Note: hey my lovely people <3

im insanely depressed and i need serotonin lol so i'm posting another chapter

the title for this one comes from the song "Heat of the Moment" by Asia. So I think you can guess what episode this chapter is based on 😉

I had a lot of requests for this one, and it took me ages to actually write it. But hopefully it was worth the wait!

Anna is nine in this one.

What Were the Things You Wanted for Yourself

Anna pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth. "Sammy's still not up?" she called irritably. She was absolutely starving.

Dean poked his head into the bathroom. "Just about to wake him," he promised with a conspiratorial wink.

Anna grinned at him and rinsed her toothbrush even though she hadn't actually brushed all of her teeth. "Let's dump water on his face!" she suggested, toothpaste and saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Dean made a face at her and moved into the other room where he turned up the music. "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Heat of the moment

Sam sat straight up in bed just as Anna stepped out of the bathroom.

Telling you what your heart is

"Dude," Sam said, annoyed. "Asia?"

"You love this song and you know it," Dean goaded.

"Yeah, and if I ever hear it again, I'm gonna kill myself," Sam retorted. Anna was guessing that meant that Sam did not actually like the song.

She struck a pose, putting both hands under chin and smiling wide. When Dean tweaked her nose and made a clicking sound with his tongue, she dropped her arms. "I hate brushing my teeth."

"That's why I make you do it," Dean said dryly. "I live to torture you, Rugrat."

Anna pursed her lips. That was not nearly as funny as Dean seemed to think it was.

She danced along to the music– swinging her arms and swaying her head from side to side– as she moved over toward Sam's bed. "Heat of the moment," she sang and planted her hands against the side of Sam's mattress. She looked him in the eyes and sang loudly and off-key, "Shone in your eeeeeyyyyes."

"Anna," Sam said tiredly. "Sing to Dean, please."

Anna shrugged. "Okay." To the beat of the song still playing on the radio, Anna sang, "Dean, it's time for breakfast. Dean, I am hungry." All the while, she danced toward the bathroom door. She repeated those same two improvised lines on repeat, getting more and more into it. Just as she got to the bathroom, Dean lurched out into the main room and grabbed her sides, tickling her relentlessly. Anna squealed and wriggled until she managed to get out of his grip.

"Alright, Sam, I guess we gotta either feed this kid, or bring her back to the Costco we got her from."

"Deeann!"

Sam threw the covers off himself and stood up.

"You shoulda let me throw water at him," Anna said. "He woulda got up faster."

Dean tickled her again.

()()()

Anna skipped around the legs of a thin old man as they stepped into the diner. It was small but not too small, and it smelled like every diner ever– coffee, grease, and pancakes.

"Order up!" someone yelled from the kitchen.

Anna wrinkled her nose. It was loud. Dean grabbed her hand and pointed toward an empty booth. "Right there, Munchkin," he said, giving her a gentle push in the right direction.

"Can't stay unless you order something, Cal," a friendly-looking waitress said to a man at the counter. "You know the rules."

"Some coffee," the man said and handed her some change from his pocket.

"Hey, Rugrat, look at that. Tuesday, Pig in a Poke."

Anna wrinkled her nose. "Dean, that's gross."

"Hey, being grossed out by that is Sam's job."

As if to prove his point, Sam spoke up right then to ask, "Do you even know what that is?"

"It sounds gross," Anna repeated herself, looking regretfully up at Dean. "Like there's a real life pig in the kitchen."

"I highly doubt that," Sam assured her.

The waitress who'd spoken to Cal before showed up at their table with a small notepad and a pen all ready. Anna could see her nametag now, and it said Doris. "You folks ready?" she asked amicably.

"Yes," Dean said. "I'll have the special, side of bacon, and a coffee."

"Make it two coffees," Sam told her. "And a short stack."

"Three coffees," Anna chirped.

"No," Sam and Dean said at the same time.

Anna pouted. "Chocolate milk?" she requested instead. "And french toast."

"Sure thing, Sweetie," Doris agreed with a smile on her face. She poked her notepad one last time with her pen and turned away.

"I'm telling you, Sam," Dean said as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. "This job is small fry. We should be spending our time hunting down Bela."

"Okay, sure, let's get right on that," Sam said sarcastically. "Where is she again?"

"Shut up," Dean drawled.

"If she wasn't so mean, I think she's cool," Anna said idly, folding her napkin just for something to do.

"Would think," Sam corrected without missing a beat. "You would think she's cool."

"And no you wouldn't."

"Dean, you can't just decide that for her," Sam argued.

"Shut up," Dean said again.

"Look, believe me, I wanna find Bela as much as you do. In the meantime, we have this."

"All right," Dean sighed. "So this professor..."

Sam pulled a newspaper clipping from his pocket. "Dexter Hasselback was passing through town last week when he vanished."

"Last known location?"

"His daughter says he was on his way to visit the Broward County Mystery Spot."

"What's that?" Anna asked and pulled her feet up onto the booth seat so she could sit on them and gain some height.

"It's like a fun house," Dean told her. "Sit down."

"I am," Anna said in a high voice that made it clear she knew she was being difficult.

Dean just gave her a look, and Anna pouted but sat down again, feet dangling toward the floor. He took a flier Sam held out to him and turned it over. "Where the laws of physics have no meaning," he read and snorted. He passed the sheet down to Anna. "That's for the Mystery Spot," he told her.

Anna made a curious face and took the paper from her brother. She studied the large question mark on the front of the flier and then turned it over just as Dean had. It looked like some college student had done their math homework on this thing. It was covered in formulas and equations that didn't make any sense to Anna. She set the flier on the table and pulled a purple crayon from her pocket– always come prepared. She used the flier as a coloring sheet.

Their waitress came back with a tray balancing on one hand. On it was two coffees, a chocolate milk, and a bottle of hot sauce. "Two coffees, black," she recited. "Chocolate milk for the lady, and some hot sauce for the-" The glass bottle wobbled and then tipped sideways off the tray where it fell to the floor with a smash. "Oops. Crap," Doris muttered. "Sorry," she said with a timid smile. "Clean up!" she hollered over her shoulder.

()()()

Just an hour or so later, they were walking down the street. They passed by a dog that was barking loudly, clearly missing its owner. Anna longed to reach out and give the dog a pat, but she was frightened at the way it was jumping and barking too. So she kept her distance. She didn't feel like getting mauled today.

"I can't believe you let her color on this," Sam grumbled.

Anna wrinkled her nose. If she'd known they needed the flier, she would have never pulled out that crayon in the first place.

Dean rolled his eyes and snatched the flier away from his brother. "Sam, joints like this are tourist traps, right? I mean, you know, balls rolling uphill, furniture nailed to the ceiling. They're only dangerous to your wallet."

"Okay, look," Sam said reasonably, "I'm just saying, there are spots in the world where holes open up and swallow people. The Bermuda Triangle, uh, The Oregon Vortex, and-"

"Broward County Mystery Spot?" Dean supplied dubiously.

"Sometimes these places are legit."

"Alright," Dean said finally. "If it is legit– and that's a big-ass if– then what's the lore?"

