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and she whispers in his ear
I'll wait for you right here
this is where we're supposed to be
She and Sam already saw and walked along the beach last night, but it’s different in daylight. There are more people, but it’s not so bad that it’s crowded. The sky is clear and the waves are small and have little white crowns of sea foam she can’t wait to touch.
Out of the corner of her vision, she can see Sam hold up a hand to get her attention.
“Let’s stay here?” he signs and says.
Eileen quickly looks around—there’s finally no more people, probably because they’re very far away from the food stands by now. She gives Sam a thumbs up and puts down her bag and her shoes that she’d been carrying, preferring to go barefoot. Though the sand is hot from the sun, she enjoys the feeling of it between her toes a lot.
Beside her, Cas also comes to a stop where he’d been pushing the beach wheelchair they’d rented for Dean. He squints against the sun and then turns his head and must ask Dean something she can’t see because Dean looks up at him and nods.
Sam sets the cooler down and the two folded up beach shelters he’d been carrying. Feeling playful, Eileen leans up as if going in for a kiss, and the moment Sam leans down she snatches up one of the beach shelters and side-steps him.
“You’re playing dirty!” Sam complains, trying to look stern but unable to tamp down on his smile.
Holding up her prize, she says, “Last one ready has to pay for ice cream!”
Forming a team with Dean, she and him are already threading the flexible bars through the turquoise fabric of the shelter by the time Jack and Sam get started. They still only win by a few seconds, but they do win, high-fiving each other with wide smiles when “their” shelter stands first.
“Still not too late to choose the more talented brother,” Dean signs and says, winking at her.
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Eileen replies, then looks over just in time to see Sam dramatically roll his eyes.
“Stop flirting you two!”
Deciding to take mercy on him, Eileen walks over and pecks Sam on the cheek.
“You’re cute when you pout,” she signs, enjoying the way he ducks his head and blushes, his bashful smile. “You still owe me ice cream though,” she adds, making him laugh. Cupping her face, he leans down and gives her a real kiss. The sun has already warmed her, but now she feels that special kind of warmth around her heart.
It’s so easy to get lost in that bubble of mutual affection and understanding she and Sam share. When they finally step back, she sees that Jack has made himself at home in the orange colored shelter he and Sam set up and is already almost done with inflating the beach ball they brought.
When she can’t see Castiel, she turns around and spots him walking towards them from the way they came. He comes to a stop beside Dean and hands him sunglasses—“Thanks,” she can see Dean say, and then something about how he didn’t notice losing them.
Jack waves the beach ball at Sam and Eileen to get their attention.
“Can we go swim now?” He seems to be vibrating with energy, his smile wide and his eyes shining. He’s already taken his tee off and is now only in the neon green and yellow swim trunks he picked out himself. The platypus pin Castiel gave him is sitting carefully placed on top of his clothes, shiny surface reflecting the sunlight.
“Are you guys good with us going first?” Sam asks Dean and Castiel, speaking and signing.
Castiel lets Dean lean on him, keeping a steadying arm around his waist as Dean carefully and slowly walks the few steps towards the turquoise beach shelter. Seeing as his crutches are no real help in the sand, they left them at the motel. When they’re both sitting, Dean nods in response. “Could use some alone time, right Cas?” He nudges Castiel’s shoulder with a soft, playful smile. Castiel rolls his eyes fondly, the corners of his mouth giving a tell-tale twitch.
“We’ll be fine keeping an eye on everyone's personal items,” Castiel agrees. Instead of his usual trenchcoat get-up, he’s wearing light blue swim trunks and a black and blue patterned floral shirt today. The capybara pin is fastened to the breast pocket and Eileen is reminded of the day before, when Castiel explained to her why those animals reminded him of Dean.
She’s quite sure the two of them will be much more busy making out than keeping their stuff safe. Usually, she’d tease them about it, but right now she’s too excited to finally get into the ocean.
Since she’s wearing her swimsuit under her clothes, she just has to take off her top and her shorts, and then she’s ready.
“Last one in the water buys dinner!” Eileen yells, and then she starts running.
She’s pretty sure that Sam is right behind her, but it’s actually Jack that almost overtakes her. They make it into the water at the same time and immediately start splashing each other.
