Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.
A/N: I hated calling these 'drabbles', since they're pretty long, but this is Evy/Sam's story.
Eighteen Months Old
"Sammy, what dat?"
Sam looked over and saw that Evy was pointing to something on the ground. He couldn't tell exactly what it was at first, not until he was almost on top of it. Evy laid down on the ground on her belly, looking inside the mysterious hole she'd found. Sam sat down beside her and placed a hand on her back, allowing her to keep looking but ready to pull her back if anything came crawling out that could hurt her.
"That's a rabbit hole, Cricket."
Evy looked up at Sammy, eyes full of wonder. "Thewe's wabbit's in dere?"
Sam nodded. "Mm-hmm."
"Can we see 'em?" Evy asked.
"Can't do that, Cricket." Sam said. "That hole's for baby rabbits. It keeps them safe from bigger animals that might hurt them."
"But aren't dey scared in dere? It's dark."
"That's what makes it safe." Sam explained. "That's how they hide from the bigger animals."
"Oh." Evy said, taking one more look inside the hole. "Otay. Can we go back and pay now?"
Sam laughed. "Sure."
Later that night, Sam woke up to the feeling of a small body climbing in the bed beside him. He then heard a loud clap of thunder and realized that Evy had been woken up by the thunderstorm and wanted to sleep with him. Sam turned over and started to pull the blanket up for her, only to find her little body already under the blanket, shaking.
"Cricket, what are you doing?"
"I scawed, Sammy." Evy said.
"Cricket, I can barely hear you. Come out from under the blanket." Sam said gently.
"NO!" Evy said stubbornly.
Sam sighed and pulled himself under the blanket. "Cricket, what's wrong?"
"I scawed." Evy repeated with a pout.
"Of the storm?"
"Yeah." Evy said. "It loud."
"I know it's loud." Sam said. "But it won't hurt you. I won't let anything hurt you."
"I know, Sammy." Evy said.
"Why are you under the blanket?" Sam asked. She'd never done that before. She usually just wanted Sam to hold her through the storm or until she woke up the next morning.
"I make my own wabbit hole." Evy said.
"What?" Sam asked.
"My wabbit hole. It dark under here. You said dat make it safe." Evy said.
Sam smiled. "That's a good idea, Cricket." Another loud clap of thunder made Evy jump over into Sam's arms. "You want me to hold you?"
"I 'tay under hewe?" Evy asked.
"Yeah. You can stay under here." Sam said. He kissed the top of her head gently, then pushed some of her fine, curly hair away from her face. "Good night, baby. I love you."
"Wove you too, Sammy." Evy said, already drifting off to sleep.
Two Years Old
Sammy was sick. Evy could hear him coughing all the way at the end of the hallway in uncle Bobby's house. Evy went down to the kitchen, holding the rails on the side of the staircase as she went. She carefully made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, where Uncle Bobby was making some food for everyone.
"Unca Baby?" She said, tugging on Bobby's leg.
"Yeah, Baitfish?" Bobby asked, without turning his head.
"Can I has one doze boxes?" Evy asked, pointing at the stack of cardboard boxes next to the kitchen door.
Curious, Bobby asked, "What you need a box for?"
"I want make pwesent for Sammy. Hep him feel better."
"Okay, Baitfish. You can take one." Bobby said. "You need some help?"
"Will you tape it up when I's done pease?" Evy asked.
"Sure thing, Baitfish. Just bring it back to me, okay?"
"Tank you, unca Baby." Evy said, wrapping an arm around Bobby's leg.
"You're welcome, Baitfish. Go on. I'll have lunch ready in a few minutes. You might have to finish it after you eat." Bobby said.
"Do I gots to take a nap?" Evy asked. Sammy usually made her take a nap after lunch, if she hadn't already taken one by then.
Bobby smiled and bent down for a brief second. "Do I ever make you take a nap if you ain't grumpy?"
Evy smiled. "No."
"Well, there you go."
Evy gave Bobby a kiss on the cheek and a hug around the neck, and then was gone. She grabbed one of the boxes Bobby had given her, then went to the living room and got to work. Bobby pulled her into the kitchen to eat lunch, then she went back to Sammy's present. She worked on it for a long time, then took the box to Bobby.
"Unca Baby, will you tape it up now?"
"Sure." Bobby took the box and was surprised it was empty. "Baitfish? Did you forget the present?"
Alarmed, Evy looked inside, then smiled. "No. It in dere."
Evy explained the present to Bobby, who found himself wanting to gush over how cute and innocent she was. He taped the present for her, then handed it to her. She took it, thanked Bobby, then started to go upstairs to Sammy.
"Baitfish?"
Evy turned around, practically vibrating with how excited she was. "Yeah, unca Baby?"
"Can I have one of those kisses?"
Evy looked to the box in her arms, then back up to Bobby. "Can I blow you kiss? I don't want to drop Sammy pwesent. I don't want it to bake."