"Well," Sam started but was interrupted when a blonde woman with her arms full hurrying past them bumped into Dean, their shoulders brushing.

"Excuse me," the woman said politely over her shoulder. She was out of sight pretty quickly and clearly had somewhere to be.

"The lore's pretty frigging nuts, actually," Sam said with a hint of nerdy excitement coming through in his voice now. He reached reflexively behind him to make sure Anna was still right there. She was, and he put a hand on her head to make sure she didn't go anywhere. "They say these places, the magnetic field is so strong, they can bend space time, sending people who knows where."

"Sounds a little X-Files to me," Dean complained.

"What's X-Files?" Anna asked.

"I'll explain it to you later."

"Okay," Anna shrugged.

"Look, I'm not saying this is really happening. But if it is, we gotta check it out. See if we can do something," Sam said.

Dean looked over at him, clearly annoyed. "Alright, alright," he said. "We'll go tonight after they close, get ourselves a nice, long look."

"Can I come?" Anna asked. "I never saw a Mystery Spot before." She was prepared to hear a quick 'no,' but to her surprise, Dean made a thoughtful face.

"No," Sam said, but the word was directed at Dean rather than Anna. Dean opened his mouth to say something. "Dean, no. She's nine years old. You want a nine year old to have experience breaking and entering?"

"Come on, Sam, take that stick outta your ass. Nothing's gonna happen. It's just a tourist trap, there won't be anybody there, and we'll be in and out in no time."

"Unless there's really something wrong with it," Sam reminded him.

"Yeah, right," Dean snorted. "I think we both know this case is a dud, Sam." With that, he grabbed Anna by the hand and they crossed the street.

()()()

The walls made Anna dizzy as they all walked into the Mystery Spot. There were swirling black patterns set against neon colored walls, floors, and ceilings. The moving beam of Dean's flashlight and the blinking red lights of the EMF detector in Sam's hand made the atmosphere that much more disorienting. Anna decided rather quickly that she was not a fan of Mystery Spots.

"Wow," Dean deadpanned at the utter lack of activity. "Uncanny."

Anna followed closely behind Dean as both boys moved around the room, examining tables set at an angle to the floor and patterns loud enough to make your eyes cross.

"Find anything?" Dean asked, casting a glance at the EMF reader Sam still had out.

"No."

"I don't like it here," Anna murmured. She looked up at Dean, hoping he would say they could go home now. It was pretty obvious the boys weren't finding what they were looking for anyway.

When Dean saw her discomfort, he crouched down to her level, flicking off the beam on his flashlight. "It's alright, Rugrat. None of this stuff is even real." He pointed at a table tilted to look like it was defying gravity. "See, all this stuff is just what they call, uh, an optical illusion."

"A what?"

"It's when your eyes play tricks on you," Dean explained patiently. "Make you think you're seeing something you're not."

"Oh," Anna said. "That's kinda cool."

"Yeah, in any other circumstance, kiddo, I might agree with you on that." He made a small groan as he pushed himself back to a standing position.

"Still nothing," Sam sighed.

"Do you even know what you're looking for?" Dean challenged.

"Uh... yeah," Sam said, an obvious lie. All it took was one look from Dean to get him to admit, "No."

Dean just shook his head, and when he looked down at Anna, she shook her head along with him. "Sammy, Sammy, Sammy," she said. Then she jumped and made a small, frightened sound. There was a man she didn't recognize in the room with them now, and he had a freaking gun.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked in a tremoring voice.

Dean stepped fully in front of Anna and pulled out his gun and flashlight, pointing both at the armed man. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. We can explain," Dean said placatingly. He pointed his gun purposefully away from the man, whose firearm was pointed at Dean's chest.

Anna curled her fingers tightly in the back of Dean's jacket, and he made a shushing sound at her over his shoulder. It was meant to be soothing, but Anna couldn't be soothed. Not while someone was threatening her family.

"You robbing me?" the man demanded, swinging his gun around to point it at Sam instead.

"Look, nobody's robbing you," Sam told him, a hint of panic in his own voice. "Calm down," he requested reasonably.

Dean clearly didn't like the gun aimed at his little brother, and he sidled just the slightest bit toward Sam. The man immediately turned his aim on Dean again. "Don't move!" he shouted.

"I'm just putting my gun down," Dean said. He began to make good on his promise, slowly lowering his gun to the floor with a calming expression on his face. His body language was anything but threatening. He was doing everything in his power to help the guy feel less like he was in danger. But it didn't make a difference.

Anna flinched bodily at the sound of the gunshot. She felt a spatter of something warm against her face, and then she realized what had happened. Dean fell down right in front of her, hitting his side on the floor. Anna's eyes widened in abject horror. "No," she whispered. "No!" she screamed. And then she just kept screaming.

()()()

Anna pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth. "Sammy's still not up?" she called irritably. She was absolutely starving.

Dean poked his head into the bathroom. "Just about to wake him," he promised with a conspiratorial wink.

Anna grinned at him and rinsed her toothbrush even though she hadn't actually brushed all of her teeth. "Let's dump water on his face!" she suggested, toothpaste and saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Dean made a face at her and moved into the other room where he turned up the music. "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Heat of the moment

Sam sat straight up in bed just as Anna stepped out of the bathroom.

Telling you what your heart is

Sam didn't speak. He just sat there, staring at his brother.

"Dude," Dean said. "Asia."

Sam just breathed, "Dean."

Anna frowned. That was weird. Of course Dean was here. Dean was always here.

"Look, Sammy." She struck a pose, putting both hands under chin and smiling wide. When Dean tweaked her nose and made a clicking sound with his tongue, she dropped her arms. "I hate brushing my teeth."

"That's why I make you do it," Dean said dryly. "I live to torture you, Rugrat."

Anna pursed her lips. That was not nearly as funny as Dean seemed to think it was.

She danced along to the music– swinging her arms and swaying her head from side to side– as she moved over toward Sam's bed. "Heat of the moment," she sang and planted her hands against the side of Sam's mattress. She looked him in the eyes and sang loudly and off-key, "Shone in your eeeeeyyyyes."

Sam didn't say anything. He just stared at her.

"What?" Anna asked, confused.

"Sing to Dean," Sam requested.

To the beat of the song still playing on the radio, Anna sang, "Dean, it's time for breakfast. Dean, I am hungry." All the while, she danced toward the bathroom door. She repeated those same two improvised lines on repeat, getting more and more into it. Just as she got to the bathroom, Dean lurched out into the main room and grabbed her sides, tickling her relentlessly. Anna squealed and wriggled until she managed to get out of his grip.

"Alright, Sam, I guess we gotta either feed this kid, or bring her back to the Costco we got her from."

"Deeann!"

Sam threw the covers off himself and swung his legs over the side of his bed. But he didn't stand up. He was too busy staring in awe at his siblings.

"You shoulda let me throw water at him," Anna said. "He woulda got up faster."

Dean tickled her again. Sam could feel a headache building in his temples.

()()()

Anna skipped around the legs of a thin old man as they stepped into the diner. It was small but not too small, and it smelled like every diner ever– coffee, grease, and pancakes.

"Order up!" someone yelled from the kitchen.

