A/N: In this one-shot, Laney is 5, Dean is 16, and Sam is 11.
Carnival Lessons
"Daddy, can we go to the carnival?" asked Laney.
It wasn't the first time Laney had asked to go to a carnival. They'd passed by quite a few on their travels, but John always said no. There was always some kind of hunting business that was of a dire nature that took precedence. He didn't have time for those kinds of things.
Dean couldn't help but smile at his bouncing baby sister as he glanced back at her. He was surprised she'd bothered to ask. Dad's answer was always the same. She didn't have her father wrapped around her little fingers the same way she had Sam or Dean. And Dean noticed from the look on their father's face, that wasn't about to change.
"Sweetheart, we don't have time. We're only going to be in town for a day, maybe two at the most," said John, looking at his daughter in the rearview mirror. She was sitting next to Sam, whose nose was buried deep in one of his school books, as usual.
Sam offered his sister a sympathetic pat on her leg and continued studying. With all the moving from town to town, he had to work extra hard to keep up with his schoolwork. Even though he was only 11 years old, he knew he wanted to go to college and have a more stable life. One that didn't involve constantly moving from place to place and killing things that went bump in the night.
Dean glanced back over at his sister, who didn't look so much as upset as she did resigned. It was a look he was getting all too used to seeing on her little face. It didn't sit well with him.
"Sammy and I can take her," offered Dean, turning to look at his Dad.
John pursed his lips. "I don't know Dean."
"I just turned sixteen Dad. You've taught us how to handle ourselves. Between Sammy and me, we'll have her covered. It's just a small town carnival. It's not even that big."
John sighed and thought for a moment. He knew that he didn't do the things normal fathers did with their kids, at least not since he'd lost his beloved Mary. Their lives had become as opposite of normal as possible. He had different priorities now.
Despite that, he really didn't want Laney's childhood to only be full of roadside motels, rundown rentals, and crappy diners. She deserved to have a little bit of normalcy. She was always an incredibly well-behaved kid. Always had a million questions about anything and everything and too damn smart for her age, but well-behaved and sweet natured nonetheless. It was a credit to his sons, especially Dean, that she was as well adjusted as she was.
"Okay," said John, finally. He pointed a finger at Dean and glanced at Sam in the rearview mirror. "Only because I trust you two to guard her with your lives."
"Duh," said Dean. He smiled over at his sister. "Did you hear that shrimp? We're going to the carnival."
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"What do you want to do first baby?" asked Dean.
Laney was seated on top of his shoulders, giggling with delight.
Sam kept looking up at her worriedly, afraid that Dean might drop her. Dean rolled his eyes when he noticed Sam's look; his brother was such a worrier.
"Ooh, ooh, right there!" exclaimed Laney. "The Ferris wheel! I bet I can see the whole world from up there."
Dean chuckled. "I'll bet you can."
Sam smiled. He actually hadn't been too thrilled about going to the carnival. He'd have rather stayed at the motel studying, but his sister's excitement was proving to be contagious.
Dean took a look at the Ferris wheel line. It was clearly the most popular attraction. The line snaked at least 50 people long.
"Tell you what squirt; let's save the best for last. We've got all day and there's tons of stuff to do," said Dean.
Laney frowned. She couldn't wait to get on the Ferris wheel, ever since the first time she'd seen one. But she knew Dean wouldn't forget and he always kept his promises.
"Okay Dean."
"How about the haunted fun house?" asked Dean. Things like that always cracked him, seeing as how he knew all about real monsters. A carnival haunted house had nothing on the real thing.
"I think she's too young for that," said Sam.
"Aw Sammy, don't be such a killjoy."
"I am not too young. I want to go," said Laney, firmly.
Dean smiled. Usually whenever anyone told her she couldn't do something or might be too young for it, she always insisted on doing whatever it was. She seemed to take it as a personal challenge. Dean reminded himself to keep tabs on that particular personality trait as she grew up. He was sure he'd start sprouting gray hair when she became a teenager.
Sam frowned. Dean might have thought she'd be okay, but it was often Sam's bed she ended up crawling into at night when she had nightmares about scary things. She was tiny, but she kicked a lot in her sleep.
Dean bought some tickets and led his brother and sister to the fun house line.
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"That had to be the sorriest excuse for a haunted fun house I've ever seen," laughed Dean. He'd been laughing nearly uncontrollably the whole walk through.
