"Dean?" The voice broke the silence that engulfed the room. The addressed boy stirred but didn't awake from his peaceful slumber.

Little Sam Winchester sat on his bed with the blanket pooled on his lap as the tears began to dry on his cheeks, after all Dean had taught him that big boys don't cry. The nightmare still swarmed the 7 year old's perception making the shadows themselves seem to lean in.

He sniffed, "De" His voice raised slightly louder. Again Dean shifted in his bed but remained unconscious.

Sam pulled his limbs close to his body in an attempt to hide from the monsters lurking under his uncomfortable motel bed. He shook slightly as in his minds eye, clowns waited behind the veil of darkness ready to grab him.

"De!" Panic filled the small boy's voice as his breathing grew more laboured.

Dean leapt awake, instantly jumping into a sitting position and pulling out the gun from where it lay under his pillow. Wide green eyes searched the small room for danger but only found his little brother curled up on the opposite bed.

"What d'ya want, Sam? It's like the middle of the night." He flopped back onto his pillow and slipped the gun away. His eyes automatically slid closed from tiredness.

"Had nightmare, De..." He was quiet and obviously shaken by the dream.

The elder brother sighed before opening up his blanket in invitation for Sam. The little boy scrambled from his bed, too quick for monsters to snag him, and into the warm comfort. Sam snuggled up close to his brother's side. He buried his nose into Dean's ribs as his thin arms wrapped around his protector. With Dean, he knew that he'd be safe.

"Night night, Sammy." He looped an arm over the little Winchester's shoulder to hold him close. Secretly, he preferred having Sam close beside him; where he could keep an eye on him.

A creak of a bed is what brought 30 year old Dean Winchester back to consciousness. He really despised how much of a light sleeper he'd grown to become.

Sam shifted in his bed again, clearly awake. Dean listened as the taller man sat up and ran a weary hand over his tired face. It was becoming a familiar action for Sam which twisted Dean's gut slightly.

The elder brother didn't move instead he stared into the pitch black that lay in front of his eyes. He was facing towards the door with his brother's bed behind him. He didn't want to interrupt just in case Sam didn't want to talk about it or wanted to go back to sleep. He waited and listened.

"De?" The familiar childhood nickname pulled at his heartstrings making him bite his lip as he reminisced. The tone made it clear that it wasn't the first time tonight that Sam had called his name but the other times he was too quiet and hesitant to wake his elder brother.

There was a tired sigh. It was clear that Sam was considering just leaving his brother be and drifting back into his fitful sleep. The silence dragged on until Dean was almost certain that Sam was unconscious again. A sudden shift of bed springs proved him otherwise.

"Dean?" The younger hunter's voice was stronger this time and was more determined to gain attention.

Dean rolled onto his back to peer at his little brother. Although he wasn't so little anymore; he towered above most people he met. He raised a questioning eyebrow but his brother's badly hidden wet eyes and sweaty forehead conveyed everything to Dean.

Without a word he rolled back over but took the edge of the blanket with him to offer the empty space to Sam. The warm looking bed was too much of a comfort to pass up on. The taller man hauled himself onto his feet and slumped his way across to his brother's bed. At his own pace now as he was no longer afraid of those monsters under the bed, there was much worse in the real world.

He collapsed wearily into the empty space that Dean had made for him. Without being asked to, the elder man threw the blanket back over his brother's body to keep him warm. Sam curled up close to his brother's back. The shorter rolled his eyes at the younger's soppiness so rolled back over to loop his arm about Sam's thin shoulders and pull him closer.

With a reminiscent smile, the elder muttered, "Night night, Sammy."