Anna wrinkled her nose. It was loud. Dean grabbed her hand and pointed toward an empty booth. "Right there, Munchkin," he said, giving her a gentle push in the right direction.

"Can't stay unless you order something, Cal," a friendly-looking waitress said to a man at the counter. "You know the rules."

"Some coffee," the man said and handed her some change from his pocket.

"Hey, Rugrat, look at that. Tuesday, Pig in a Poke."

Anna wrinkled her nose. "Dean, that's gross."

"Hey, being grossed out by that is Sam's job."

"Wait, wait," Sam said instead of rising to the bait. "It's Tuesday?"

Dean frowned and raised his eyebrows in question. "Yeah."

The waitress who'd spoken to Cal before showed up at their table with a small notepad and a pen all ready. Anna could see her nametag now, and it said Doris. "You folks ready?" she asked amicably.

"Yes," Dean said. "I'll have the special, side of bacon, and a coffee."

Sam looked like he couldn't have cared less about breakfast. "Uh, nothing for me," he said. "Thanks."

"Can I have coffee?" Anna chirped.

"No," Sam and Dean said at the same time.

Anna pouted. "Chocolate milk?" she requested. "And french toast, please."

"Sure thing, Sweetie," Doris agreed with a smile on her face. She poked her notepad one last time with her pen and turned away.

"I'm telling you, Sam," Dean said as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. "This job is small fry. We should be spending our time hunting down Bela."

Sam didn't say anything. He was still staring at the waitress who had just left the table.

"Hey," Dean said and snapped his fingers. "You with me?"

Sam had a look of steadfast shock on his face. "What?" he finally asked.

"You sure you feel okay?" Dean asked.

Sam just looked around them and then back at Dean with disbelief written all over his face. "You don't– You don't remember any of this?" he asked, like the very idea was impossible.

"What?" Anna asked. "What do you mean?"

"Remember what?" Dean added.

"This. Today. Like it's... happened before."

Dean raised one eyebrow. "Like déjà vu?" he asked.

"No, I mean, like- like it's really happened before," Sam corrected. He looked emphatically at Dean, who just tilted his head forward in a 'yeah,' gesture.

"Like déjà vu."

"No, forget about déjà vu," Sam snapped. "I'm asking if it feels like- like we're living yesterday all over again!"

Anna looked slowly up at her brother with a strange expression. "I thought that's what déjà vu is," she said.

"Anna!" Sam exclaimed and then looked away, gritting his teeth.

Doris was back with a tray of coffee and one little red bottle. "Coffee, black," she recited. "And some hot sauce for the-" The little bottle wobbled and then tipped sideways off the tray. Sam reached out and snatched it in mid-air. "Oops. Thanks," the waitress breathed, clearly impressed with Sam's catch.

"Nice reflexes," Dean told him as Doris left.

Sam just looked frustrated as he shook his head and looked over at his sister. She was doodling on the Mystery Spot pamphlet.

()()()

Just an hour or so later, they were walking down the street. They passed by a dog that was barking loudly, clearly missing its owner. Anna longed to reach out and give the dog a pat, but she was frightened at the way it was jumping and barking too. So she kept her distance. She didn't feel like getting mauled today.

"Sam, I'm sorry," Dean said, "but I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

Sam started to narrate with his hands for emphasis as he explained, "Okay, look. Yesterday was Tuesday."

Anna frowned. Yesterday was Monday. She did a little skip to try and keep up with her brothers. Those guys had long legs. They were always walking too fast for her.

"But today is Tuesday too," Sam finished.

"Yeah, no, good. You're totally balanced," Dean said, eyes widening briefly as he pressed his lips together and bobbed his eyebrows. The whole look said a sarcastic, oh boy.

Sam's head tipped forward, and he frowned, mouth open in exasperated surprise. "So, you don't believe me?"

Dean was about to answer when a blonde girl who was carrying papers and going somewhere in a hurry bumped into him. "Excuse me," the woman said over her shoulder as she continued down the street.

"I'm just saying," Dean said defensively. "It's crazy. I mean, even for us crazy. Dingo ate my baby crazy."

"Maybe it's a vision," Anna suggested.

Sam reached back and put a hand on the back of her shoulder and ushered her so she was between them.

"Yeah, you know, the kid's right. It could be one of your psychic premonitions."

Sam shook his head. "No. No way. Way too vivid."

"What happened?" Anna asked and took Sam's hand. A breeze coaxed her curly hair behind her ears and made her squint to protect her eyes.

Sam looked down at her like he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her. Then he looked at Dean and sighed. "Look, we were at the Mystery Spot, and then..."

Dean frowned like he thought Sam was being a weirdo. Even Anna could tell that the guy was acting a little cage-y. She squinted up at Sam as they walked, her hair cantering into her face when she turned her head.

"And then what?" Dean asked.

"And then I woke up," Sam said. But he wasn't looking at either of them anymore, and Anna knew what that meant. He was hiding something.

They passed by two men who were trying to fit a piece of furniture through a doorway that was way too small. "I told you it wouldn't fit," one of them told the other.

"What do you want, a Pulitzer?" the second guy shouted.

"Wait a minute!" Sam said suddenly. "The Mystery Spot. You think maybe it...?"

"Maybe what?" Dean prompted again.

Sam let out another sigh. "We gotta check that place out. Look- Just go with me on this, okay?"

Dean threw his hands up in frustrated surrender. "Alright, fine. We'll go tonight after close, get ourselves a nice long look."

"Wait," Sam said and stopped walking. He pulled his hand out of Anna's so he could gesture at Dean to stop moving. "What? No. No, let's go right now. Business hours, nice and crowded." He gave his brother a slightly unhinged smile.

"Does that mean I can come?" Anna asked, perking up.

Dean was still giving Sam a wide-eyed, you're a freak, look when he said slowly to Anna, "Sure, Munchkin. Come on." He stepped out onto the crosswalk.

Sam took Anna's hand again, his body deflating with relief. But that relief was short-lived.

A car came seemingly from nowhere and slammed into Dean, sending his body flying over the hood of the car. Anna felt the scream punch its way from her diaphragm to her open mouth, but she heard it as though it was coming from miles away.

"Dean!" she hollered and followed Sam as he ran to their brother.

Dean was lying on the ground, one side of his face covered in blood. His eyes were open, and he was trying to speak. But no words were forthcoming, and Anna knew– she just knew– that he was dying. Dean was dying.

"Dean, no, no, no," Sam pleaded as he slid his arms under Dean. He held him against his chest and pressed one hand against the clean side of his face. "Come on! Dean."

"Dean," Anna whispered fearfully. Her hands shook, and her face had gone ten shades paler. "Dean, wake up," she requested softly. Her eyes were wide with horror, and her lip quivered. "Sam, what's wrong with him?" she asked like she didn't already know. "Why won't he wake up?"

Sam closed his eyes against the sound of her voice as if that would block out all the noises of the busy streets around them. As if it would block out Dean's vacant green eyes and the blood on his face. As if it would block out death itself.

"Dean."

()()()

Anna pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth. "Sammy's still not up?" she called irritably. She was absolutely starving.