Sam couldn't help laughing too. It was pretty ridiculous. Laney had been totally unimpressed and even bored. She didn't get what was so funny. But she didn't get a lot of things her brothers said or did. Not that it mattered to her. She still thought they were the best brothers in the world.
"It was terrible," agreed Sam.
"Why are you and Sammy laughing so much?" asked Laney
"No reason sweetie," said Dean.
Laney was oblivious to their family's line of work and as far as he was concerned it should stay that way for as long as possible. He didn't want her to know the monsters that were out there in the world. He knew sooner or later that reality would show itself, but until then, he protected her in every way possible.
"Now can we go on the Ferris wheel?" she asked, squeezing his hand.
"I promise we will soon. Let's ride the spinning teacups," said Dean.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Sam. "The last time we rode one of those you threw up all over me."
"That was years ago and I'm telling you those teacups were on like turbo boost or something," he said. "Besides, I had a stomach full of cotton candy and deep fried Twinkies."
"Yeah, I remember," said Sam, dryly.
Dean laughed at the memory. "Come on, we haven't eaten yet and if Laney doesn't ride something she's going to start making that face and you know I'm powerless against the face."
Sam chuckled. "You're powerless against her, period."
"That is true Sammy."
"What are you guys talking about?"
"Nothing baby," said Dean. "Come on, let's go on a ride."
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Laney's giggles of delight while riding the teacups warmed Dean's heart. He lived for her full bellied little girl laughs. They reminded him of when she was a baby and he and Sam would make up all kinds of silly songs and games to play, just to get those laughs out of her. They were salve on the wounds left behind after their mother died.
"Can we do that again?" asked Laney, breathlessly.
"We've got plenty of time to do everything at least twice," said Dean. "Aren't you hungry yet?"
"No, I'm not, come on, let's ride the bumper cars."
"You have to be hungry," said Sam. "You didn't eat your breakfast this morning."
"I'm too excited to eat," said Laney, as she bounced in place.
"Aw, come on peanut, you need your energy if you're going to tackle the Ferris wheel later," said Dean.
Laney grumbled quietly. "Alright."
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Cotton candy, funnel cake, and chili dogs, were probably not the healthiest foods to feed a five year old. But Dean couldn't help it. He wanted his sister to live the full carnival experience, and that included high fat, high sugar foods.
"If Dad finds out you let her eat all this junk he's going to be mad," said Sam, taking a bite of a french fry.
"Probably. But he's not going to find out," said Dean, pointedly.
"I won't tell," said Laney, seriously. "Pinky swear," she said, sticking out her pinky.
Dean smiled widely and hooked his pinky finger with hers. "Pinky swear."
Sam rolled his eyes. Without a doubt, Dean was a bad influence on their little sister.
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"What now?" Sam asked
Dean yawned and patted his stomach. "I can totally use a nap right now."
"Deeean," whined Laney. "You can't take a nap. We still haven't gone on the Ferris wheel."
Dean smiled and patted his sister on the head. "I was just kidding baby. How about we play some games? I can win you a stuffed bear or something."
Laney smiled and clapped her hands. "Yes! But I want a stuffed monkey," she said, admiring a big monkey with a banana in his hands. It was almost as big as she was.
"You got it kid."
"Dean, what if you can't win one?" Sam asked quietly so his sister wouldn't hear.
"Do you think I would disappoint the baby? I'll get it one way or another," said Dean.
Sam nodded. That was true. If Dean had to steal one he would, just to make the baby happy. He'd pretty much do anything for her.
"Oh, can I play that one?" asked Laney, pointing to a booth.
Dean walked over. It was one of those throw a ping pong ball into a fish bowl and win a goldfish games. He thought about it for a moment. There was no way with their lifestyle they'd be able to move around with a goldfish in a bowl. And he wouldn't be able to take her disappointment when their father made her get rid of it.
"You can't play that Laney. We can't have a pet fish," Sam said to his little sister, cutting into Dean's thoughts.
Dean frowned at his brother.
"What?" asked Sam.
"Did you have to burst her bubble?"
"Like you weren't thinking the same thing," he said.
"That's beside the point," said Dean.
Sam let out a breath of exasperation.
"What's the matter with you today?" asked Dean. "You've been awfully moody. More so than usual. Is it that time of the month?"
Sam shook his head in annoyance as his ears reddened. "That's gross Dean."
"I'm just asking," he said, putting his hands up.
"Guys, stop fighting," said Laney, softly, tugging at Dean's jacket. "I don't need to play that game. We can do something else."
