Just Another Day In Paradise

I owe a huge THANK YOU to the lovely Just Ruth, who corrected my story and also came up with the name.

-oOo-

"DAD!"

"Daaaaaaaaad!"

John turns the volume up, hums along with the music. At the moment he had not a care in the world that his sons were trying to kill each other in the backseat of the car.

Usually, he might try to stop it but this time he's going to let them work it all out by themselves. It's easier that way at least. Well, maybe not for the boys, but for John. It's been four days on the road. Four excruciating long days that's left John with a headache that just won't go away not matter how many pills he takes. These are the times John really is questioning his decision about living on the road.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!"

Or... just leaving them somewhere and not come back; at least not until they're grown men.

Five and nine, two wonderful ages that John wants nothing to do with. He really doesn't care what the lady at the gas station told him yesterday, as he was mumbling the very same thing.

"Oh honey, you just wait until they're teenagers. Then you wish you were back to this," She'd said.

Yeah, if I let them live that long. He sighs, maybe it's time to stop for a while, let them run around. Thing is, John really needs to get to Montana as soon as possible to take care of a nasty spirit. However, he can't stand being on the road for much longer with the boys. Well, he thinks, He'll let the boys run wild next time Sam has to pee. That won't be long anyway considering Sam seems to have the smallest bladder ever made.

There's no pee break however and John doesn't dare to glance into the backseat until forty minutes after the screaming have stopped.

Dean is sitting as far away from Sam as possible. His arms are crossed and he got such a sour expression on his face that John can't help to laugh a little. Sam is fast asleep, slumped down in his seat, dried tear marks in what John sees now is a very dirty face from the boys wrestling match in the grass by the parking lot two stops ago.

"I hope you didn't knock your brother unconscious" John let's out.

Dean sends him a dark glare and John spots some scratch marks on Dean's cheek. "Serve him right but, no"

"Of course. And you're completely innocent in this, I presume?"

"He's the one who kept throwing markers at me!"

"And you didn't do anything back?"

John takes Dean's silence as an answer but stops with the questions. He didn't interfere in the first place, he should stay out of it now.

It's finally completely quiet in the car, Dean looking through a comic book and Sam snoozing. John had almost forgotten what that was like, peace. Looking at the time however, he notices it's almost dinnertime. A cranky Sam will wake up soon, the boys will be hungry and all hell will break loose. It's only five, but John decides it's time to stop for the night. He would have liked to drive for longer, but it's easier being in a motel room with some takeout food and a movie, they could use the break. If it means easier driving the day after, maybe the ghost in Montana can wait.

Luckily, it doesn't take long until he spots a motel. "We're stopping already? Dean asks as John parks the car.

"Yup, figured it was time" He turns around and smiles at Dean who looks relieved. Looks at Sam and notices that he didn't wake up when the car stopped. He glances over at Dean, who rolls his eyes, "Jeez, dad. I didn't knock him out. He was like way overdue a nap."

John nods and goes to get a room.

Back at the car, John makes Dean carry a bag and picks up Sam from the backseat. He'll probably regret it later, letting Sam sleep this time, but at the moment he doesn't want to deal with the drama that would occur if Sam would be woken up.

Dean opens the door and John puts Sam down on one of the beds and sits down next to him. Matching Dean's scratch marks on the cheek, Sam got them all over his arms and John kind of regrets he missed watching his sons trying to scratch each other like cats.

Dean is looking at him, waiting for orders on what to do next. John looks at Sam, makes a decision.

"Look" John says, nodding towards Sam.

"Yes, I can see, he's sleeping" Dean says.

"Well, look closer"

Dean huffs and comes closes, stares at his brother.

"Admit it, he's cute" John says.

Dean raises his eyebrows.

"He's cute" John says again.

Dean looks horrified. "He's drooling!"

John chuckles. "You know. You have to think, when Sam's bugging you, when he's the most annoying brother in the world, you have to think about this."

"About what? A drooling monster?" Dean looks very skeptic.

Sam sighs in his sleep, shifts his head and some brown curls falls over his closed eyes looking like the most adorable thing ever with the dirty cheeks and the tear marks. John can see Dean slowly melting, his big brother instincts kicking in.

"He's not so bad now is he?" John smiles. Dean jumps a little and tries to look like he doesn't care but realizes he's failing. "Okay" he admits, "not so bad."

"Cute" John says.

"Quiet" Dean answers, grinning. Then he looks down at his brother again and back at John, "You know, maybe we can keep him like that" he says hopefully, "Just prop him full with sleeping pills."

John laughs and stands up from the bed, "Sorry, son. He comes with the whole package."

Dean sighs, and plops down next to Sam and starts reading his comic again. "I guess he does," but doesn't look very unhappy.

"All right, I'll go and grab us some dinner."

Dean nods, turns a page, "Watch out for Sammy, I get it."

"That's right" John answers and walk towards the door.

"Hey Dad?"

"Yeah" He stops looks at his son.

"Since when do you use the word cute?"

John chuckles and walk out the door, feeling much better then an hour ago. If he's lucky it might even last the whole night. Or not. He's still close to the door and doesn't miss the "Daaaaaaad!" coming from his room.

John walks a bit faster - he's going to take his time picking out food.