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Florida, Massachusetts, is totally overrated, and Dean Winchester is so done. It doesn’t matter that it’s October, and the leaves are doing that whole New England Fall thing. It doesn’t matter that the Sunrise Motel is surrounded by acres of forest and farmland that’s just begging to be explored. It doesn’t even matter that Gloria, the Motel’s owner, keeps baking them pies, cookies, and other things. No, nothing matters right now because Dad just up and left them, AGAIN!
They were supposed to be in Cleveland by now, well on their way towards moving to South Dakota. Sammy is supposed to be starting Kindergarten and Dean in third grade by next week. Dad’s friend Bobby is supposed to teach him how to build a working volcano in time for the school science fair. Dean has no idea what could be so much more important than all of their plans. Nevertheless, Dad still pulled a 180 and dropped them off at the very first motel he came across.
Sammy is bored watching tv because the reception is crap, they only get three channels, and everything is in black and white. Dean, understanding his brother’s frustrations, offers to read comic books to him. Together, they spend the first few days enthralled in the epic and heralding tales of Superman and Batman.
Things seem to be looking up until day three when the brothers get into a stupid fight that ends with Sammy in tears. To be fair, it wasn’t all Dean’s fault; Sam had been the one trash talking Superman. What other choice did Dean have besides further educating his little brother on the error of his ways?
Before long, their conversation has deteriorated into a fit of passion-fueled anger and yelling. Then all of a sudden, Sammy gets into Dean’s face the way Dad sometimes does. Without thinking, Dean shoves his brother backward with the full brunt of his strength. The next thing they know, Sammy is on the floor and there are hot tears streaming down his little face.
Dean is beside himself with guilt, knowing that he’s the worst big brother ever. He tries everything he can think of to apologize and make things right with Sammy. He starts feeling sick, like things are squirming around inside him. He loses sleep, feels anxious, and is desperate to make up for his behavior.
The next day they eat cherry pie for breakfast and wash it down with sodas from the vending machine. Later on, they explore almost every inch of the forest behind the Motel. They take all the time Sam needs to scribble out a map in his notebook. Dean even walks his brother over to a neighboring farm despite how much it reeks of cow piss and shit.
Unfortunately, his efforts make no difference in the greater scheme of things. Because later on, when Dean goes to grab the peanut butter at dinnertime, Sam flinches. It happens real quick and is probably the sort of thing that anyone else would have missed. Midway through contemplating some important life questions only a 5-year-old could come up with, Sammy stutters.
“S-So, who do you think would win in a fight, Sharks or Whales?”
Dean hears the subtle change in his brother’s voice and sees the fear in his eyes. This one small action alone is proof enough for Dean of his overwhelming failure.
That night after Sam falls asleep, Dean sneaks out to beg Gloria to borrow her sewing machine. The motel owner obliges him with a smile and asks very few questions. Once back in the room, Dean spends most of the night hunched over the coffee table, perfecting his top-secret project.
When Sammy wakes up the next morning, he is greeted by a lopsided package on his pillow. Dean is snoring soundly in his bed, still wearing the same clothes from the day before. Carefully, Sam slides off the dental floss ribbon and pulls back the newspaper wrappings to reveal a haphazardly sewn Batman Costume.
Some hours later, Sam’s sticky fingers wake Dean with an attempt at his having made them breakfast in bed. Proudly he serves his big brother leftover cookies and orange Hi-C mixed from powder. All the while, Sammy is beaming up at Dean, already wearing his costume.
“But we have to make one for you too, Dean! Batman NEEDS Superman, you know as his sidekick? That way, they can fight all the bad guys together!”
Somehow Dean lets the sidekick comment slide, just this once. Together the boys busy themselves at fabricating a costume for Dean. Though their materials leave much to be desired, they persevere, and by nightfall, they are triumphant. Somehow they’ve transformed their motel towels, and an almost outgrown pair of pajamas into something vaguely resembling Superman.