He turned to look down at her. She was always the little peacekeeper. "We're not fighting sweetheart. We're just having a discussion."
"It's okay, baby," Sam reassured her, grabbing her hand.
"How about I win that monkey?" asked Dean.
Laney smiled widely and nodded. "Okay."
Dean found a game he knew he couldn't lose. A shooting game.
And much to his surprise and delight, there was a very hot girl working the booth. This is going to be fun.
Sam rolled his eyes. The expression on his brother's face was getting to be an all too familiar one. His big brother had a way with the opposite sex and he knew it. Once Dean found a girl he was interested in he was like a bloodhound on a scent. He sighed in exasperation and looked around to see if there was anything more interesting to do than watch his brother hit on some girl for the next hour or until he got her number, whichever came first.
"Hi there," said Dean, flashing his megawatt smile.
"Hi," said the girl, shyly.
"What's your name?"
"Miranda."
"Nice to meet you Miranda, I'm Dean and I'm going to win my sister one of those monkeys, so let's get this started."
"Sure," she said. She turned around towards the game to reset it and Dean didn't miss the extra little wiggle she put in her step. He fully appreciated it too.
Sam spotted something that he wanted to check out.
"Hey Dean," said Sam. "Dean," he repeated, tapping his brother's shoulder.
"Huh? What is it Sammy?" he asked distractedly, still making eyes at the booth girl.
"There's a Hall of Presidents exhibit, wax figures," said Sam. "I want to check it out."
"Wax presidents?" said Dean, with a shake of his head. "Remind me to knock the geek out you later."
"Whatever. Can I go? I'll meet you back here in fifteen minutes," he said.
"How many games do you want to buy?" interrupted Miranda.
"As many as I need to win," said Dean, with a wink.
Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean, can I go?"
"Yeah, yeah," said Dean, with a dismissive wave. "Back here in fifteen minutes."
Sam nodded and quickly headed off towards the exhibit. It wasn't often his brother let him go somewhere alone.
Laney watched her brother go and looked back at Dean who was smiling and talking to the girl behind the booth. She frowned. She wanted to play games. She wanted to ride the Ferris wheel too. She didn't want to sit and watch while Dean talked to the girl. Sometimes he would do that for a long time and it was so boring.
"Dean?" asked Laney, tugging on Dean's jacket sleeve.
"What is it baby?" he asked, distracted.
"Can I go with Sammy?" she asked. "He said I could," she added, even though it was a lie. Sam didn't always like it when she tagged along.
"Okay, go ahead," he said, without bothering to look down at her.
Laney smiled and headed off in her brother's direction. She spotted him a few booths down and headed off at a run towards him. "Sammy, Sammy, wait for me!" she called out.
But when she caught up to him, she was surprised to see it wasn't him at all. With a frown she turned around to head back to Dean, but didn't see him either. She must have gotten turned around. She wasn't sure where she was.
Laney didn't panic. Her Daddy and Dean had taught her what to do if she ever got separated or lost. She was supposed to find an adult or someone in uniform and tell them her name and her brother or father's name. She had their phone numbers memorized.
She was going to tell the lady in the nearby ticket booth that she was lost and to call her brother, but got distracted when she noticed that she was right near the Ferris wheel. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a handful of ride tickets that her big brothers had let her hold onto. She knew Dean would probably get mad if she went on the ride without him, but she really wanted to go, and she'd been waiting all day and now Dean was busy and it might be a long time. She'd been a really good girl too. Maybe she could go on it really quick and then find her brothers and they would never know.
Laney noticed there was no line, which sealed the deal for her. She decided to go.
"Hi there little one," said the ride attendant. "Are you going to ride?"
Laney nodded shyly. "Yes, please."
"You riding alone?"
Laney shook her head. "Yes."
"Well, let's see," said the attendant. "Come stand over here and we'll see if you're tall enough."
Laney stood by the ride sign and bit her lip while she waited for the verdict.
The ride attendant frowned for a moment. The little girl was just under the line. But she was a cutie and it was getting to be slow. He didn't have the heart to tell her no.
"Good news. You're good to go. Have fun."
Laney stepped up into the bucket seat. The attendant fastened the bar across her lap.
"You hang on tight," he said.
Laney grinned widely. "Okay."
Laney gripped the bar with both hands, her heart fluttering in her chest with excitement as the ride began. She yelped in delight as she made her first rotation around and reached the very top.
