he checked his messages. Sure enough, it was another furious text from Ruby. Sam sighed and answered this one. Dean was back to himself now and it was time for Sam to continue his training. The witches might think that they’d helped Dean by giving him a week off, but it wasn’t close to being enough, of that Sam was sure. He made sure he was back at the table before Dean and had barely settled in his chair before Maggie gripped his wrist.

“You need to stop, Sam,” she said, giving him a stern look. “If you think what you’re doing is going to help Dean, you’re wrong.”

Sam didn’t pretend that he didn’t know what she was talking about. “It is going to help him,” he insisted. “Those angels…they don’t know how…” Sam stopped just short of saying broken, “different he is now. He can’t do what they’re asking.”

“And you can?” Kristy’s gaze challenged Sam. “You think what your demon is giving you is the answer?”

“’Each of us has to fight with the weapons we possess’,” he replied with a small smile.

Maggie just shook her head sadly, and released Sam’s arm. “That’s true,” she said. “But you don’t possess that weapon, Sam. In fact, if you let it, it’s going to possess you.”

“I’ve got a handle on it,” Sam asserted with a humorless smile. “Trust me, I’m fine.”

“Sure you are,” Kristy drawled. “Just like your brother.”

“What about his brother?” Dean asked, dropping into his seat. Sam slid his phone surreptitiously into his pocket, but Dean didn’t miss the furtive move.

Kristy’s face softened when she switched her gaze from Sam to Dean. “I was just saying, we maybe shouldn’t let you off so easy. Come back every once in a while and we’ll let you improve the gene pool of every species we can think of.”

Dean snorted into his beer and a wistful look flashed though his eyes. “I don’t think so. But it wasn’t too bad while it lasted.”

Jenna stood and tilted Dean’s chin up, kissing him softly on the lips. The other women followed suit, with Kristy’s kiss briefly devolving into a lap dance.

“You boys remember what we told you,” Lauren murmured. “You’re not alone in this fight.”

“Good to know,” Dean said.

“The bill’s taken care of.” Maggie added. “And don’t worry about the bunnies. I’m sure you’ll be looking in on them too, but be careful. It might be better to just let us handle it.”

“Thanks, and we’ll keep that in mind,” Sam told her, knowing that his brother would never let his family be totally in anyone else’s charge.

“Keep everything we said in mind,” Kristy said, slinging her purse over her shoulder. “Never know when a nugget of wisdom might finally sink in.”

“You’re leaving?” Dean asked.

“If you’re going to be in town a while, you know where to find us,” Jenna said with a slow smile. “But right now we’ve got work to do and you know how that goes.”

“Yeah.” Dean nodded, sighing. “Yeah.” His gaze tracked the women through the bar, eyes crinkling slightly when they collectively blew him a kiss before pushing through the swinging doors.

“So,” Sam asked, fingering the phone in his pocket. “What’s the plan now?”

“Why do we need a plan, Sam?” Dean took a swig of his beer, already beginning to crave something stronger. “Why don’t we just wing it for once? You know what I want to do tomorrow?”

“No,” Sam replied. “What do you want to do?”

“I,” his brother said with a grin, “want to go for a hike. What do you say, Sammy. Wanna go check out some wild animals with me?”

Sam shrugged with a smile. All too soon they’d be back in the fight and Dean would again be beaten down by the weight heaven had piled on his shoulders. He wouldn’t be able to hook up with Ruby for a day or so anyway. One more day spent on R&R with his brother wouldn’t hurt anything.

“A hike sounds great to me,” he said.

Dean’s eyes lit up and Sam swallowed hard. It had been too long since his brother’s eyes were anything other than exhausted and careworn. Maybe he was going to have to revise his opinion of these witches after all.

“What’s the matter?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know. It’s just that I haven’t seen you this relaxed in, oh, ever. Maybe you being a rabbit wasn’t such a bad thing after all.”

Dean’s mouth curled up in one corner. “I was a pretty awesome rabbit, Sam.”

“Yeah.” Sam’s lip quirked in response. “Once you got over the shock of meal time, you had being a rabbit down pat. You going to keep up with the healthy food thing?”

“Dude,” Dean replied, popping the last of his fries into his mouth, “I’m still craving lettuce, but only with tomato and mayonnaise on top of a cheeseburger.”

“Well,” Sam said with a sigh, “all good things must come to an end.”

“Yeah.” Dean’s smile dimmed a little. “But not yet. Until some angel or other shows up, we’re on our own. Which means we can do things our way.”

