Like most of my prompts, this is from the lovely FirefliesUnite. She also wrote a weechester piece that inspired this, so check it out: s/10870875/1/Kids-should-be-kids (Although, I warn you she's no where near as nice to John as I am).

They'd been waiting in this grotty little motel room for what felt like days. Sure, Dean objectively knew it had just been a few hours, but Sammy's whining just made the entire situation drag on forever. First the room was too cold, then it was too hot, then he was thirsty, then he was hungry, then he was bored, then he wanted his elder brother to leave him alone and then he had the nerve to demand that Dean should play with him.

Eventually Dean had managed to shut his little brother up with some story involving jedi's and princesses and Sam had drifted off to sleep. Reluctantly accepting the fact that there was absolutely nothing he could do about the drool the sleeping Sam was depositing on his shirt, Dean just leaned back listening to the heavy breathing. He knew his Dad would be back soon and although he wasn't sure why, the salt sprinkled all around the room gave him a strange sense of security. Soon the elder Winchester had joined the younger one, drifting off into his own little dreamworld.

The instant he heard the quiet click of a key in the lock Dean was awake and alert. The eleven year old boy quickly got off the bed, gently moving Sammy's still sleeping form so as not to wake him.

Rubbing sleep out of his eyes, Dean found himself greeted with a heartwarming smile from his father as the old man let himself silently into the room. The bundle of cloth in his arms immediately piqued Dean's interest. Still not quite tall enough to see what was in his Dad's arms he stepped up onto his tiptoes, precariously balancing as he tried to gain a peek.

"What's that?"

"Why don't you take a look and see?" His Dad's gruff voice was laced with softness, toned down as it was to almost a whisper.

One look at the bundle, which contained a squished little face and tiny hands, and Dean's shocked eyes flicked back to John's face. "It's a baby?"

"Yes, it's a baby"

"Is it a Christmas present?" The unashamed wonder in his eldest's voice lit up John's entire world.

Dean was surprised to see his father's smile grow at his comment. "Yes Dean, I guess you could say it is."

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a boy. In fact it's your new baby brother."

Dean cocked his head to one side, those unsettlingly green eyes focused on John as he seriously contemplated the situation. Surely one baby brother was enough. He's not sure if he could put up with someone else pestering him. But then he caught sight of Sammy's sleeping face, his thumb firmly caught between his teeth in the cutest possible manner and decided right there and then that he could handle having another addition to the family, so long as it was something like his treasured baby brother.

A brief look of relief flashed across John's bearded face as Dean grinned and said, "So what's his name?"

Dean was still peppering John with questions about the new 'present' when his father ordered him to wake Sammy up. In his excitement Dean practically barreled onto the bed, startling the sleeping boy straight awake. The six year old let out a grumble, pushing Dean's face away from his.

"Wake up Sammy. We've got a present!"

That woke Sam up about a hundred times more effectively than anything else could have. "A present? But it's only Christmas Eve."

"This is a very special present." Dean dragged Sammy to the other end of the bed where John sat, still carefully cradling the babe in his arms.

When Sammy caught sight of the baby his eyes flicked between his family's faces, trying to decide if they were playing a practical trick on him. It wouldn't be the first time. But both of them looked to be completely serious. His Dad seemed calmer than he'd seen him in a long time, and Dean was buzzing with excitement.

When he didn't say anything John's eyes crinkled and he leaned towards Sam, ruffling a hand through his hair. "His name is Adam, it's your baby brother."

It took the six year old several seconds to be able to say something, and even Dean knew that meant that something was up. By the time he spoke he felt like he was ready to burst into tears. "No!"

"No?"

"I said no. That's a shit present. Tell Santa to take it back!" Sam couldn't deal with the pain in his father's eyes. Sammy never used cusswords, and that night reminded him why. He was promptly sent to bed with no supper,with a solid slap and an absolute cold shoulder.

