Piece

Another quick one-shot to 9x07 - Sam reflects while standing at the foot of the bed.

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It catches his eye immediately and he crouches down to get a better look, instinctively knowing with what and by whom the tattoo had been embedded into the surface. As he stares on he pictures the younger, less calloused hands that would have etched the marking into the soft, pliable wood, and feels a tug on his heart and the quick formation of moisture in his eyes.

He shakes his head and a chuckle escapes him as his gaze remains transfixed; not the usual symbol a sixteen year old would have chosen to mark their existence and territory, but the again, this was left emblazoned on the bed post by no ordinary, usual teenager.

There is no doubt this was left by Dean.

He runs his fingertips along the perimeter of it and closes his eyes; can feel the texture of the jagged lines, the precision of what he knows is his brother's handiwork. He remembers with fondness; can picture the scene so clearly, from so many years ago, of those same hands using the same jagged lines to embed a D.W. into another surface in another place his brother would consider a sanctuary; in another home away from home.

Wiping a hand across his face he tilts his head and homes in on the makeshift name tag, it's edge slightly folded, the obvious presence of another tag and another name peeking through to tempt him from beneath.

With the sudden need to solidify what his heart already knows, and the overwhelming urge to somehow connect with his brother in this place, a slightly trembling hand peels off the top layer, then the next, and the next, until he sees it; the one name that with it brings a surge of emotion that swells in his heart like no other ever could.

Even though worn by time; the letters faded, the paper crinkled and brittle, the sight of Dean's name finally revealed seems to transcend time and reach out to him from across the years. The warmth he feels; the tremendous brightness that encompasses this moment of revelation into his brother's past sends a peaceful, reflective smile to his lips.

Right here, in this house, an unknown chapter of his brother's life waits patiently to be unearthed; another piece of the puzzle that is Dean Winchester has been laid out at his feet and swirls all around him, just itching to be snapped into place.

He will not let this opportunity pass him by.

End. Thanks for stopping by :)