She let out a long breath. "Wow," she said aloud. She could see the whole carnival and beyond to the town. What she didn't notice in her excitement were the dark clouds that had been building up in the sky.
She looked up in surprise when she felt the first wet drop.
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Dean whooped in triumph. "I told you I'd win that monkey!"
Miranda smiled. "Yeah, but I'm pretty much you spent more to win it than that thing actually costs."
"It's the principle of the matter," he said. "It's for my baby sister anyway. I promised."
Miranda sighed in barely concealed adoration. "Aw, that's so sweet. She's very lucky."
Dean smiled. "So, do you live in town?"
Miranda felt the butterflies in her stomach. "Yeah. How about you?"
"Just visiting some family. I'll only be here for a few days."
Miranda frowned. "That's too bad."
"Yeah, well maybe you can show me around," he said.
Her smiled turned to a wide toothy grin. "Sure," she said. "Give me your number."
"How about you give me yours?"
"Okay, let me find a pen."
Miranda turned around and hustled behind her booth to find a pen, barely able to stifle a squeal of delight that the hottie with the killer smile and dreamy eyes had asked her out.
Dean turned around with a grin on his face. He got the monkey and the girl. It was turning out to be a red letter day.
"I can't believe you actually won it," said Sam, coming up behind his brother.
Dean turned around. "Of course I did."
"How much did it cost you?"
"None of your business."
Sam laughed knowingly. "I'll bet Laney's happy."
"Yeah, she will – ," Dean's voice trailed off. "Where is she?"
"What do you mean?" asked Sam, his voice going up an octave. "She was here with you when I left."
Dean shook his head, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. "No, she's supposed to be with you. She told me she wanted to go with you and you said it was okay."
"She never asked me. I'm telling you, I left her with you. I haven't seen her," said Sam, panic rising in his voice.
Dean paled. "Oh crap," he breathed out.
He left the monkey on the counter and took off at a run, his brother trailing behind him, terror etched on his face.
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Laney looked up in surprise as a light rain began to fall, but was quickly distracted by the motion of the Ferris wheel. It was more fun than she thought it would be. She gazed down at all the carnival goers wondering if she could spot her big brothers.
She jumped at a sudden rumble of thunder and glanced behind her, her head just barely reaching over the seat back. The sky was dark and she saw a flash of lightning. She gripped the bar tighter.
Suddenly the ride wasn't that fun anymore. She'd read a book about lightning once. She knew that outdoors and high in the sky, was not a good place to be in a thunderstorm.
The ride attendant looked at the darkening skies in surprise, he hadn't noticed the approaching storm. Procedure was to shut down the ride whenever a storm came in. He stopped the ride and began letting the riders off, one bucket at a time.
Laney was the last in line of buckets to be let off.
Laney let out a sigh of relief that the ride was over and soon she was going be off. Her brothers would probably be looking for her now and they would be worried. She suddenly felt very guilty. She knew they would be very upset that she was lost. She never should have gotten on the ride. When Daddy found out she was going to be in a whole lot of trouble.
Laney had just reached the very top of the Ferris wheel when it jerked and shuddered to a stop. She let out a whimper. It was starting to rain harder.
The ride attendant cursed and smacked at the controls. There were still a few riders left, including that tiny little girl he'd let ride alone. He could lose his job over this.
He messed with the controls to no avail.
The ride was jammed.
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"Excuse me; have you seen a little girl? She's five years old, small for her age, dark brown hair in a ponytail, big golden-brown eyes. She's wearing blue jeans and a purple sweatshirt with Tinkerbell on it," Dean asked a carnival worker.
"No," he said. "But all the lost kids are taken to the ticket booth at the main gate by the Ferris wheel."
"Yeah, okay," sighed Dean.
Suddenly his eyes widened. The Ferris wheel. Could she have gone there? She knew exactly what she was supposed to do if she got lost. They had all drilled it into her head since she could talk. And if she hadn't had someone call him, then she could very well have decided to get on the ride herself. That or she'd been abducted.
Or worse.
Dean shook his head. He couldn't let his mind go down that road. Might as well put a bullet in his head if that were the case. He could never live with himself if that happened.
"Dean, what do we do?" asked Sam, frantic with worry. He looked up at the rain falling from the sky and heard the rumble of thunder. "There's a storm coming."
"I think she might have tried to get on the Ferris wheel," said Dean. "Let's go check it out."
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Laney whimpered. She was stuck at the top of the ride and it wasn't moving anymore. What if they had forgotten about her? It was raining harder now and it was kind of windy and the ride shook.
