Winter of 1995

Dean pushed open the doors that led outside, hopping down the short flight of stairs that led unto the backyard of the school. The air was crispy and cold and the freshly fallen snow crunshed under his feet as he moved towards the few tables and benches in the open space in front of him. Emily sat there, on one of the tables, her feet resting on the bench below, as she always would - looking almost tiny in her far too big coat - lost in one of her books. He would wait here with her for another hour to pick up Sammy after his classes so they could drive to the motel they were currently staying in together. Most of the time he'd just sit there and watch her read, if a chapter was very thrilling she would even read to him, to make the time pass faster. He threw his backpack next to hers, on the one dry spot on the bench, and hopped onto the table, taking a seat right next to her. He leaned in close to see what chapter she was currently reading, this book had been very intersting so far, when her fingers caught his gaze. They almost shone with a red hue from being exposed to the cold, even more so against the white pages of the book. What really made him worry though was the cracked skin and the crusted blood around her knuckles. As if she had felt his stare, her hand slid back into the arm of her jumper, but Dean quickly reached over and grasped her fingers, taking a closer look at the wounds. "Aggggh, agh, agh, don't you think about it! Let me see." For the first time she looked up, directly at him. "Why do you always have to start a fight...? Who was it this time?", Dean asked, trying to sound as much as John as he could. "A boy from your course... he was harrassing a girl from my class, so I went and had a little chat.", Emily responded with a shrug. "Right... and that chat involved throwing punches?" Emily pulled her hand back, slamming the book shut (not without leaving a finger between the pages), before answering: "He was calling her names... and that wasn't the worse thing he did to her! Besides, he slammed into Sam on the corridor today without apologizing, so he had it coming!" Dean gave her a long, considering look before he finally broke into a smile and ruffled his little sister's hair. "You are hopeless... thanks for defending Sammy though!" She grimaced a smile as well, opening up the book again. "Just don't let Dad see those... he'd be furious!" "I know..."

Dean huddled a bit closer, glanzing over her shoulder: "So... where did we stop?" And before he knew it they both were consumed by the fantastic world of "The Golden Compass".