Title: Intermediary
Rating: PG
Summary: Sam thought, maybe he wasn’t just doing this for Dean, but for Layla too. Dean wanted to see her, but he didn’t think he should, because, for once, he wasn’t the hero. He couldn’t save her, and he thought he’d taken away her one chance at living.
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. A girl can dream, but, alas, that's all it is.
Author's Note: Used for philosophy_20, prompt #18: And if the answer is no / can I change your mind?.



Sam told Dean he would only be five minutes behind him. It ended up being more like ten. That was how long it took, waiting with his back against a wall and his eyes scanning a crowd, to catch sight of Layla. She was walking with her mother, and Sam pushed off the wall, walking in their direction.

“Layla!” he called out. They both turned to face him, and he stopped. He’d rather not talk to Layla about this in front of her mother, but if they both came over, well, so be it.

Layla, however, quickly traded words with her mother, who went along without her. Layla approached Sam with her hands in her pockets, smiling politely. “Hi Sam,” she said. Sam nodded.

“Hey Layla,” he replied. “I’m glad I caught you before you left, before we left.”

“Is there something on your mind?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Sam answered. “Yeah, it’s Dean.” Layla seemed to start listening a bit more intently then, and Sam thought, maybe he wasn’t just doing this for Dean, but for Layla too. Dean wanted to see her, but he didn’t think he should, because, for once, he wasn’t the hero. He couldn’t save her, and he thought he’d taken away her one chance at living. He thought he didn’t deserve to see her.

He was wrong. And Sam needed him to see that, needed him to face Layla and see in her eyes what Sam saw now. He thought maybe Layla needed all of that as much as Dean did. She deserved to see him, and it was only Dean’s stubbornness that was keeping them separated.

So Sam did what any good brother would do: he ignored what Dean said and snuck behind his back to do what he was too chicken to do.

“Is something wrong?” Layla asked.

Sam shook his head. “No, it’s not that,” he answered. “He just wants to say goodbye.”

Layla smiled at him then, a small smile, before casting her gaze to the ground. If Sam was a stupider person, he’d think it was because she was blushing. She wasn’t. She knew he was lying – or, really, telling a half truth. Dean would never send Sam to say something like that. Somehow, Layla knew that. Maybe Sam knew she would.

But she said, “Let me talk to my mother. I’ll be right over.”

Sam gave her the room number, nodding as she walked away, jogging just a little bit, in the direction that her mother had taken a few minutes earlier. Dean wouldn’t be mad, Sam knew that. In fact, he had a feeling that, as soon as he saw Layla, he wouldn’t even be thinking about it anymore.

He knew Dean, and he knew this was what he wanted. And after all that had happened, Sam wanted to give him something that he wanted. He wanted to give him Layla. And after all that Layla had been through, he wanted to give her Dean as well.