canon au } { post-5b, of birthday outtings and trips to the zoo

[thisholyspark]

Sam: It's no big deal, guys.

Olivia: Are birthdays a big deal?

Sam: Only when you're little.

Olivia: Okay. [sorry, she's ... never really had one. She doesn't even really remember when hers is]

Sam: Do you guys... remember your birthdays?

Olivia: [shakes her head]

Michael: I think mine's in March?

Sam: [nods, looking at Bela] We need to fix this.

Bela: [gives a small shrug - it's not like it's a question she can answer any more than they can] What would you suggest?

Sam: I think we need to have a family birthday outing. Just celebrate all of us together.

Bela: [she nods] That might be nice.

Sam: [grin] What do you say, kids? Family trip?

Olivia: Where are we going?

Sam: Zoo? World of Fun Amusement Park?

Olivia: I've never been to the zoo.

Sam: Michael? Want to go to the zoo?

Michael: Sure. Sounds good.

Sam: Alright. Winchester family day at the zoo. Let's go.

Olivia: I'll get my jacket.

Sam: [looks at Dean] You coming?

Dean: [mouth gapes for a moment before shrugging] Alright. If you want.

Sam: You are family. You can buy your nephew and niece cotton candy. [smirks]

Dean: [snorts before getting to his feet] I'll drive.

Sam: [grins and goes over to Bela, taking her hands in his] And we can have a private date tonight.

Bela: [she smiles] Works for me.

Sam: [and he will lean in and kiss her quickly before going to get his coat as well]

Bela: [and they will all pile into the car and off they go to the zoo!]

Sam: [yes, where there will be lions and tigers and bears and moose]

Olivia: [and she will definitely try and pet all the animals she's actually allowed to pet]

Sam: [and he is going to be happy just watching them all, and being with them. Because that is really the best gift of all for him - time]

Bela: [and while Olivia and Michael are debating something with Dean, she'll sneak up and give his hand a squeeze]

Sam: [he will turn around and smile] Having fun?

Bela: [she nods] I am. Are you?

Sam: Yeah, yeah I am. This is really good.

Bela: Good. I'm glad.

Sam: [he just squeezes her hand] I just wish we could have more days like this.

Bela: We could try and plan for them?

Sam: When has anything we've planned gone through?

Bela: Doesn't mean we should stop trying. Things have been quieter lately.

Sam: True. [looks at her] Anything in particular you want?

Bela: [she pauses before shrugging] It might be nice to get away every once in a while, just us.

Sam: Now that Dean's not in danger of dying and the kids are adjusted to this world, we can do that.

Bela: Good. I'm sure Olivia and Michael can babysit him while we're gone.

Sam: Give them experience when the day they go off and have their own kids. [laughs]

Bela: If they ever do.

Sam: I think Olivia will. Once she knows what she really wants, at least. Hal seems to be a good kid.

Bela: He does. So I suppose we'll have to see.

Sam: [nods, and he leans in a bit to her, taking her other hand] Of course, there's still time for us to actually have our own, and not raise our future alternative selves' kids.

Bela: [she hesitates a bit at that, not discouraging but generally uncertain always when it comes to having children] I'm not entirely sure how much of a mother I'd be.

Sam: No one really knows until they get there.

Bela: Perhaps. I don't know.

Sam: I'm not going to pressure you. Sometimes I'm not sure it's even worth it, bringing a kid into this life.

Bela: It's just never something I've really considered. First with my deal, and then with what I had for parents, I didn't think it would be a worthwhile endeavor.

Sam: I'm a Winchester. That alone probably makes it something I shouldn't do.

Bela: [she shrugs] Is it so bad? With just us?

Sam: No. I think somehow our tragic childhoods cancel each other out. [smiles]

Bela: [she laughs] I suppose it does.

Sam: [laughs as well, stepping closer] I love you.

Bela: I love you too.

Sam: [and they can totally kiss and embarrass their kids with PDA]

Bela: [yep, though Dean is the one making the dramatic gagging noises like a twelve year-old]

Sam: [and he will let go of one of Bela's hands to flip his brother off behind him]

Dean: [which will make him laugh, before shaking his head] C'mon. I'm ready to eat.

Sam: [and he will pull away, smiling] When aren't you, Dean?

Dean: Not the point.

Sam: Uh huh. [but they will move along to the food court anyway]

Olivia: [and Olivia will wander off to commune with some more animals once they're finished, just checking things out because a lot of it she's never seen before]

Sam: [and he's done, he will go to find her, leaning on the fence a bit next to her] Having fun?

Olivia: [glances over with a grin] Yeah. It's so cool, seeing them up close.

Sam: I know. And safer all at the same time. Because I really wouldn't want to meet half of these in the woods at night.

Olivia: [she smirks] I'm pretty sure Croats are scarier.