Dean poked his head into the bathroom. "Just about to wake him," he promised with a conspiratorial wink.

Anna grinned at him and rinsed her toothbrush even though she hadn't actually brushed all of her teeth. "Let's dump water on his face!" she suggested, toothpaste and saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Dean made a face at her and moved into the other room where he turned up the music. "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Heat of the moment

Sam sat straight up in bed just as Anna stepped out of the bathroom. He looked from Anna to Dean and then back to Anna, who was coming over to him with a toothy grin. She struck a pose with her hands under her chin, then let her arms drop again.

"I hate brushing my teeth," she announced.

"That's why I make you do it," Dean said dryly. "I live to torture you, Rugrat."

Anna pursed her lips. That was not nearly as funny as Dean seemed to think it was. "Can we get breakfast?" she asked, skipping over to sit on Sam's bed. "I'm starving to death."

"Alright, Sam, I guess we gotta either feed this kid, or bring her back to the Costco we got her from."

"Deeann!"

Sam threw the covers off himself and stood up. He didn't look like he was all there. He was clearly having some sort of a serious debate in his head.

"You shoulda let me throw water at him," Anna said. "He woulda got up faster."

()()()

"Hey, Rugrat, look at that. Tuesday, Pig in a Poke."

Anna wrinkled her nose. "Dean, that's gross."

"Hey, being grossed out by that is Sam's job."

Sam completely ignored Dean's bait and looked urgently at Dean. "Okay, would you listen to me, Dean? Because I am freaking the fuck out."

When Anna looked up at him with a question in her eyes, Dean just made his own face of confusion at Sam's choice of words. He didn't usually cuss like that. That was more Dean's gig.

Nobody had time to answer him, though, before their waitress, Doris, came up to the table with a small notepad and a pencil.

"You kids ready?" she asked in a big, friendly voice.

Sam looked annoyed that she was even there. But he looked at the waitress and said quickly and tersely, "He'll have the special, side of bacon, and a coffee. Chocolate milk and French toast for her. Nothing for me. Thanks."

Doris appeared startled by Sam's attitude. But she said, "You got it," scribbled the orders down in her notepad, and left.

"Hey, how come you get to order for us?" Anna said. "You don't even know if I wanted that."

"Didn't you?" Sam countered knowingly.

"Well, yeah, but you didn't know that."

"Yes, I did," Sam told her simply and then looked at Dean.

"You know, Sammy, I get all tingly when you take control like that," Dean smirked and leaned back casually in his seat beside Anna.

"Quit screwing around, Dean," Sam commanded.

Anna flinched at his tone and straightened in her seat while Dean leaned forward again, looking apologetic.

"Okay," he said in surrender. "Okay, I'm listening."

"Do you really think you're in a time loop?" Anna asked shyly. She had a crayon in her hand and was doodling on a pamphlet for the Mystery Spot.

"Like 'Groundhog Day'?" Dean added incredulously.

"Yes, exactly!" Sam said. "Like 'Groundhog Day'."

Dean made a concerned face and nodded slowly.

"You don't believe me?"

"It's just a little crazy, man. I mean, even for us crazy-"

"Dingo ate my baby crazy?" Sam finished for him.

Dean made a face. "How'd you know I was gonna say that?"

"Because you said it before Dean," Sam told him impatiently.

Doris came up to the table again, this time with a tray that held coffee, chocolate milk, and a little red bottle. "Coffee, black," she recited, "and some hot sauce for the- Oops." As the bottle tilted off the side of the tray and headed for the floor, Sam stuck his hand out and caught it without even having to really look. "Thanks," Doris said and set it down on the table. She made an impressed face and left them alone.

Dean bobbed his eyebrows at his brother. "Nice reflexes."

Sam's features didn't budge from their serious, almost stern expression. "No. I knew it was gonna happen."

"Sammy, are you okay?" Anna asked, pausing with her crayon poised over the pamphlet. She was about halfway through drawing a mustache on a ghoulish figure. "You're acting weird."

Sam didn't even look at her. "Draw your picture," he ordered.

"Alright, look, Sam," Dean said sternly. "I'm sure there's an explanation. You don't need to bite the kid's head off-"

Sam seemed to be losing what little control he'd had left. His voice was frantic when he spoke again. "You're just gonna have to go with me on this, Dean. You just have to. You owe me that much!"

"Dean-" Anna murmured nervously, and Dean put a gentle hand on her arm in reassurance.

"Calm down," he told Sam gently.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Dean! I can't calm down. I can't! Because-"

"What?" Dean asked, and it was obvious he wasn't feeling to calm himself anymore.

Anna looked between the boys, and when she caught Sam's eyes, he was looking right at her. He looked like he wanted to apologize to her for something. She didn't know what until he took his eyes away from her and answered their brother. "Because you die today, Dean."

Dean scoffed. "I'm not gonna die," he said with confidence. "Not today."

Anna grabbed onto his arm. "Yeah, he's not," she said. She knew Dean was in trouble, but they still had time to save him. And Sam had promised her that he would save Dean. She wasn't losing him. Ever. Especially not today.

"Twice now, I've watched you die," Sam said. "I've listened to Anna scream for you. And I can't– I won't do it again. Okay? You're just gonna have to believe me. Please."

Anna's chin wobbled, and she looked up at Dean's face. He did believe Sam. She could see it. Which meant... Dean was going to die? Today?

()()()

Just an hour or so later, they were walking down the street. They passed by a dog that was barking loudly, clearly missing its owner. Anna longed to reach out and give the dog a pat, but she was frightened at the way it was jumping and barking too. So she kept her distance. She didn't feel like getting mauled today.

They walked for a little while before a blonde woman carrying papers and going somewhere in a hurry bumped into Dean's shoulder. "Excuse me," she said over her shoulder.

A little ways down the street, they passed two men who were trying to fit a piece of furniture through a door frame that was way too small. "I told you it wouldn't fit," one of them told the other.

"What do you want, a Pulitzer?" the second guy shouted back.

"You think this cheesy-ass tourist trap has something to do with it?" Dean asked, reaching absently behind himself to make sure Anna was still close.

"Maybe it's the real deal, you know?" Sam suggested. "The magnetic field's bending space time or whatever."

Anna wrinkled her nose. "Is that real? You sound like the guy on Star Trek."

"Yeah, I don't know, Sam."

"Well, I don't know how else to explain it, Dean!" Sam said, already getting frustrated again. It was pretty obvious he was stressed out.

Dean threw his hands up in agitated surrender. "Alright, fine," he said. "We'll go tonight, after they close, get ourselves a nice, long look."

"No!" Sam said urgently, holding his hands out in a gesture for Dean to stop. "No, no, no. We can't."

"Why not?"

"Because..." Sam looked down at Anna with that same look of apology. "You..."

"I die there?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Blown away, actually," Sam confirmed.

Anna's eyes went wide. "You got shot?" she asked Dean.

"Don't look at me," Dean told her. "I don't even remember it."

Anna looked at Sam. "It's not happening today," he assured her.

"Let's just go right now then," Dean said and stepped toward the curb.

