A/N: Just a short weechester story that came to mind. Enjoy. Review if you can. NC
The frigid air blew relentlessly around the rundown motel that sat off the beaten path. Flakes of snow and ice swirled through the parking lot keeping anyone who ventured outside scurrying for shelter within seconds. The forecaster predicted the next few days to be the coldest northern South Dakota had seen. Highway patrol were warning motorist to stay off the roads due to white out conditions and numerous wrecks. Darkness was coming fast and it was only going to get colder as the sun went down. Nothing moved outside as the wind continued to whip and whirl and beat against anything in its path. Mother Nature was unleashing her fury across the land and it wasn't fit for man or beast to be out in it.
Two small boys huddled together in one of the rooms at the motel, trying to share their warmth. The oldest had gather all the thread bare blankets and wrapped them around his little brother and himself. He could feel his brother's cold nose pressed into his neck and shivered. His brother coughed and sniffed, wiping his nose across his shirt sleeve. He hid his face when the force of the wind hit the building making it creak and groan like it was searching for a way in. The older looked toward the window seeing the curtain move slightly with each gust and cooed to his brother trying to comfort him.
"C'ld Dee..." the four year old whispered as he tried to wiggle closer to his big brother.
"I know Sammy." the eight year old replied pulling the covers tighter around them. The wall unit barely put out any heat when they checked in and now it wasn't producing any and the temperature had dropped quickly in the room. He knew better than to go to the office to tell them for fear the cops would be called and they would be taken away.
"Hun'gry too." he whined his thumb finding its way to his mouth so he could comfort himself as he sucked on it.
"Don't think 'bout it." the older mumbled hearing his own stomach growl in hunger. They had run out of food that morning and had nothing else to eat. "Look, there's a reindeer." he said pointing at an ancient television set that was so snowy and blurry you could barely make out the picture. It would flicker off and on with each hit from the wind until finally going off and staying that way. He really didn't care since he had started getting a headache trying to watch it.
"Wh-ere's Dad-dy?" he asked around his thumb.
"He's just running behind Sammy. He'll be here soon." Dean replied wondering where their Dad was. He was supposed to have been back two days ago to get them and he hadn't returned. When John had left he warned Dean about staying inside and not answering the door for anyone but him. He had left some food for them but it wasn't enough. Even if Dean went out, he had no money to buy anything for them. And with the weather conditions outside, nothing would be open to try and steal something. He fought back the tears of frustration, and worry and fright knowing Sammy didn't need to see him cry.
"He get here for 'hist'mas?" he asked looking hopefully up into his brother's eyes.
"Sure he will, he wouldn't miss that." Dean assured him, hating to lie because he had no idea even if their father was coming back. His mind was on overload right now trying to figure out what to do. He knew the room was paid for until the next day and then he wasn't sure what they would do. "It'll be okay..."
spn
The room was getting dark and shadows were filling the room as the day gave way to night. Dean had gotten his little brother to the bathroom and heated some water in the microwave for him to drink. It wasn't much but they had nothing else. He fixed their bed and got Sammy settle down under the blankets after making him put on more clothes to help keep him warm. Dean used the bathroom and sipped on some warm water as he went to the window and pulled the curtain back enough to see out looking for the Impala and their Dad. There were only two other cars in the parking lot that hadn't moved since yesterday. He let the curtain fall back and sighed sadly not sure what to do. He looked to the bed and his little brother as fear crept into his mind. What if something had happened to their Dad and he didn't come back?
"Dee..." a small voice called to him. "C'me bed."
"I'm coming Sammy." he said going to their duffle to pull another pair of ratty sweat pants from their bag to slip on over the ones he had on. He found the cleanest sweat shirt and pulled it over his head hoping this would help keep him warm.
The small lamp he left on flickered as Dean made his way to the bed and crawled under the covers allowing his brother to snuggle up against him. He tucked the covers around them and settled onto the almost flat pillow hoping the night would flee and their Dad would be waking them up the next morning.
"Dee..." Sammy's small voice spoke.
"Yeah Sammy?" he asked.
"Wanna change what I asked Santa for for 'hris'mas?"
"Okay, got ahead." Dean answered not sure where this was going.
