This came to me during my history class today... No way I'm abandoning my other SPN fic, just had to get this one out of me. I love young Winchesters.

Dean is 15, Sam is 10 (month is February, so there is the temporary 5-year age difference)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Supernatural, etc. If I did, well, I'd be pretty rich. Which I'm not, so...

Enjoy!

"Police! Open up!"

Dean shot out of bed at the insistent knocks and yelling. He hurried to the door, not wanting the cops to break down the motel door in their haste to enter the room. Glancing over at his still-sleeping brother, he released the deadbolt and turned the knob slowly.

"O-officer," Dean greeted shakily. Why were the cops showing up here, at midnight?

"Dean Winchester?" the taller of the two cops demanded, letting themselves in. Dean nodded. "Your brother here?" Dean nodded again. "And your father?"

"D'n?" a small voice called out from the room. Dean stepped over to the bed, putting a comforting hand on his ten-year-old brother's shoulder.

"Out for the night," Dean lied smoothly. "Put me in charge for the night."

The cops traded a look as a woman entered. "How about you tell the nice men the truth, hmmm?" she requested.

Dean's face fell. The woman's whole demeanor screamed CPS.

"He... he had a job," Dean sighed.

"How long has he be gone?" tall cop demanded.

Dean glanced at Sammy. "Just left earlier. Put me in charge for the day. It's no big deal."

"Boys, we know your father has not been around in a week," the shorter cop stated. "The motel has security footage that prove it."

Dean sank onto the bed. Sam let the covers fall from his torso and squirmed up against his big brother. Even he understood this was bed.

All three adults spotted the bruises on the younger boys' arms.

"We need to take you into protective custody," the tall cop said.

Dean pulled Sam tight to his body. "Are we gonna get split up?" he demanded.

"Not as long as you both behave," the lady promised.

Dean sighed, standing. "C'mon, Sammy," he breathed. "Be good."

Sam nodded, eyes wide. Within moments they were seated in the back of a cop car, heading towards downtown.

Sam sat in the chair, nervously fingering the hem of his shirt. Well, technically it was Dean's shirt. They had been told to get dressed quickly, with barely any time to dig Sam's bag out from under the bed. It was easier to just grab one of his big brother's shirts.

"Samuel?" a woman's voice asked. She appeared next to him, sitting in a chair too.

"Sam," Sam whispered. "It's Sam."

The woman smiled. "Sam, then. I'm Jennie. How are you feeling?"

Sam looked down at his hands. "Tired. Want Dean."

"I just need you to answer a couple questions for me, Sam," Jennie said. "Then you can see Dean. Can you do that for me, answer a few questions?"

"I'm not s'posed to talk without Dean," Sam mumbled.

"Don't worry, Sam," Jennie replied. "Dean's gonna answer questions too. He'd want you to cooperate so you can be together."

Sam frowned. That didn't sound right to him. But he really wanted to be with Dean. He didn't like the big police man standing in the corner of the room. Police men meant bad news.

"Sam, look at me," Jennie ordered. Sam looked up, tears in his eyes. "Do you know where your father is?"

Sam shook his head. "N-no, Dean duh-does."

"Does your father leave you alone a lot?" Jennie wondered.

"No," Sam whimpered. "D-dean's always with me..."

Jennie could tell that the little boy was lying. "Now, now, don't lie to me. Boys who lie don't go to a new family with their big brother."

The tears streamed down Sam's face. "I want Dean!"

"Answer me honestly then!" Jennie commanded, her voice soft but authoritative. "Where did those bruises on your body come from? Does your father or Dean hit you?"

Sam shook his head, curls bouncing everywhere, eyes wide. "No! Never!"

"Then explain the bruising," Jennie instructed. "And I noticed you had some pretty bad cuts too. What happened?"

"I-I need D-dean!" Sam whined, hiccuping and curling in on himself. He couldn't tell the truth, he wasn't allowed to. No one would believe him.

Dean drummed his fingers on the table, the handcuff itching his hand. He and Sam had been separated as soon as they entered the police station. Sam was taken down one hall and Dean down another. Of course, Dean had threatened the cops holding him from getting to his little brother. He'd swung out at one and had been quickly subdued and cuffed. They'd took his phone, knife, and lock-pick so there was really no escape.

The CPS woman entered the room with a cop behind her. "Hello, Dean," she greeted, taking a seat across from the teenager.

"Where's my brother?" Dean demanded.

"He's waiting outside," the woman promised. "You two can be together as soon as we're done talking."

"I don't get why we're here," Dean huffed. He tried to scratch his nose but remembered his hands were cuffed. He frowned. "Think you can free me from these things? I ain't gonna hit no one else."

The woman smirked. "But you did hit a cop already."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Lady, they took my little brother away without warning me. It's my job to protect the kid."

The CPS woman nodded, looking at the cop. He came over and freed Dean's wrists. He rubbed them to get circulation back, the itch forgotten.

"Ready to talk, Dean?" the woman asked. "By the way, I'm Jennie."

"I talk, then I get Sammy back?" Dean countered.

"Yes, you can be together after we talk," Jennie promised.

"What do you want to know?" Dean relented.

"How often are you and Sam left alone?" Jennie questioned.

Dean bit his lip. "Once in a while. Dad goes on business trips sometimes. Leaves me in charge. I'm old enough."

"Why doesn't he leave you with a relative or friend?" Jennie asked.

