Little Toy Soldiers, by mcee (PG)

[laughingacademy.livejournal.com]

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: gen
Length: 822 words
Author on LJ: formerly mcee, now little_bullets
Author Website: http://www.delicious.com/little_idols
Why this must be read:

I've picked this story, originally posted in 2006, for three reasons. First, it's a lovely Sam POV piece that reminds me of all the family road trips I spent stretched out in the backseat:

His eyes follow, half-focused, the wobble of a power line that runs along the road, stark black against a sky the shade of a crayon. When he stops thinking about it -- and he has -- it seems like the line is running with them, dipping lower in between posts then jerking back up at regular intervals, dotted with blackbirds. The angle he's at has removed all context, all perspective; three states ago he knew where they were, but now the square of sky through the car window is comfortingly anonymous.

Second, it has this killer two-line paragraph:

This was back when Dean's answer to everything regarding Dad was, I'll tell you when you're older. Sam never had the heart to tell him he'd always be the youngest.

Finally, because even though it was written during the first season it resonates strongly with the fifth-season finale -- call it a case of fannish precognition at work.

Little Toy Soldiers