Sam sighed again. Dean might have gained ground in the last week, but Sam had lost it. Lilith was consolidating her power, growing stronger while he’d been sitting still. He wished that he had the time to rest and take things as they came, but his enemy wasn’t giving him the option. Dean might not like it, but Sam was going to be ready to fight this battle and he fully intended it to end with Lilith’s head on a plate.

“Hey, Sam.” Dean’s voice cut into his brother’s reverie. “Do you see what I see?”

“Probably,” Sam replied. “We’re in the same room after all. What in particular am I supposed to be looking at?”

“College kids.” Dean tilted his head toward the back of the bar. “Well dressed ones around a pool table. Wanna go make back some of the money I left with Angie?”

“Considering how much money you left with Angie, I think we’re going to have to,” Sam said, raising a hand as his brother’s face grew indignant. “Hey, I’m not begrudging the bunnies that money and I’m sure you’ll be supplementing it on a regular basis. I’m fully behind you subsidizing your family.”

“Been subsidizing your ass for years,” Dean said, grinning as he turned toward the back of the bar. “Let’s go fleece us some preppies.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Sam mumbled with a smile as he followed his brother to the pool tables.

A few beers and a couple of hundred dollars later, Dean headed out of the bar with a swagger Sam hadn’t seen in what seemed like years. The Impala was parked down the block in front of a hole in the wall package store and Dean’s steps hitched as he passed the door.

“So,” Sam said, bumping Dean’s shoulder companionably. And hard. Dean grunted as the force spun him away from the store and toward the car. “A hike? In the actual woods? For fun? What’s up with that?”

Dean’s lip curled in a way that made Sam’s stomach twist.

“Well, I recently found out that rabbits are way more awesome than I had any idea they could be. Makes me wonder what else is out there that I’ve been missing all my life. I just want to spend one day watching deer or birds or fucking ants go about their lives with not a worry in their heads about the damned apocalypse.”
Sam blew out a long breath. “Sounds like a plan, Dean. But one day only, man. Then we have to get back to work. The demons aren’t just sitting on their asses waiting for us to get back in the game, you know.”

Dean’s gaze drifted back toward the liquor store as he pulled open the car door. “So we start off behind the eight ball again, Sam. What else is new?” Sam slid into the passenger seat without answering and Dean took a deep breath, and then another against the need beginning to gnaw at his gut. As he gunned the Impala down the street he had a single thought. One more day. Just let the damned angels and demons keep their distance for one more day.

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It was dark when Dean started awake, but for once his heart wasn’t trying to burst out of his chest and there wasn’t even a vestige of a scream strangled in his throat. He stretched; a long and luxurious tightening of his muscles that didn’t devolve into pain of any kind for the first time he could remember. Stilling, he listened for Sam’s snuffly sleep noises, but only silence reached his ears and the boulder he’d known wasn’t gone for good settled right back onto his chest. A sliver of light under the bathroom door caught his eyes and he thumped his head back onto his pillow with a sigh. He’d wake up some night choking on blood and ash, because a week in the fresh air and sunshine wasn’t making hell go away, and Sam would be gone, but not tonight. Not yet.

The remnants of the beer he had at the bar weren’t exactly agitating to be freed, but they were going to be ready to hit the road soon so he rolled out of bed, ready to bang on the bathroom door and get Sam’s ass in gear. All the kid had to drink was water; maybe it was the salad that was keeping him in the bathroom so long. Stifling a yawn, and then a curse as he tripped over Sam’s gigantic boots, he was just about to bring his hand down to knock when he heard the murmur of Sam’s voice from the other side of the door. A word became clear, then another and then a name. Dean’s fist dropped to his side, clenching and unclenching along with his jaw. Even one more fucking night was apparently too much to ask. The damned angels would probably pop in any minute to yank his chain.

He considered getting dressed and heading out to find a hot witch to spend the night with. Let Sam worry about him disappearing in the middle of the night for a change. He thought about grabbing the spare bottle of Jack out of the trunk of the Impala and drinking himself into a coma until the angels did fucking show up. With a sigh and a shake of his head he climbed back into bed, ready to pretend that he’d never heard Sam talking to Ruby just like Sam will pretend he’d never called her. The Winchester way. He closed his eyes, fighting to recapture the relaxation he’d had only moments before. Small brown bodies raced each other behind his eyelids and he wondered if the baby bunnies, when they came, would be close. If they’d take care of each other, watch each other’s backs. If he’d be around to see it if they did. “One more night,” he whispered like a mantra, sinking back into sleep, breeze ruffling his fur as he ran with the rabbits under the warm, sun bright sky.