And when he started to shout about how unfair it all was, waking up the new precious nasty baby, John's face had practically turned beetroot. Soon the motel room was filled with threats about how easily Christmas could be cancelled.

Dean was the only one to get a good night's sleep that night. Years of dealing with Sammy as a baby had built up his immunity to crying babies. John was up every hour or two with baby Adam whilst Sam didn't really sleep at all, his mind filled with thoughts of angry Santas and little changelings. He knew that no one would really love him if they had a new baby, one of the girls at his last school had said as much. Everytime the foul creature cried, Sammy found himself hating it just that little bit more.

The next morning the boys were awoken to the familiar clunk of bags being packed. Dean was already grumbling as Sammy awoke. Neither of them wanted to be travelling on Christmas Day. Although Winchester Christmases weren't known for their effervescence, Sammy had at least hoped for a couple of presents. Instead he was being herded out of the door. Still angry with his dad he just kept sulking, leaving Dean to fight this one out. Although that didn't last very long when the elder brother heard where they were going and let out an excited shout.

"We're going to Bobbies? Yes!"

"And this time we're all going to be staying with him for a while. Until we manage to get our own place."

The look of hope that lit up Dean's face clearly broke John's heart. "Do you mean we don't have to move around anymore?"

"Yup."

"And you'll be around all the time? You won't be going off on jobs."

"Yeah, no more jobs."

"And we can go to school? And I can play baseball?"

"Anything you want buddy." John found himself quickly laughing along with his eldest, particularly when he was pulled into a big hug and told that this was the best Christmas present ever.

Sammy was far less impressed, still mulling over his newly arrived nemesis and the previous night's fight. He silently went and sat in the car, watching the others through the window. Dean was so excited he'd immediately tried to help load the car. This included shifting bags which were much too heavy for him to handle, so John had to drop whatever he was loading to go and help him. Not that their Dad seemed to mind the extra hassle, taking it in his stride as he eventually got the car loaded.

Sammy decided very quickly that he did not like having a baby brother. Babies were useless. All they did was smell and cry and eat and cry some more. He hated Adam. And he hated him even more when he ended up crushed into the backseat with him. John had decided that all three boys were too small for the frontseat, a statement with particularly irked Dean. Adam's new carseat was placed on one side of the backseat, whilst Dean lolled out on the other side, and Sammy found that as the younger of the two he'd been forced into the middle.

It didn't help that the baby wouldn't stop crying. The damned thing was going red in the face with all its yelling. Nor was Sammy's mood improved when Dean pointed out that that's exactly what he used to look like as a baby.

The next couple of hours were horrendous. Sam grew more and more surly the longer the baby cried, particularly as Dad and Dean kept yelling at him to do something to shut it up. Eventually Sammy gave in, he just couldn't take it any more. He surveyed his little brother with big round eyes, leaning forward to poke Adam's tiny face. Surprisingly, the baby's response was actually positive. Instantly the crying stopped, as the baby's own sight fixed on his. Adam's eyes were the same dark color of John's, a fact Sammy found particularly endearing in spite of himself.

The thing that really captured Sammy's heart was the crooked smile the baby beamed up at him. It took him by surprise, and in that instant Sam found himself forgetting that he was mad at everyone. He spun round, boisterously announcing that he'd been the first one to make Adam smile. That sealed it. If the baby liked him, how could he not like the baby?

By the time they'd pulled into Bobby's Adam was fast asleep, his miniscule pink fingers curled tightly around Sammy's index finger. When John came to take the carseat out, Sammy refused to let him, demanding that he get to carry little Adam. In his hurry he missed the grins that his brother and his Dad sent over his head.

As John started to unpack the car, he couldn't help but think that this Christmas could herald the coming of a fresh new start. I could mean a normal settled life for him and his boys, all three of them. Maybe even a happy life. He could practically feel Mary smiling down at him as he shifted the last box into the house, ready for the rest of their lives to begin, starting with Christmas Day.