Sam pushed Anna backwards a step and jumped forward to grab Dean's jacket and pull him back onto the sidewalk. No sooner were they off the road than a car sped past, definitely going faster than was allowed in the middle of town.

"Stay out of the way!" an old man Anna recognized from the diner yelled out the window of the car.

Dean was laughing, but Anna didn't think it was funny. He could have died! He was apparently at an especially high risk of that today.

He looked at Sam. "Wait," he said, sobering. "Did he-?"

"Yesterday," Sam told him. "Yeah."

"And?"

Sam frowned. "And what?"

Dean made a face like he thought it should be obvious. "Did it look cool like in the movies?"

Sam seemed to hate that question even more than Anna did. "You peed yourself."

Dean looked offended. "Of course I peed myself," he argued emphatically. "Man gets hit by a car, you think he has full control over his bladder? Come on!"

He took Anna's hand and looked very carefully left and then right before stepping out onto the street with her. "Does this mean I get to go with you?" she asked him. She peered around him to make sure there were still no cars coming. But they were safe. Not a moving car in sight.

"No," Sam said urgently. He had a frantic quality entering his voice like before. "I think we should take Anna home."

Anna looked up in surprise, her small mouth dropping open and turning down. "But that's not fair," she argued. "I wanna help make sure Dean doesn't die!"

"Oh, for crying out loud," Dean complained. "We'll take her to the motel," he relented. He leaned down so he was nearly at eye level with her. "And I promise not to die, Rugrat. Okay?"

"You probably said the same thing yesterday," Anna replied logically.

"He didn't," Sam deadpanned and took her free hand. "Let's just go."

They walked quietly down the street toward the motel, always looking both ways before they crossed the street.

A half hour later, when Dean came out of the bathroom in his socks, he let loose a series of curses that had Anna hiding her face behind Sam.

"Sorry!" she squeaked. "I forgot to pick up my legos." She crouched down to begin gathering up all the toys she'd left on the floor. But she stopped when she saw that Dean was stumbling.

Sam grabbed at Dean's shoulder as their brother fell on the floor, clutching his foot. Dean was still letting out muffled cuss words as he ripped his sock off his foot.

Anna gasped. Dean's foot was gushing dark red blood.

"Are you kidding me?" Sam asked, but he wasn't directing the question at Dean or at Anna. "Are you kidding me?!" he yelled at the ceiling. "Dean, hang on, okay? We're gonna get to a hospital. Anna, call 911."

Anna did as she was told, but when the operator asked her what the emergency was, she didn't know what to say. "I- I think I killed my brother with a lego," she finally sobbed.

()()()

Anna pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth. "Sammy's still not up?" she called irritably. She was absolutely starving.

Dean poked his head into the bathroom. "Just about to wake him," he promised with a conspiratorial wink.

Anna grinned at him and rinsed her toothbrush even though she hadn't actually brushed all of her teeth. "Let's dump water on his face!" she suggested, toothpaste and saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Dean made a face at her and moved into the other room where he turned up the music. "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Heat of the moment

Sam sat straight up in bed just as Anna stepped out of the bathroom.

Telling you what your heart is

Sam didn't speak. He just sat there, staring at his brother.

"I hate brushing my teeth!" Anna announced.

Sam just lay slowly back down in bed.

()()()

"I still think you're nuts, but... whatever this is, we'll figure it out," Dean said calmly. He gave Sam a nod of solidarity.

Anna looked up from where she was doodling on the Mystery Spot pamphlet. "Does that mean... Does that mean Dean's gonna die today?" she asked. The thought was concerning to say the very least.

Sam was quiet, but Dean shook his head. "No way, Rugrat. Not today." He looked over at Sam and raised his eyebrows in question.

"What?" Sam asked. Dean nodded shortly in Anna's direction, and Sam seemed to understand. "Not today," he told her. "We just have to figure out what's behind this whole thing. I mean, at first I thought it was the Mystery Spot. Now I'm not so sure."

Dean sighed. "Then what do we do?"

"We keep you breathing, try to make it to tomorrow. That's the only thing I can think of."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Dean said cockily. He took a sip of his coffee and smiled broadly at Anna.

She didn't want to give up her worry, but that smile was just so contagious that Anna had to give Dean a grin back. Sam, of course, had to ruin the mood.

"Yeah, right," he said. "Dean, I've watched you die a few times now, and I can't ever seem to stop it."

Anna frowned again, looking anxiously up at Dean. "But... today's different," she said desperately without any real justification for that claim.

"That's right," Dean agreed wholeheartedly. "Nothing's set in stone. You say I order the same thing every day, right?"

Sam nodded, looking confused. "Yeah."

Dean smirked in his charming way and turned toward the kitchen. "Scuse me, Sweetheart?" he called out to their waitress, Doris. "Can I get sausage instead of bacon?"

"Sure thing, hon'," Doris called back and recited the order change to the cook at the window.

"See?" Dean said happily. "Different day already. See, if you and me decide that I am not gonna die, I'm not gonna die." He looked down at Anna and winked as Doris set a plate of food down in front of him.

"French toast is on its way, Sweetie," she told Anna, smiled, and walked away again.

"Thank you," Anna called politely after her.

Dean just grinned at each of his siblings in turn, then held Sam's eyes as he took his first bite of sausage. Anna smiled back at him and looked over to Sam, who finally looked a little more relaxed as his mouth twitched upward too.

Dean made a strangled sound, and both his sibling's faces drooped.

"Dean?" Sam said.

Anna stared in terror as Dean put his hands to his throat and choked. "Wait, I saw this on TV," she said. She reached under the table so she would have better access, reared back, and punched Dean hard in the stomach.

"Anna, what the hell?" Sam cried and jumped out of his seat.

"It worked on Tom & Jerry," Anna justified tearfully as Dean slumped over in his seat. "Dean!" she screamed as his face landed in his breakfast.

()()()

Anna pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth. "Sammy's still not up?" she called irritably. She was absolutely starving.

Dean poked his head into the bathroom. "Just about to wake him," he promised with a conspiratorial wink.

Anna grinned at him and rinsed her toothbrush even though she hadn't actually brushed all of her teeth. "Let's dump water on his face!" she suggested, toothpaste and saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Dean made a face at her and moved into the other room where he turned up the music. "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Heat of the moment

Sam sat straight up in bed just as Anna stepped out of the bathroom.

Telling you what your heart is

"I hate brushing my teeth," Anna complained.

"That's why I make you do it," Dean told her dryly. "I live to torture you, Rugrat."

Sam exhaled quickly through his nose, a surefire sign that he was annoyed.

"What?" Anna asked. Then she decided she didn't actually care. "Can we go get breakfast?" she requested. "I'm starving to death."

"No!" Sam said frantically. "No! We're staying in today."

Anna looked like Sam had just threatened to break her ankles.

"Well, in that case, I'm takin' a shower," Dean said, though he sounded annoyed too.

Anna pursed her lips in annoyance as the bathroom door swung shut behind her brother. She pulled out her bin of legos and crouched down by the bathroom.

"Not there, Anna," Sam said urgently. "Here. Here, come build something over here. So... So I can see what you make."

Anna's nose wrinkled and lip pulled up in confusion. But she picked her bin of legos back up and sauntered over to where Sam was.