"Usually he's not gone this long," Dean answered. That at least was the truth. The longer hunts were not as common as one-to-two day hunts. "And we have no other family. It's just us." And fat chance Dad would leave us with a 'friend'. He doesn't trust anyone after what Bobby did...

"Has your dad ever hit you, or Sam?" Jennie suddenly asked.

Dean blinked. "What?"

"Has your dad ever been violent towards you?" Jennie questioned. "Hit or yell?"

Dean frowned. Hell yeah, but not like he'd ever admit it. "No, never."

Jennie sighed. "It's ninety degrees and you're wearing a long-sleeve jacket," she noted. "Let me see your arms."

Dean shook his head.

"Kid, if you don't listen you won't get to see that brother of yours," the cop warned.

Dean ducked his head and shrugged his jacket off. He only wore a tank top under it, what he had worn to bed.

"How'd you get those bruises?" Jennie demanded.

Dean smirked. "Fighting at school," he lied. "New kids get picked on, you know."

Jennie pursed her lips. She didn't believe anyone would be stupid enough to take on this fifteen-year-old. "I don't believe you."

Dean shrugged, putting his jacket back on. Like she would believe the truth. He'd gotten beaten pretty bad by an angry spirit two days ago. His dad had picked him and Sam up from school early to do a simple salt-and-burn that got a little out of hand.

Dean mentally cursed. They'd probably already seen the bruises on Sam and questioned him about it...

"We found guns in the motel room," Jennie announced.

"Shit," Dean breathed. Louder he replied, "Guns?"

Jennie nodded. "Don't play dumb, boy. They were well-hidden, but easily accessible."

Dean sighed. "We hunt sometimes. Ya' know, deer and stuff."

"Final question, Dean," Jennie promised, doubt written all over her face. She wasn't believing a word he said. "When is your dad supposed to be back?"

Dean racked his brain. He hadn't said... "Day after tomorrow, give or take."

Jennie nodded. "Come on, I'll take you to your brother now."

As soon as Dean entered the room Sam shot up and ran to him. Dean took a few steps back, shocked. "Sammy, hey, shhh, what's wrong?"

Sam sobbed against Dean's chest. The door shut and Dean knelt down to his little brother's level. "Sammy? Did someone hurt you? What's wrong?"

Sam pulled away, but didn't move from Dean's grasp. "Th-they blamed Dad an-and y-you for my bru-bruises..."

"Ah," Dean breathed. "They tried to do that to me, too. It's ok, Sammy. They got nothin' on me or Dad. I'm gonna get my phone call and call Dad up and he'll get us far away from here, ok?"

"Juh-Jennie said we're guh-gonna go to a n-new f-family," Sam mumbled. "An' if I didn't a-answer, we... we... we wouldn't be tuh-together no more! An'... and I didn't an-answer! We're guh-gonna be separated! Deeeee!"

"Shhh, they can't do that to us," Dean promised. "They can't separate us. I won't let them. You know that. Dad will be here in no time and we'll get far from this place. Then no one can hurt us. Life'll go back to normal."

Sam took a deep breath. "Promise?"

The door slammed open. "Good news, boys!"

Dean and Sam both looked up at Jennie. "Dad's here?" Dean wondered. No way their dad found them. As far as Dean knew, no one bothered to contact him yet. Dean hadn't been in touch with him at least.

"No, you two won't be going with your dad," Jennie announced. "We have found two families willing to take you boys in until a trial can be set, probably sometime next week. The court will decide if you can go back to your father or if you'll be placed into the foster care system."

"Two families?" Dean asked.

"It's been decided that it's in everyone's best interest to have you both separated, with no contact, until the trial," Jennie explained as four cops walked into the room.

"Dean?" Sam squeaked.

"No, please, no," Dean begged. "Sammy's my responsibility! He can't be taken from me!"

"Dean, you're only fifteen," Jennie sighed, motioning for the cops to pull the boys apart. "You little brother is not your responsibility. He is your father's responsibility."

Dean shook his head. "You don't understand!"

Two cops, huge men, stepped over to Dean and lifted him off the ground. It only took one cop to pull Sam away.

"D'n!" Sam cried. "No!"

Dean glared at Jennie, struggling in the cops' holds. "You can't do this! He needs me!"

"Codependency to this degree is unhealthy," Jennie responded, watching the second two cops take Sam out of the room. The boy was crying and wiggling, unable to break free. "This is for the best, Dean. Maybe after the trial we can put you in the same foster home. It's just a week, Dean. Be good for a whole week and I'll personally make sure you two stay together. But that means no contact with Sam. At all. He'll be in a different school, different town. And obey your temporary foster parents. No broken rules. If you do anything out of line, I will make sure you two never can see each other again. This is for his safety even more so than yours. I saw his bruises and other injuries, Dean. I'm going to find out how he got them and who did it. Play the game and we all win. Cross me and you'll move up on my suspect list and find yourself in juvenile hall."

Dean bit his lip. "Fine! I'll play by your rules. Just... let me see him before the trial? I have to make sure he's ok before then."

"I'll set something up for Monday," Jennie promised. "Best behavior or else you won't get to see him."

Dean nodded. He would play by her rules for now. He had no other choice. Sammy was on the line...

Thoughts? The dreaded Child Protective Services have finally caught up to the Winchesters... How are they going to handle it? Being separated and all? Reviews are lovely! This is only gonna be a few chapters, I've actually got the story planned out mostly.

-Kris-