"I just want Daddy an' warm place to sleep..." he said sniffing back the tears. For one so young, Sam was a child wiser than his tender years. He wasn't old enough to understand why they moved around all the time or why they were left alone days at a time in a crummy, rundown, motel room or why they didn't always have food to eat or why their Dad would come back bloody and injured. His mind was too young to comprehend it but he knew things were different for them.
"Go to sleep Sammy..." Dean told him not knowing what to tell him.
"Will Daddy be here in mornin'?"
"I hope so, he probably just got stuck somewhere because of the weather."
"I love you Dee..."
"Love you too squirt, now try to get some sleep." he mumbled draping an arm over his shivering body.
spn
Dean woke up in the middle of the night shivering since the temperature had dropped lower and he could barely move he was so stiff. He had tired his best to stay awake but couldn't do it. He reached for his brother and knew instantly something was wrong. Sammy wasn't beside him; he had somehow wiggled out from under the covers and was laying curling up tightly in a ball at the edge of the bed. He moved to him and felt his brother's small face feeling how ice cold it was.
"Sammy?" Dean asked shaking his limp body but not getting any response. "Sammy!" he cried out in shock as he knelt beside his brother's body and put his ear to Sam's mouth to see if he was breathing. He began to rub his arms and face and body trying to get circulation going again. "Sammy, come on bro, you gotta breath." he begged placing two fingers to his neck to try and find a pulse. Tears leaked from his eyes as he sat back on his heels trying to decide what to do. He pinched Sam's nose and blew into his mouth several times like he had seen on television hoping to get him breathing again. "No, no come back to me Sammy..." he cried. "Please someone...I need help...My little brother needs help...Don't let him die..." He tried one more time pressing his mouth tightly to his brother's cold lips and blowing hard as he silently sobbed. "Help me..." Dean prayed again pulling his brother's still body into his arms and holding him tightly. He buried his face into Sam's messed up hair willing their Dad to come back now and wake Sammy up.
"I can help." a gravely unfamiliar voice spoke to Dean making him jump in surprise.
Dean looked up through tear filled eyes to see a man standing at the foot of the bed watching him. He was dressed in a suit and trench coat and looked human, but he didn't know how he could of gotten in the room since the door was still locked.
"Who-who are you?" he asked pulling Sam tighter to him wanting to protect him.
"I heard your prayer child." the man said. "I can help your brother if you like."
"You can bring him back?" Dean asked as he slowly slipped his brother's body back onto the bed but stayed by his side.
The man stepped closer and laid a hand on his chest and cupped his face. Dean watched as a bluish white glow spilled out from around his hands making him shield his eyes from the brightness. Within moments, Dean heard a sharp intake of a breath and coughing coming from his brother.
"Sammy!" Dean whispered grabbing his brother's hand and leaning close to see him blinking his eyes open and looking around.
"Dee..." he asked in confusion as his eyes wandered over the room to land on the man. He looked closely at him and could see something different about him that others couldn't see. "Are you a 'hris'mas angel?" Sammy asked him innocently staring wide eyed at him.
"I am an angel..." he replied kindly looking at the two boys. He reached out a hand and laid it on the older one's shoulder for a moment and let the warmth of his grace flow through him warming his cold body.
Dean could feel the heat working its way through him and finally stopped shivering from the cold. He pulled his brother into his arms and quickly wrapped the blankets back around them to keep the heat in.
"I am afraid I can not let you remember me. Now is not the time." he said quietly as he place two fingers on each boy's forehead, sending them into a light sleep. He took away the memory of him from their minds before sitting on the bed and scooping them into his arms. His wings encircled them to keep them warm as he waited for the one coming for the boys. Even in sleep, the older one searched out for his little brother and wrapped his arms around him. The youngest smiled and giggled softly in his sleep when the feathers of his wing brushed his soft cheek. "There is much that you will do in your lives and many you will save. Your journeys will not be an easy one and there will be time you will want to give up the fight but you must stay strong." he talked quietly to the sleeping boys letting them cuddle in his lap. being on this Earth off and on over the centuries, he knew this was suppose to be a time joy, happiness, love and family and couldn't understand human decisions. He stayed with them the rest of the night until he felt the person near and carefully slipped them to the bed and pulled the blankets over them. He looked down one last time at the boys before disappearing with a flutter of wings and displacement of air.
spn
Pounding on the door roused Dean from his sleep and he sat up rubbing his eyes trying to wake up. He looked toward the door when the knocking came again.