Sam: Oh, they are. I still remember their faces.

Olivia: They were the wild animals when I was a kid.

Sam: Most of my wild animals as a kid were from behind a television screen.

Olivia: Yeah?

Sam: Yeah. Our dad would just drop of off in motels and leave for days or weeks at a time on hunting trips. Sometimes he would enroll us in school, sometimes not. But usually it was lock the door, salt the windows, don't go outside, watch your brother, Dean.

Olivia: Sounds familiar.

Sam: [nods] I'm sorry you guys had to live through all that.

Olivia: [she shakes her head] It's okay. It's not like we had a whole lot of options.

Sam: [nods] But you're here now, and hey, you have penguins. [points at where they are coming out to play]

Olivia: [and she is immediately distracted by cute flightless birds] Yeah. It's just ... weird, you know? To suddenly have choices.

Sam: Well, if you ever need help with them, your mother and I are here to help.

Olivia: Yeah, I know. And Hal helps too.

Sam: You really like him, huh?

Olivia: [smiles a bit] Yeah. I do.

Sam: Good. If there's anything you need to be able to see him when you want to, just let me know.

Olivia: [she nods] But I've usually got it covered. Or I'll just borrow one of the spare cars.

Sam: Alright.

Olivia: It's weird for dads to encourage girls to spend time with their boyfriends in this universe, isn't it?

Sam: No, not really. Maybe if you were like, fourteen, but you're not. You're a grown adult and I can see how happy he makes you. As a father, that's all I want for you - to be happy.

Olivia: Okay. TV is really misleading.

Sam: Yes. TV blows stereotypes out of proportions.

Olivia: [she makes a face] It's annoying.

Sam: It's fiction. Even the stuff they call reality TV is mostly fiction.

Olivia: Maybe it's just because everyone had the same goals back home: survive.

Sam: We have that here too. But survival is more of the spirit than physical.

Olivia: I guess.

Sam: You know... you don't have to be a hunter if you don't want to be.

Olivia: [she glances back over to him, before taking a deep breath as she turns to face him more] Yeah, but it's who I am.

Sam: Then you're a hunter.

Olivia: [she nods before shrugging] I mean, maybe things would have been different if I'd grown up here, but I didn't. And I like helping people.

Sam: It's a good thing to do. That's pretty much the only reason I still do. Helping people.

Olivia: Besides, if we don't do it, who will?

Sam: Exactly.

Olivia: [she nods] I'm glad I don't have to lie about it anymore.

Sam: Me too. It's much better having it out in the open.

Olivia: [she nods] And I really sucked at the lying part.

Sam: You get that from me. Sorry. [grins]

Olivia: [she laughs] I think it's just lack of practice. I never had to lie about the big stuff.

Sam: Well, hopefully you won't have to. Or you'll get better. One or the other.

Olivia: I still have to do it with Hal's parents.

Sam: For now. One day they'll be ready.

Olivia: Or it'll get sprung on them like these things usually do.

Sam: Hopefully not, but our luck well has pretty much run dry.

Olivia: [makes a face] I don't think they'll take it as well as he did.

Sam: Or they could be nerds like me and want to know everything.

Olivia: His dad is a huge nerd.

Sam: Then it may go in your favor.

Olivia: Fingers crossed. [a beat] Do you like Revolutionary War stuff?

Sam: Yeah, I do.

Olivia: You might like him. He's always talking about all the battles.

Sam: You know, if he knows about the western expansion and the Wild West, he and Dean would have hours of conversation.

Olivia: So maybe we all might actually get along.

Sam: Just hope he doesn't have any rare artifacts that mom might find buyers for. [in mock whisper]

Bela: I heard that.

Olivia: [glances over and grins]

Sam: [looks over his shoulder and smiles] I love you.

Bela: Mmmm-hmmm.

Sam: [reaches over and rubs Olivia on the back gently] So, what do we want to go see next?

Olivia: Sharks.

Sam: We would have to go to an aquarium for that. Next time?

Olivia: [she pouts] Alright.

Sam: [leaning down to kiss her cheek] You choose your birthday day, and we will do that then.

Olivia: Okay.

Sam: How about polar bears instead?

Olivia: I can work with that.

Sam: [and off they go to spend tour the rest of the zoo]

Olivia: [and then they head back to the bunker and Sam and Bela get to go have their date?]

Sam: [yup. Date night for Mom & Dad]

Bela: [do we want to play some of it out or handwave?]

Sam: [up to Bela if she has anything in mind]

Bela: [probably just a hotel room with room service, unless Sam has something else he wants]

Sam: [no, just her. always her]

Bela: [the that's what they'll do. and maybe they'll make a weekend of it.]

Sam: [oh, a weekend. best birthday ever]

Bela: [she thought he'd like that]

Sam: [best girlfriend ever]