"That'll work." Evy blew Bobby a kiss from where she stood, which Bobby returned.
Sam felt like he'd gotten hit by a dump truck. He had a headache, a fever, and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't stop coughing and sneezing. He'd been sick for only two days, but it felt like a month. Just as he was about to try to go to sleep again, he heard a knock at his door. He groaned but called,
"Come in."
Evy walked in, carrying a box in her arms that was almost too big for her. As sick as he was, Sam sat up and watched her come over, intrigued.
"What are you doing, Cricket?"
"I got you pwesent, Sammy." She said.
"You did?" Sam asked.
"Yeah." Evy held up the box for him to take. "Here, Sammy."
Sam took the box from her, and was surprised to find it felt almost empty. "Thanks, Cricket." He said, and started to open it.
"Sammy, wait!" Evy said, dramatically throwing her hands on her hips. "You gotta wait for me."
"Oh." Sam tried to laugh at her mini-tantrum, though it came out as a wet cough instead. "Sorry. You need help?"
"No. I can do it." She said.
Sam watched breathlessly as she climbed onto the bed next to him. He relaxed when she was finally on the bed safely, and waited patiently as she crawled up to sit next to him.
"Cricket." He said. "I don't want you to stay too long, okay?"
Sam immediately wanted to kick his own butt for his poor choice of words when Evy's bottom lip stuck out and started trembling. "You not want me here?" she asked, her eyes filling with devastated tears.
"Honey, no, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant." Sam said, though he had to turn his head away from her when he started to cough again. "I just don't want you to get sick too."
"I stay, Sammy." Evy declared. "You stay wif me when I sick."
Sam sighed and shook his head. Evy was one of the sweetest children he'd ever met. But she had, as Bobby had once put it, "a stubborn streak that could put your daddy to shame." So Sam decided to stop trying. If she got sick, he'd just take care of her like she'd said.
"Alright, Cricket. Fine. You can stay." He said, ruffling her hair.
Evy waited for a moment, looking at him expectantly. "Open you pwesent, Sammy!" she said impatiently, pushing the box towards him.
"Oh, right." Sam said. He opened the box and was surprised to find the reason why it felt so empty. It was. "Umm, Cricket?" he asked. "Did you forget something?"
Evy giggled. "No, Sammy. That's your present. You like it?" she asked.
"Cricket…" Sam said, confused. "It's empty."
Evy's face fell. "It not empty, Sammy." She said. She took the box from him and set it in front of her. "They kisses."
"Kisses?" Sam asked.
"Yeah." Evy said. "I put kisses in there. When you get sad, you take one out. Then you feel better." She reached into the box, pulled her hand back out as if she was holding something, and placed it on Sam's cheek. When he smiled, she grinned. "See? It working."
"Come here." Sam said, embracing her. "I love it. And I love you."
"Love you too, Sammy."
Five Years Old
From Line in the Sand:
"So I don't get spankings no more?" You asked hopefully.
"We didn't say that." Bobby said. "If you do something dangerous that you already knew you weren't supposed to do, you get a spanking from me, from Dean, or from Sam. But not your Dad."
"Anything else, it's up to Sam."
Evy stood in the corner of her room, nervously biting her bottom lip. She'd wandered away from Daddy at the store, and now she was waiting on Sammy to come. Daddy was mad, and Evy was sorry for that, but she was happy he wasn't able to spank her. Daddy's spankings really hurt, but uncle Bobby had told Daddy he wasn't allowed to spank her anymore. So Evy waited, tears starting to fall down her face. She heard the bedroom door open, but she stayed where she was. Sammy closed the door and moved to her bed, where he sat down and breathed a heavy sigh.
"Cricket, come here."
Evy moved away from the corner slowly and towards Sam. She stood in front of him, and Sam very nearly forgot the entire thing when he saw her shaking and the tears coming down her face. He pulled her close to him, but not into his lap.
"Tell me what happened at the store today." Sam said gently.
"I got away from Daddy." Evy said quietly.
"How did that happen?" Sam asked.
"I just wanted to look at the books." Evy said. "Daddy was busy, and I could still see him from where the books were, so I thought it was okay."
"Did you really think it was okay? Or did you just hope it was okay?" Sam asked.
Evy looked down and bit her lip again. "I hoped."
"Why didn't you just ask?"
"'Cause daddy was talking and I didn't want to interrupt him." Evy said.
Sam grabbed Evy's chin and pulled it up to face him. "Then you wait." He said, in a tone sterner than he typically used with her, but was still patient and understanding. "What are you supposed to do in the store?"
"Hold somebody's hand or hold the cart." Evy answered.
"Why are you supposed to do that?"
"So you guys know where I am." Evy said.
"Right. And why do we need to know where you are?"
"'Cause it's dangerous if you don't." Evy said, squirming. She knew what doing something dangerous meant.
