WARNING: Re-edit. Also, spoilers for 5x16 "Dark Side of the Moon".

Author's Note: This is a oneshot based on my thoughts regarding season five's "Dark Side of the Moon". See, I doubt Sam woke up in Heaven and his first memory was of that awkward Thanksgiving diner. I think that came slightly later on. This is my version of how Sam's arrival in Heaven looked. :) I want to dedicate this to jojospn, who inspired me to write this during a conversation we had over PMs. Thanks, and you are totally awesome! :D (She's a great author by the way, so if anyone is looking to read some really cool stories about the brothers that will make you feel like you're reading an episode of the show, check her stuff out! :D)

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.

Sam's eyes flew open, his breath coming in large gasps.

Dean.

Dean was in danger and Sam just knew it. But why?

"Dean!" he called out, his chest constricting with a familiar feeling of desperation and dread. Why did he feel that way? Sam's mind was clouded and he couldn't remember the reason he was filled with such a sense of fear for his brother's safety…

"Dude, hold your friggin' horses. You know, I'm not letting you do this if you're gonna be all antsy about it. You need to be calm and controlled. If you get twitchy and mess her up, you'll pay with your life kid."

Thank God, Sam thought, because the voice belonged to Dean.

Sam took a deep breath of relief, but the moment of calm was over quickly as his heart rate picked up speed for the second time in as many moments.

"Dean?" He said again, this time his tone was one of disbelief.

Because the Dean he was looking at was not the Dean he knew. Not currently anyway.

This Dean could be no older than nineteen or twenty. His face was smoother and his eyes were brighter. He bore the resemblance of a man with all his life to enjoy, not a man who had endured a lifetime of Hell.

Sam looked around at his surroundings feeling totally confused.

He was sitting behind the wheel of the Impala, parked in the middle of an old dirt lot, empty except for the odd dilapidated vehicle or cluster of scrub-brush. It was familiar somehow, but Sam couldn't place why…

"Sam, I'm not kidding. You look nervous and I don't want you to do this unless you feel confident. The last thing I need is for you to have a panic attack and drive us to our deaths." Dean familiar yet more youthful voice sounded concerned.

"What?" Sam asked, turning to face his younger-older brother.

Dean was now sitting in the passenger seat holding the car keys out to Sam, but he looked like he was itching to withdraw them.

"I'm fine…I'm…It's just…" You're you but you're not YOU Sam added silently, struggling to find the words to explain his current state of disorientation.

And that's when it hit him- the familiarity of their location, and the reason Dean was younger.

"I'm learning how to drive the Impala tonight." He breathed out, suddenly remembering this experience with utter clarity.

Dean had taken him out to this old dirt lot after Sam had begged him for a week straight to finally teach him to drive. Dean held out longer against Sam's puppy-dog eyes than he ever had before, probably because it was his precious Baby at risk of being damaged if Sam messed up…But he had inevitably succumbed to Sam's will and agreed to take Sam out and teach him the ropes of vehicular operation.

They had come the very next night to this same spot where Sam had first gotten behind the Impala's wheel and laid his foot on her petal. It had been a life changing experience for Sam- One of his favorite memories.

"Yeah Sammy. But only if you're ready." Dean said, jolting Sam out of his silent reverie, which was strange, because it only brought him back to the actual event itself.

Sam smiled, his intense fear from moments before fading away as he thought to himself, this is a weird dream...

"Yeah Dean, I'm ready." He said, grabbing the keys from his brother's hand and turning the ignition.

The engine roared to life like a dragon awakening from a long slumber. The car vibrated gently as Dean instructed Sam on the proper way to shift gears and "bring her to a slow roll". And just like that, they were moving, Sam feeling true joy as the tires crept across the dirt beneath them.

He was doing it! He was driving!

Of course, he shouldn't feel so impressed with himself. He'd done this just last night when he went to get the beers from the liquor mart for them. And then he'd also driven back to the motel before they'd drunk themselves to sleep for the first time in a long time.

And then when Sam woke up…

Sam slammed on the breaks as it all came flooding back to him.

Roy and Walt holding himself and Dean at gunpoint. The look of emotional agony on Dean's face as Sam had been blown away by a shotgun at pointblank range.

Then nothing. Lights out.

Until I woke up here in one of my best memories, he realized.

"I'm in Heaven." Sam blurted out, torn between shock and elation.

After all, he'd been afraid he would end up someplace entirely different when he died. But still, somewhere out there Dean…the current Dean…He was stuck cleaning up Sam's lifeless body. Or worse.

"Whoa! You don't need to push so much on the breaks Sammy. Just lightly tap them. She'll slow down easier that way. And you aren't in Heaven yet. Wait 'til you break 15 miles per hour!" memory-Dean joked. "Seriously though. Wait. We aren't going fast until you're ready, which you're not."

Sam looked the past version of his brother in the eyes. This wasn't right because the now-Dean needed him.

He wanted to run from this situation, but to where? He was in Heaven. Actual Heaven. He was dead and…

And then he finally realized there would be no running. No way to get back to real-Dean. This was it for him, and he had no choice but to stay where he was.

Again he contemplated his gratitude for having made it to Heaven instead of Hell. There were a lot worse places he could spend eternity than inside one of his favorite memories from his youth. So Sam forced himself to relax and turn back towards the wheel.

"Now, ease into it again". Dean said, and Sam did as he was told, slowly lowering his foot onto the accelerator.

After he accepted that he couldn't change things, Sam tried to just enjoy the moment, listening to the constant stream of instructions coming from his brother. How to slow down smoothly. How to turn without jerking the wheel. How to speed up to more than a crawl, but without "taking off like a rocket".

Sam had almost forgotten how good of a driving teacher Dean had been. Yeah, he freaked out and cursed if Sam did anything too abrupt or that "risked his Baby's good looks". But overall he was a patient and encouraging presence next to Sam. It wasn't long before Sam was cruising laps around the lot, and Dean felt comfortable enough to turn on his tunes. The lyrics of a classic Rush song filled the air, and Sam did his best to enjoy every second of the time he had with Dean.

Eventually they stopped driving and parked in the center of the lot.

Dean got out of the car and Sam followed, discovering that his brother had brought sodas in their cooler to celebrate.

"Sodas Dean? Really?" Sam scoffed.

"I'm keeping it kosher because you're taking us back, and I've got to be able to stop you from killing us on the drive there. Don't be a bitch about it." Dean teased.

"Sure thing, jerk." Sam replied, accepting the non-alcoholic reward as it was handed to him.

They drank their sodas for a while, just joking around and enjoying the night, and hours later, after they had successfully driven back to their motel without Sam hurting them or the Impala in any way, Sam found himself grinning as he approached the door to their room.

If this was his Heaven, it really wasn't so bad. It had Dean in it and they were able to experience the good times, before demons and angels and Lucifer.

I could get used to this, he thought with a small smile.

Then Sam opened the motel room's door and walked into the Thanksgiving-ready dining room of a very hands-on girl from his 7th grade class.

Secondary Author's note: Thanks for reading! Reviews totally make my day. :D