"I don't get why we can't go out for breakfast," Dean hollered from the bathroom. It was hard to even hear him over the sound of the running shower.

"You'll thank me when it's Wednesday," Sam hollered back.

Anna gave him a you're weird look and turned back down to her legos.

There was a sudden yelp from Dean and then a loud thud. Anna looked slowly up from her legos to meet Sam's eyes.

()()()

Anna pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth. "Sammy's still not up?" she called irritably. She was absolutely starving.

Dean poked his head into the bathroom. "Just about to wake him," he promised with a conspiratorial wink.

Anna grinned at him and rinsed her toothbrush even though she hadn't actually brushed all of her teeth. "Let's dump water on his face!" she suggested, toothpaste and saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Dean made a face at her and moved into the other room where he turned up the music. "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Heat of the moment

Sam sat straight up in bed just as Anna stepped out of the bathroom.

Telling you what your heart is

"I hate brushing my teeth."

()()()

Anna carefully unfolded her taco and began to pick out each individual piece of lettuce.

"Anna, come on, you gotta eat a vegetable every once in a while," Sam told her, trying to close the taco again. Anna made a face at him and pulled the taco away so she could finish getting all the icky green stuff off of it.

"Do these tacos taste funny to you?" Dean asked suddenly.

Anna shrugged. She hadn't taken a bite yet.

Sam went pale.

()()()

Anna pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth. "Sammy's still not up?" she called irritably. She was absolutely starving.

Dean poked his head into the bathroom. "Just about to wake him," he promised with a conspiratorial wink.

Anna grinned at him and rinsed her toothbrush even though she hadn't actually brushed all of her teeth. "Let's dump water on his face!" she suggested, toothpaste and saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Dean made a face at her and moved into the other room where he turned up the music. "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Heat of the moment

Sam sat straight up in bed just as Anna stepped out of the bathroom.

Telling you what your heart is

"I hate brushing my teeth," Anna complained.

"That's why I make you do it," Dean told her dryly. "I live to torture you, Rugrat."

Sam exhaled quickly through his nose, a surefire sign that he was annoyed.

"What?" Anna asked. Then she decided she didn't actually care. "Can we go get breakfast?" she requested. "I'm starving to death."

()()()

Anna skipped around the legs of a thin old man as they stepped into the diner. It was small but not too small, and it smelled like every diner ever– coffee, grease, and pancakes.

"Order up!" someone yelled from the kitchen.

Anna wrinkled her nose. It was loud. Dean grabbed her hand and pointed toward an empty booth. "Right there, Munchkin," he said, giving her a gentle push in the right direction.

"Can't stay unless you order something, Cal," a friendly-looking waitress said to a man at the counter. "You know the rules."

"Some coffee," the man said and handed her some change from his pocket.

"Hey, Rugrat, look at that. Tuesday, Pig in a Poke."

Anna wrinkled her nose. "Dean, that's gross."

"Hey, being grossed out by that is Sam's job."

Sam ignored the bait and watched their waitress, whose name tag said Doris, approach the table. He placed a set of keys on the table.

"What are those?" Dean asked.

"The old man's," Sam said in a dead voice. "Trust me, you don't want him behind the wheel."

Anna didn't think it was very nice to go around stealing the keys of elderly people, but she didn't say anything. Sam was acting weird today, and she had no desire to mess with him.

"You kids ready?" Doris asked, wearing her ready-made smile and yellow dress.

"Uh, yes," Dean answered, glancing at Anna for her nod of confirmation before he placed his order. "I'll have the special, side of bacon, and coffee."

"Can I have French toast and chocolate milk, please," Anna requested.

Doris gave her a sweet smile and nodded as she wrote it down on her notepad. She looked at Sam.

"Hey, Doris, what I'd like is for you to log in more hours at the archery range," Sam told her. "You're a terrible shot."

Doris stopped writing and stared at Sam in awe. "How'd you know that?"

Anna shook her head. She didn't even want to know, she'd decided. She pulled her crayon out of her pocket– she always came prepared– and started scribbling on the pamphlet Sam had given her earlier.

"Lucky guess," was all Sam said.

Doris walked away, still giving Sam strange looks over her shoulder.

"Okay, so you think you're caught in some kind of... what again?" Dean asked.

"Time loop," Sam replied wearily.

"Like 'Groundhog Day.'"

"Doesn't matter. There's no way to stop it."

"Are you okay, Sammy?" Anna asked carefully. "You look all sad."

"I'm fine," Sam snapped irritably.

Dean frowned at him, looking both irritated and surprised that he'd spoken to Anna that way. "Someone's grumpy," he observed aloud.

"Yeah, I am," Sam said unapologetically. "You wanna know why? Because this is the hundredth Tuesday in a row I've been through, and it never stops. So, yeah. I'm a little grumpy. Hot sauce," he added randomly at the end.

Anna's face scrunched up in confusion, but then she watched as Doris came back to the table and a bottle of hot sauce fell off her tray toward the floor. Sam reached out one hand without looking and caught the bottle. He set it down on the table with a little more force than was necessary, startling the waitress as well as his siblings.

"Thanks," Doris said in surprise. She backed slowly away from the table and then finally turned around and walked off.

"Nice reflexes," Dean remarked.

"I knew it was gonna happen, Dean. I know everything that's gonna happen."

Dean scoffed. "You don't know everything-"

"Yeah," Sam said with dull confidence. "I do."

"Yeah, right," the boys said in unison. "Nice guess."

Sam tilted his head to the side. "It wasn't a guess."

Again speaking in sync, the boys said, "Right, you're a mind reader. Cut it out, Sam. Sam. You think you're being funny, but you're being really really childish. Sam Winchester wears makeup." Anna giggled at that and at the way the boys were leaning closer and closer to each other and getting louder and louder. "Sam Winchester cries his way through sex. Sam Winchester keeps a ruler by the bed, and every morning when he wakes up- Yeah, okay, enough!"

Sam gave an unhappy smirk. "That's not all. Randy, the cashier? He's skimming from the register. Judge Myers? At night, he puts on a furry bunny outfit."

"Why?" Anna asked, her nose wrinkling.

"You don't wanna know," Sam and Dean said at the same time. Dean sent Sam a lethal look, as if he was warning him not to start again.

"Over there," Sam said, pointing loosely at the man at the counter who'd begrudgingly bought himself a coffee with some pocket change when they came in. "That's Cal. He's gonna rob Tony the mechanic on his way home."

"What's your point?" Dean asked.

"My point is I've lived through every possible Tuesday. I've watched you die every possible way. I have ripped apart the Mystery Spot, burnt it down, tried everything I know to save your life, and I can't. No matter what I do, you die. And then I wake up. And then it's Tuesday again."

Anna looked slowly back down to the pamphlet she'd been coloring on. It didn't make any sense. Dean was easily the strongest, bravest person she knew. And he was gonna just... die?

()()()

"Dog," Sam said just before a dog began to bark at them. It clearly missed its owner, and Anna longed to give it a friendly pat. But she didn't feel like getting mauled today.