Where was Dean? He always made everything better.
There were a bunch of workers at the bottom of the ride with tools though, so maybe she's be down soon.
The ride attendant called the engineering people after deciding he wasn't going to be able to fix the problem himself. There were still several people on the ride, including the little girl he'd let ride by herself. He looked up at her and saw her little face peering down.
"What's going on here?" asked the ride engineer.
"I don't know. It just stopped. I was letting people off and it shut down, like the power was cut or something," the ride attendant answered.
"Probably a damn short in the control box," he grumbled.
"What do I do? We've still got people on the ride and it's storming."
"Give me a few minutes. I'm pretty sure I can fix it quickly. Just gotta change out a couple of fuses."
The ride attendant shifted nervously. He really wanted to get that little girl down. He wondered where the hell the adults were that should have been with her.
No sooner did the thought leave his head when two boys stalked up to him, looking frantic and worried.
"Hey, have you seen a little girl, five years old, dark brown hair, light brown eyes, Tinkerbell sweatshirt and jeans?"
The ride attendant's eyes widened. "Uh, yeah, actually."
Dean sighed, knees nearly buckling in relief. "Thank God, where?"
Dean followed the ride attendant's head as he looked up. "She's on the ride."
"What? You let her on? She's too small to be up there by herself."
"Look man, where were you anyway?" asked the ride attendant, defensively.
Dean swore a few choice words before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Get her down now."
Sam looked up at his little sister. He could just make her out. She was at the very top and gripping the lap bar tightly. Even up that high he could tell she was upset.
"Dean, we have to get her down," said Sam.
"Yeah, about that," said the attendant. "There's a problem with the ride. It shut down. We're trying to fix the problem right now."
Dean cursed again. "How long is that going to take?"
The ride attendant shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."
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Laney looked down at the people gathering underneath the ride when she made out two very familiar figures.
"Dean!" she cried. "Sammy!"
Dean looked up at his sister, his heart in his throat. "We're here baby!" he yelled up.
"I want down Dean. I don't want to ride anymore. I'm scared!"
"We know, sweetie. They are trying to fix the ride and get you down. You'll be okay," said Dean.
"I don't like this," she cried. "It's too high. I want to get down now!"
"I know baby!" yelled Dean. "Just a minute. Be brave okay? You can do it."
Laney's whimpers were turning into cries. She was really scared. It was raining harder and there was thunder and wind and she thought any second the ride would fall over or the wind would blow really hard and she might be blown out of her seat. She just wanted her brothers. She was never going to be bad ever again.
"Come on man, we need to get her down," demanded Dean.
"Yeah, we're trying here young man," said the ride engineer.
"What do we do if you can't get it working?" asked Dean, nervously.
"Maybe you should call the fire department," offered Sam.
Dean nodded. That wasn't a bad idea actually.
"If we have to," said the ride engineer. "I'm pretty sure I can have this up and running a couple of minutes."
Dean shook his head. It was pouring rain and the wind was picking up. He watched the empty buckets as they swayed in the wind. A shudder shot through him as he imagined his baby sister falling out of the bucket she was in.
"Dean, we have to do something," said Sam, gripping his brother's arm.
"I know," said Dean. He was already trying to figure out a way he might be able to climb up the Ferris wheel.
A strong gust of wind blew, rocking the ride from side to side.
Laney let out a scream and began hysterically crying for her brothers. There was a collective gasp from the other people on the ride and all of onlookers that had gathered around to watch what was happening.
"Sammy! Dean! Come save me! I'm going to fall!" she cried.
Dean's heart felt like it was going to burst. "We have to do something now," he said desperately.
"Almost got it," said the engineer.
Dean looked at his little brother and saw the tears forming in his eyes. He silently cursed and gave his brother a comforting squeeze of the shoulder. He knew exactly how he felt.
The engineer tinkered with the control box for another long minute. "That ought to do it," he said. "Give it a shot," he said over his shoulder to the ride attendant.
Dean's grip on his brother tightened as he waited for the ride to come to life. He let out a whoop of joy when it began to turn. He quickly turned to the ride attendant with his scariest face and voice and told him in no uncertain terms that he'd better get his sister off the ride first.
Laney let out a yelp when the ride suddenly started moving. Before she knew it she was coming to ground level, with two very anxious and relieved brothers waiting for her at the bottom.
Laney's bucket stopped and the attendant released the safety bar. Laney was still hiccupping with tears, unable to calm herself.