The next day Sam gets up at the crack of dawn and turns their small kitchenette upside down. Dean is startled awake to sounds of pots and pans crashing out of the cupboard and onto the floor. He really wants to be pissed off at his brother for the rude awakening. He had been dreaming of something really good, and now the memory is fading fast. Sammy makes it impossible to stay mad, though, as he eagerly explains about all the cool costume accessories he’s found.
After breakfast, the boys gear up and set out to do some serious crime-fighting. Dean’s mind is blown by just how many supervillains seem to be hiding amongst the New England countryside. With a small chuckle, he relaxes and plays with Sam for real. It is surprisingly easy to let go of all the stresses and responsibilities that have been mounting upon him. Dean allows himself to let it all just slip away and to get lost in their games. That is, until Sammy has the genius idea that he should try to fly.
Dean crashes back to reality as Sam crashes off the shed and onto the ground. His little brother lands awkwardly with a thump, his arm sprawling backward in the wrong direction. Dean’s heart stops because Sammy isn’t crying out; he’s just laying there, in the mud, and he’s not moving. Panic thrusts Dean into action, and he carefully scoops Sam into his arms.
“It’s gonna be alright, Sammy! Everything is gonna be just fine, you’ll see!”
Scanning the Motel parking lot, Dean eyes an unchained mountain bike leaning against a wall. Tentatively he gets on it, Sam’s body is pressing against his chest, and his little legs are dangling over the handlebars. Dean pedals them both swiftly down Route 2 towards North Adams. He isn’t sure how long the trip will be, only that the city is bigger and more populated.
Sam’s still unresponsive in his arms, but he’s breathing, and it gives Dean hope to keep going. About a mile into the trip, the road dips and curves downward. Unbeknownst to Dean, he has started down a hairpin turn; Some Puritan’s bright idea to pave a roadway that resembles a pinball machine. Before Dean realizes that he should slam on the breaks, both boys are instead hurtling through space.
Gleaming, almost electric blue eyes gaze down at Dean as he stirs into consciousness. Their bike is gone, and they have been thrown into a clearing significantly far from the roadside.
“I’ve done all I can, I’m afraid. I’m not supposed to be involving myself with matters such as these,” the strange man speaks robotically; his voice is deep and gravelly.
“Please, mister, my brother needs to get to a hospital! I think he’s hurt real bad!”
The stranger says nothing more, but nods in agreement with Dean. He bends down and tenderly lifts Sam’s frail body from the ground. Then the man leads them a short distance away to a nearby car that's been left to idle. The drive to the hospital blurs in Dean’s memory. He isn’t aware of his surroundings again until Gloria is there, sitting next to him. Dean winces when she wraps an arm around his shoulders, trying to drape a blanket over him.
“Your brother is okay, Dean. He’s got a broken arm, but the Doctors say he’ll be all healed up before you know it!”
Sammy chooses bright blue for his cast; despite everything, the kid still seems pretty happy. Dean is just so relieved that his brother is going to be okay. He doesn’t even mind Sam’s jabbering about X-rays and wanting to be a doctor someday.
When they all get back to the Motel, the Impala is sitting there, parked outside of their room. Dean’s hand hovers over the doorknob; he freezes, fearing his Dad’s wrath. Sam shoots his brother a funny look and, obliviously, pushes open the door. Much to Dean’s relief, they are greeted by John’s tired smile and what smells like McDonald’s cheeseburgers.
Sam makes a full recovery and gets the cast off a month later when they’re all in South Dakota. Dean starts school, settles in, and even makes some friends. Living with Bobby is awesome! He shows the boys how the inside of a car engine works and takes them to the park to play ball. They build the volcano, and Dean enters it into the science fair; he doesn’t win but gets an honorable mention. John never does, in fact, get around to calling his son out over Sammy’s accident. The hospital bill gets lost in the mail, and eventually, all of it is forgotten.