"There's gotta be some way out of this," Dean murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

"Where's my dang keys," Sam said dryly.

The old man from the diner spoke up as they passed by him, crying, "Where's my dang keys?!"

Anna looked from him to Sam. That was just freaky.

"Excuse me," Sam said next.

A blonde woman hurrying past them with her arms full of papers bumped into Dean's shoulder. "Excuse me," she said over her shoulder.

"Stop," Anna requested.

"She was kinda cute," Dean said and chuckled. Then he stopped walking and patted Sam on the shoulder. "Hey, all the times we walked down this street, did I ever do this?" With that, he turned and followed the woman carrying the fliers. When he came back, he was holding one. "A hundred Tuesdays, you never bothered to ask what she was holding in her hand?"

Sam just shrugged, but when Dean held up a Missing Persons flier for him to see, he snatched the paper away.

"The man who went missing," Dean said. "That's his daughter back there."

Sam's eyes widened, and he suddenly turned to run after the woman with the fliers. "Ma'am?" he called after her. "Miss!"

Beside Anna, the dog they'd passed a minute ago was growling. She flinched away and grabbed at Dean's arm in fright.

"It's okay, Rugrat. Someone just needs a friend, that's all." He stepped forward, sent her a wink, and knelt down to pet the dog. But as soon as he got close to it, the dog went for his throat.

Anna screamed, and Sam turned to look at them from down the street. His shoulders fell.

()()()

Anna pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth. "Sammy's still not up?" she called irritably. She was absolutely starving.

Dean poked his head into the bathroom. "Just about to wake him," he promised with a conspiratorial wink.

Anna grinned at him and rinsed her toothbrush even though she hadn't actually brushed all of her teeth. "Let's dump water on his face!" she suggested, toothpaste and saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Dean made a face at her and moved into the other room where he turned up the music. "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Heat of the moment

Sam sat straight up in bed just as Anna stepped out of the bathroom.

Telling you what your heart is

"I hate brushing my teeth," Anna complained.

"That's why I make you do it," Dean told her dryly. "I live to torture you, Rugrat."

Sam exhaled quickly through his nose, a surefire sign that he was annoyed.

"What?" Anna asked. Then she decided she didn't actually care. "Can we go get breakfast?" she requested. "I'm starving to death."

()()()

Anna took a big bite of French toast and picked her crayon back up to keep scribbling on the Mystery Spot pamphlet.

"So," Sam said, scrolling through something on his laptop. "The police report says Dexter Hasselback is a professor, but that's not all he is."

Dean took the bait, "What is he?" He stabbed a piece of sausage with his fork and raised it to his mouth as Sam answered him.

"I talked to his daughter. Guy's quite the journalist. Columns in magazines, a blog..."

"So what?" Anna asked innocently and with her mouth full of food.

"He writes about tourist attractions," Sam said. "Mystery Spots, UFO crash sites. He gets his kicks debunking them. I mean, he's already put four of these places out of business."

The conversation had officially reached a point where it stopped interesting Anna. She focused on drawing a totally awesome purple mustache on a ghoulish figure in the pamphlet.

"I've read everything the guy's ever written," Sam was saying when she finished with the mustache. "I mean, the guy must've weighed a ton, he was so full of himself."

Anna snickered. That was a good one.

"When'd you have time to do all this research?" Dean asked.

Sam paused but didn't actually bother giving an answer. Instead he slid his laptop into its case and stood up.

"You know, it's kinda like just desserts," Dean said in an amused tone. "Guy spends his whole life crappin' on Mystery Spots, and then he vanishes in one. It's poetic."

"Yeah," Sam said slowly. "That is just desserts."

"What's wrong?" Dean asked suddenly.

Anna slid out of the booth behind Dean and watched through the window as a man in a business suit walked by outside.

"Man has maple syrup for the last hundred Tuesdays," Sam said as he watched the same man as Anna. "All of a sudden he's having strawberry?"

Dean looked as confused as Anna felt. "It's a free country," he said. "Man can't choose his own syrup? What have we become?"

"Not in this diner. Not today. Nothing in this place ever changes. Except me."

()()()

Anna pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth. "Sammy's still not up?" she called irritably. She was absolutely starving.

Dean poked his head into the bathroom. "Just about to wake him," he promised with a conspiratorial wink.

Anna grinned at him and rinsed her toothbrush even though she hadn't actually brushed all of her teeth. "Let's dump water on his face!" she suggested, toothpaste and saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Dean made a face at her and moved into the other room where he turned up the music. "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Heat of the moment

Sam sat straight up in bed just as Anna stepped out of the bathroom.

Telling you what your heart is

"I hate brushing my teeth," Anna complained.

"That's why I make you do it," Dean told her dryly. "I live to torture you, Rugrat."

Sam exhaled quickly through his nose, a surefire sign that he was annoyed.

"What?" Anna asked. Then she decided she didn't actually care. "Can we go get breakfast?" she requested. "I'm starving to death."

()()()

"So you think you're caught in some kind of a what again?" Dean asked.

Anna looked up to see what Sam would say, but he didn't even react. He just ordered them both to, "Eat your breakfast."

A man behind Sam's side of the booth finished eating and left the diner. As soon as he made it out the door, Sam stood up too and grabbed the paper bag he'd insisted on bringing with them to the diner this morning.

"Where you going?" Dean called after him, scrambling to get out of the booth. He pulled some cash out of his pocket and tossed it on the table. "Come on, Rugrat," he said and helped Anna out of the booth. "What's in the bag, Sam?" He gave Anna a little push toward the door, grabbing her purple jacket out of the booth for her. "Go, go," he said gently, and they followed after Sam.

Just as they were catching up to Sam, he grabbed the man from the diner and slammed him into a nearby fence. "I know who you are," Sam shouted in the man's face. "Or should I say, what." What was even more alarming was the wooden stake he held to the man's throat.

"Sammy, what are you doing?" Anna asked nervously. She hid half behind Dean's leg, and he had his hand protectively against her front.

"Oh my god," the stranger cowered. "Please don't kill me!"

"Uh, Sam," Dean started, reaching toward Sam with his free hand.

"It took me a hell of a long time, but I figured it out."

"What?" the man cried.

"It's your MO that gave you away," Sam said, his voice getting increasingly unhinged. "Going after pompous jerks, giving them their just desserts. Your kind loves that, don't they?"

"Yeah, sure, okay," the man said, hands beside his face in surrender. "Just put the stake down!"

"Sam, maybe you should," Dean said, stepping toward the two men.

"No!" Sam shouted.

Anna flinched and gripped the back of Dean's jacket. "What's he doing?" she asked in a small voice.

"It's alright," Dean murmured to her and put his hand on her head.

"There's only one creature powerful enough to do what you're doing," Sam said. "Making reality out of nothing, putting people in time loops. You'd pretty much have to be a god. You'd have to be a trickster."

"Mister, my name's Ed Coleman. My wife's name's Amelia. I have two kids. For crying out loud, I sell ad space-"

"Don't lie to me!" Sam hollered, and Anna backed farther behind Dean. "I know what you are! We've killed one of your kind before!"