The sea is—indescribable. After getting quite warm walking along the beach and over the hot sand, it’s just the right side of cool and refreshing. It’s also very calm today, which is good because she knows Dean wants to go for a swim as well and he couldn’t if the current were too strong. The sun is glittering on the water and she’s grateful they made sure to put on sunscreen back at the motel—which she and Sam did manage, despite getting distracted with each other halfway through.
The three of them play with the beach ball until Jack announces he wants to try out his snorkeling gear.
“Swim with me?” she asks Sam, and the both of them set off at a leisurely pace to get a little further from the shore.
Breathing in deep, she can smell the salt from the sea and a little bit of the perfume from the sunscreen. Further away at the horizon are some fluffy white clouds and she looks up just in time to see a flock of green parrots fly above them.
She’s about to point them out to Sam when she notices the far-away look on his face.
Stopping and treading water to stay in place, Eileen gently nudges his shoulder.
“Sam? You okay?”
He stops too and blinks like coming out of a daydream. Locking eyes, he offers her a reassuring smile.
“Sorry,” he says, then lifts his hands out of the water to sign. “I was just thinking… When we were kids, Dean used to take me to the pool when we were at a motel that had one and teach me to swim. I had never even seen the sea at that point. We were so young and… I thought that was going to be just it, motel after motel, and sometimes splashing around in a tiny, moldy pool, forever. I never… I never could’ve imagined anything like this.”
He motions between the both of them and then back towards the beach, to his family. To their family.
Their home.
Cupping his cheek, Eileen strokes his cheekbone with her thumb. “Neither could I,” she confesses, “but we have it now. It’s ours to keep.”
The smile he gives her is a little watery now, and not from the sea. “Wouldn’t be the same without you,” he signs.
It’s so sweet, and it makes that warmth around her heart flare up again—which is why she can’t help but tease him, “So I did choose the right brother after all?”
Predictably, Sam rolls his eyes and shakes his head with a fond if exasperated expression.
“I should have seen it coming that you two would gang up on me.” He covers her hand on his face with his, then turns his head and pressed a kiss to her palm.
And then makes a face when he tastes the salt water on his lips.
When she starts laughing, Sam goes in to tickle her sides, and she splashes him with water. They play-fight their way back to the shore, acting like children and not caring one bit about who sees them.
Dean and Castiel must have seen that they were coming back, because by the time Sam and Eileen arrive at the shelters they look like they’re about to go into the sea themselves. Dean has taken off his shirt, leaving him in his shark-adorned swim trunks. He says something to Castiel that looks like “Let’s get this show on the road,” and lets Castiel help him get up.
While Sam and Eileen get some bottled water out of the cooler and settle down in the other shelter, Dean and Castiel make their way towards the water. They use the beach wheelchair to get as close to the waterline as possible and then Castiel helps Dean stand again.
Eileen is looking around for Jack to find him still snorkeling when she feels Sam suddenly tense where she’s leaning against his side. Following his line of vision, she sees that Dean seems to have faltered. Castiel is supporting him securely though and she can see his mouth form something that looks like “I’ve got you.” She can see Dean nod and take a deep breath and then the two of them keep slowly walking towards the water, sea foam already touching their toes.
Sam still feels tense, gaze laser-focused on his brother.
He’s often complained about Dean’s over-protectiveness but he for sure can be just as bad. Knowing the lives they’ve led and at least some of their history, Eileen understands where it’s coming from though.
Soothingly, she rubs a hand down his back. “They’re going to be okay,” she says.
She has a feeling that maybe in the past, Sam would have run after them immediately, would maybe even have stopped Dean and argued. Now though, he closes his eyes and nods. Visibly takes a deep breath and leans into her caress.
“Yeah,” he says when he opens his eyes again, his chest moving when he lets out the breath slowly. “It’s gonna be okay.” He looks at her and offers her a grateful smile. “Hey, want to help me and Jack look for seashells and coral pieces later? I want to stock up our spell ingredients at home.”
She nods but adds, “Don’t forget though,” she tabs his nose playfully with a finger, “You still owe all of us ice cream and dinner.”
Sam’s surprised laugh makes his features light up, dispelling the rest of the worry. He leans in to kiss her and she meets him halfway, feeling warm all down to her toes in the sand, tasting the sea on his mouth.