Dean rushed the platform and pulled his sister out of the bucket and into his arms. She gripped his neck tightly and wrapped her little legs around his waist.
"Baby, you're okay now," he said. "Shhh, its okay, don't cry. I've got you. I've got you now."
Sam reached up over and rubbed circles on his sister's back to try and soothe her.
"I didn't like that Dean," she cried. "I don't ever want to be high like that again. I'm sorry I was bad."
"It's okay sweetheart. You weren't bad. You're not in trouble," he soothed.
Dean pulled back so he could get a good look at her face. Aside from being soaked to the skin she appeared unharmed. Terrified but not hurt.
"I'm cold," she said, with a shiver.
Dean handed Laney to Sam and pulled off his leather jacket to wrap around her.
Sam hugged his sister tightly. "You okay shrimp?"
Laney nodded. "I was really scared Sammy," she admitted, as if she'd committed a mortal sin.
"You were very brave," said Dean.
Laney frowned and shook her head. "I cried. Daddy said big girls shouldn't cry."
"Everybody cries sometimes," said Dean. "Nothing wrong with that."
Laney considered that for a moment and nodded. She believed him. Dean never lied.
"Come on kiddo, we've got to get you warmed up."
He picked up his sister and wrapped her in his arms. It was going to be a long time before he was ready to put her down again.
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Dean was more than a little bit relieved when his father called to tell him to get a taxi back to their motel because he wasn't going to be home until morning. He didn't want to have to explain his very waterlogged sister and her little misadventure. Or that he'd lost his baby sister because he was too busy flirting with some random girl.
He'd gone back to get the abandoned monkey for his sister. A promise was a promise after all. But when Miranda had tried to hand him her number, he'd declined and said they were leaving town right away. Truth was he wasn't going to be thinking about hitting on girls for a little while.
Laney was freshly bathed and warm in a pair of flannel pajamas. Dean was taking a shower, so she'd cuddled up next to Sammy and watched some cartoons on the motel room television. Sam held her closely. They'd had quite a scare that day. And he felt bad, because he'd been moody. He didn't like to be. Sometimes he felt bad because he would get annoyed by his sister even though she'd never done anything to make him feel that way. He had to do better. She hadn't had a normal life like he'd had once. She never knew their Mom or the way their Dad used to be. She'd never had holidays or birthdays like they'd had. Yet, she seemed to be always happy just to have her brothers with her. She never complained about anything. While sometimes that was all he did.
Sam reached down and placed a kiss on top of his sister's head. He was going to do a better job.
Dean came out of the shower ready for bed.
"Ready to sleep?" asked Dean. "It's been an exciting day."
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Laney asked shyly. John had been trying to break his daughter's habit of sharing a bed with either of his sons. Not that it had been all that successful. He wouldn't have allowed it though if he'd been there.
But he wasn't.
Dean smiled. "Of course squirt."
Laney gave her brother a peck on the cheek. "Night, night Sammy."
"Night baby," he said, giving her an extra long hug. He was all too aware even in his youth of how many bad ways the day could have turned out.
Laney climbed up onto the bed next to Dean. He opened his arms and pulled his sister close to him. She smelled of baby shampoo and soap. She smelled like home.
His home.
He placed a kiss on the top of her head.
She snuggled closer into his chest. "Dean?"
"Yeah, baby?"
"Are you going to tell Daddy that I got lost and went on the Ferris wheel?"
Dean bit back a smile. "No baby, I'm not going to tell him."
"You're not?"
Dean shook his head. Clearly his sister had been worried about that for awhile.
"Nope. It was my fault anyway. I should have been paying closer attention to you. I'm sorry I wasn't. I swear that will never happen again. I love you so much and if something ever happened to you I would be very sad. I promise to do a better job of taking care of you."
"You do the best job already," she said, far too seriously for a five year old.
Dean swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Thanks."
"I promise I won't tell Daddy what happened," said Laney. She pulled away from his chest and looked up at him with her big eyes. "Pinky swear."
Dean put his hand out. "Pinky swear."
Laney sighed in contentment as she snuggled back into his chest. He pulled the covers around her. He was worried she might get a cold after all the exposure to the rain and wind.
"I love you," whispered Laney.
"I love you too," Dean whispered back. "Get some sleep."
Laney nodded and shut her eyes. Dean was the best. He always took good care of her and he never got angry with her no matter what she did.
She hoped that he would take care of her forever.