As they all watched, the man's face relaxed from being terrified to totally calm. Then his features began to change until he looked like a totally different person. Anna didn't recognize him, but it was clear that Sam did.

"Actually, bucko," the guy responded smugly. "You didn't."

"Why are you doing this?" Sam demanded of him, pressing the stake even closer against the trickster's neck.

"You're joking, right? You chuckleheads tried to kill me last time. Why wouldn't I do this?"

"And Hasselback?" Dean asked. "What about him?"

"That putz? He said he didn't believe in wormholes, so I dropped him in one," the trickster said and laughed at himself. "Then you guys showed up. I made you the second you hit town."

"So this is fun for you?" Sam demanded, leaning in threateningly. "Killing Dean over and over again? In front of his nine-year-old sister?"

"One, yes. It is fun. Two, this is so not about them." The trickster shook his head like he couldn't believe Sam didn't get it yet. He sighed but was careful of the stake still being held to his throat. "This joke is on you, Sam. Watching your brother die... every day... forever?"

"You son of a bitch," Sam snarled.

"How long will it take you to realize?" he asked. "You can't save your brother."

Anna hadn't realized she was tearing up, but she sniffled and wiped her nose now. Sam could save Dean. He had to.

"Oh yeah?" Sam challenged. "I kill you, this all ends right now."

"Hey, woah," the trickster said, some of that fear from earlier finally returning to his face and body language. "Look, I was just playing around. You can't take a joke? Fine. You're out of it. Tomorrow you'll wake up, it'll be Wednesday. I swear."

Sam looked at Dean then nodded down to Anna. Dean turned her so her face was hidden in his stomach. And Anna understood what Sam was going to do even before he spoke.

"No. Easier to just kill you."

But there were no sounds of a body being stabbed or dropping on the pavement. There was just the trickster's smug voice, "Sorry, kiddo. Can't have that," and fingers snapping against each other.

()()()

Promise me I'll be back in time

Sam slowly sat up.

Gotta get back in time.

"What, are you gonna sleep all day?" Dean asked.

Anna looked up from the Boxcar Children book she was reading. "Morning, Sammy!" she said cheerfully.

"Morning!" Sam said. He looked shocked, but he also looked a thousand times happier than he had yesterday. "No Asia."

"I know," Dean said and pulled his toothbrush out of his mouth. "This station sucks."

Roll of the dice

Sam gasped, and Anna looked at him in surprise. "It's Wednesday!" he shouted joyfully.

"Yeah," Dean said slowly. "Which usually comes after Tuesday." He looked down at Anna and tapped her foot with his open hand, the other still holding his toothbrush. "Turn that thing off, will you, Rugrat?"

Anna got to her feet and started for the nightstand, but Sam interrupted. "Are you kidding me? This isn't the most beautiful song you've ever heard?"

"No," Dean drawled, frowning at his little brother. "Dude, how many Tuesdays did you have?"

Sam grabbed a long-sleeved shoulder off the bed behind him and threw it on over his tee. "I don't know," he admitted. "I lost count. Hey, wait. What do you guys remember?"

Dean shrugged one shoulder. "I remember you were pretty wacked out of it yesterday. Then I remember runnin' into the trickster. But no, that's about it."

"Yeah, you were scary," Anna said.

"I'm sorry, Ladybug," Sam said guiltily. "I was... stressed. I didn't mean to scare you. Hey, pack your stuff, kiddo. Let's get the hell out of town."

"No breakfast?" Dean asked, disappointed.

"No breakfast."

Anna trailed behind Dean to bring their gear out to the Impala. She was practically limping with the weight of the duffel in her hands. She passed it up to Dean, and he swung it easily into the trunk.

"I'm glad Sam is better today," Anna commented as she watched Dean reach up to pull the key out of the trunk lid.

"Me too, Rugrat," Dean said and shot her an affectionate smile.

"Don't move!"

Dean acted quickly, grabbing Anna and shoving her behind him.

"Gimme your wallet," a man's voice said. Anna peeked nervously from behind her brother. It was Cal from the diner. And he had a gun. She grabbed at Dean's arm. She wanted him to be safe. And he was anything but right now.

"Woah woah woah, buddy," Dean said calmly, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Just relax."

"I am relaxed!" Cal shouted back. But his hands, his voice, every bit of him was shaking.

"Okay, alright," Dean said in a low, soothing voice. "Nobody wants this to end the wrong way. Let's talk about this a sec." He frowned only minutely, and Anna almost felt better for her brother's calming demeanor.

But Cal wasn't. Cal looked like he was about to do something really bad. His eyes were wide, his pupils blown, and his arm shook where he held the gun out in front of him.

Anna stepped shyly out from behind Dean. Maybe she could appeal to him. Maybe she could convince him that he was doing the wrong thing. But the movement only startled him, and by some terrified reflex, Cal pointed the gun at the blur that she was and fired.

He made a sound of despair at his own actions when Anna screamed and fell against the Impala.

"What the fuck did you do?!" Dean hollered, all those traces of calm eliminated in a single second.

There was another gunshot. And another. Anna couldn't see. She couldn't breathe.

She did feel Dean's hand, though, closing around her small fingers. She did hear him tell her it was gonna be okay. And she died believing him.

()()()

Promise me I'll be back in time

Sam slowly sat up.

Gotta get back in time.

"What, are you gonna sleep all day?" Dean asked.

Anna looked up from the Boxcar Children book she was reading. "Morning, Sammy!" she said cheerfully. She waited for him to answer her, but he was just staring at her with tears gathering in his eyes. "Sammy?" she asked gently. She was surprised when Sam threw the blankets off himself, stood up, and picked her right up off the floor. "I love you too?" she said curiously.

"I love you, Anna," Sam told her, holding her so tightly that it was genuinely getting hard to breathe.

"Jeez, what's with the love fest out here?" Dean asked, holding his tooth brush in one hand and running the other through his hair.

On a roll of the dice, a voice sang from the clock radio.

"It's Wednesday," Sam said, finally letting Anna go.

"Yeah," Dean said slowly. "Which usually comes after Tuesday. Turn that thing off, will you, Rugrat?"

Anna shrugged and skipped over to the radio where she turned the dial to shut it off. When she turned back around, Sam had Dean in a hug about as tight as the one he'd given her.

"How many Tuesdays did you have?" Dean asked while Sam had him in a near suffocating hug.

"Enough," Sam said and finally pulled away. He cleared his throat and looked down at Anna again. "What do you guys remember?" he asked.

"I remember you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday. Then I remember meeting up with the trickster," Dean said. "But no, that's about it."

"Yeah," Anna said. "You were scary."

Sam looked apologetic, but there was something more in his eyes. Something Anna didn't– couldn't– understand. "Let's go," Sam said.

"No breakfast?" Dean asked, shoulders falling in disappointment.

"No breakfast," Sam said sternly. But he looked happy. He looked so much lighter than yesterday. So Anna wasn't about to argue with him.

"Alright," Dean agreed. He ruffled Anna's hair and pointed toward her duffel bag by the beds. "Pack up, Runt. You can help me load the car."

"No!" Sam said. "No, I'll load the car. You two stay here."

Anna sighed. Sam was acting weird again.

La Fin