"Dean! Son it's Bobby!" a familiar voice called to him.
"Uncle Bobby?" Dean answered jumping from the bed and running to the door. He pushed a chair over and looked out the peep hole to be sure before getting down and unlocking the locks to let him in.
"Are you and yer brother okay?" Bobby asked stepping into the room to see Sam still asleep in the bed. He could feel how cold it was in there and checked the boy in front of him over to be sure he was okay.
"Where's Dad Uncle Bobby?" Dean asked looking behind him but not seeing anyone else.
"He called me to come and get you two but the road was closed and I had to wait a day to get here."
"Is he alright?"
"He got hung up on a job. How's your brother?" Bobby asked going to the bed and brushing the long hair from the boy's face making him wake up.
"Un'le Bobby." Sammy said yawning and pulling himself over and into his lap. "I saw 'hris'mas angel." he said snuggling into his chest.
"You did?" he asked looking to Dean for an explanation.
"I don't know, maybe he dreamed it." Dean shrugged not knowing where that came from.
"I hu'gry." Sammy whispered to Bobby looking up at him with soulful, pitiful eyes.
"When did you two last eat Dean?"
"Sammy had a couple of crackers yesterday morning." Dean said hanging his head ashamed to tell him.
Bobby swore at John Winchester under his breath to have left his boys like this with nothing to eat and in such a dump with no heat as bad as the weather was. He was going to have a few choice words with the man when he came to pick the boys up. "Well let's get you packed up and out of here. Don't worry Sammy we'll stop and get some breakfast before heading to my place."
"Are we going to be staying with you Uncle Bobby?" Dean asked carefully trying to keep the expectation and excitement from his voice. He remembered staying with him before and the warmth and the food they were given. It was like paradise to him not having to worry if he could feed his little brother.
"Looks like it son." he said slipping Sammy from his lap to gather scattered clothes and put them in a duffle. "Dean go get your bathroom things and let's get out of this hell hole."
"Un'le Bobby said bad word." Sammy giggled clapping his hands over his mouth.
"Okay Uncle Bobby." Dean said running to the bathroom wanting to get out of this place.
"Is 'hris'mas here?" Sammy asked looking up at Bobby.
"Almost squirt and you're going to be spending it with me. We'll have some good things to eat and you know maybe Santa will leave something there for you."
"And Dee too?"
"Yes and Dean too. Get your shoes and coats on boys. How does pancakes sound for breakfast? And maybe they can rustle up some chocolate milk?"
"That sounds good Uncle Bobby." Dean said licking his lips in anticipation of the having some hot food to eat. The pains in his stomach were not as bad, but it still growled wanting to be fed.
"Let me take Sam first and I'll come back for you." Bobby told the older brother. "That wind is brutal out there and you don't need to be in it any more than you have to." He grabbed a blanket from the bed to throw around the youngest, covering any exposed skin from the bitter cold.
"Alright." Dean said going to the door to wait as Bobby hurried from the room to his car to get the youngest settled before coming back to get the older one. He buckled them in the front passenger seat and cranked the car turning the heat as high as it would go. He backed out and carefully headed toward the main road feeling the unforgiving wind hit the side of the car making it sway. He was going to stop before he got to the interstate at a 24 hours truck stop to get them something to eat and head on to Sioux Falls before the blizzard that was heading their way caught them. It had been hard enough getting to them in this weather, he didn't want to deal with what was coming too.
"Un'le Bobby?" Sammy asked as they drove down the road.
"What son?" he asked glancing down at the child.
"I love you." he whispered looking up at him with adoring, innocent eyes.
Bobby was at a loss for words for a moment before answering, "I love both of you boys too." he said trying to keep his voice from cracking and the wetness from leaking from his eyes. It may be Christmas eve, but he was going to give these two boys the best Christmas he could.
The End