Sam's heart cracked when she squirmed, but this wasn't okay; he had to make sure she didn't do this again. "It's been a while, so it's okay if you don't remember. But what did uncle Bobby say would happen if you did something dangerous you knew you weren't supposed to do?"
Evy had held her composure well so far, but her eyes filled with tears at Sam's question. She decided it was best to be honest. She swallowed hard and said with a cracking voice, "A spankin'."
God, I don't want to do this. Sam thought. "That's right, Cricket. Come on, let's get this over with."
Evy didn't fight Sam, and she let him turn her around until she was standing right next to his knees. Sam was about to pull her down until she was lying over his lap, but he made the mistake of looking in her face. The fear and guilt he saw there choked Sam, and he knew he couldn't do what he was about to do. Sam sighed and put a hand on Evy's back. Evy mistook Sam's comforting gesture for a silent order, and she started to lay down. Sam pulled her to him, giving her an unexpected hug.
"Sammy?" Evy asked.
"I have a deal for you." Sam said.
"A deal?" Evy asked. "What kind of deal?"
"If you'll go to bed early every night for the next three days without a fight, I won't spank you."
Evy pushed away from Sammy, unable to believe what she'd just heard. "You won't?"
"No. If you promise not to fight me on your early bedtime." Sam said.
"Will you still tuck me in and read to me?" Evy asked.
"Of course." Sam said. "Deal?"
"Deal." Evy said with a smile. Her smile faded when she realized, "Won't Daddy be mad though?"
"Daddy doesn't have to know. If you don't tell on me."
"I won't." Evy said. She flung her arms around Sam's neck. "Thank you, Sammy."
"Hang on, Cricket. We're not done yet. Back away just a little."
Evy pulled away from him and took a couple steps back. "What are you gonna do?"
"You'll see. Play along, okay?"
Sam took his hands and slapped them together five times with medium force. Evy yipped, yelled, and 'owed' throughout. Sam waited another few seconds, then slapped his hands together another five times in rapid succession. Sam winked at her, then pulled her in for another hug.
"You know you need to go apologize to Daddy, right?"
"I know." Evy said. "I'm sorry, Sammy."
"I know, baby. I know." Sam said. "If you do this again, you get the real thing. Understand?"
"I understand." Evy said. "Do we have to go right out to Daddy?"
"No. We can stay here a few minutes." Sam answered. He held her and rocked her a little. "I love you, baby."
"Love you too, Sammy."
Eight Years Old
"Cricket, listen to me. Whatever you hear down the hall, you do not leave this room. Do you understand me?"
"I understand." Evy had answered.
That had been nearly an hour earlier. Evy tried to play with what little toys she had to block out the sound of Daddy and Sammy's yelling from the kitchen, but it didn't work. So she settled down on her bed and listened, since there was no way to get away from the fight.
"You're not leaving, Sam…"
"Yes, Dad. I am. This life is not for me…"
Evy didn't even hear the rest of the fight. All she could focus on was the fact that Sammy was leaving. Sammy had been the only one who'd always cared for her. She thought that he loved her more than anyone else, but was she wrong? The thought that she even might be scared her to the point of crying. Evy laid down on her bed, pulled one of her pillows to her, and squeezed it and Squish tight. The fight died down, and Evy heard the front door slam. She heard someone knocking at her door. When she didn't answer after the second knock, the door opened.
"Cricket? Are you asleep?"
"No." Evy said from the bed.
"What's wrong?" Sam asked, though he had a feeling he knew. He sat on her bed next to her and reached over to scratch her back, only to be left shocked when she pulled away. "Cricket?"
"You're leaving." Evy said simply.
The hurt in her voice tore at Sam's heart. "Yes, baby. I am."
Evy flipped over to look at him, but stayed as far away from him as she could on her bed. "Why?"
"I'm going to school." Sam said. "It's a really good school. It's a good opportunity for me."
"Where?" Evy asked.
"California."
"But that's so far away." Evy said.
"I know, baby. I'm sorry. I don't want to leave you…"
"Then don't." Evy said as she wiped her eyes.
"Baby..." Sam said, reaching over to hug her.
Evy pulled away from him again, and Sam debated what to do. He thought about leaving her alone. She was clearly angry and hurt with him. But Sam didn't have much time left. He had to leave in two days, and he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could. Sam gently placed a hand on her arm. He normally didn't like to cry in front of her, but he couldn't help it this time. When Evy looked up at him, her expression softened a little.
"Please, please don't hate me." Sam said earnestly. "Please don't hate me, don't be mad at me. I love you so much. I don't have much time left here, and I want to spend it with you. Please, baby, just think about it."
"I don't hate you." Evy said. "I'm scared."
"Scared of what?" Sam asked.
"If you're gone," Evy asked, "who's gonna take care of me?"
"Baby, I will always be there for you. Even if I'm not here, I will always make sure you can call and talk to me. Whenever you want. You can write me at school. I'm still your brother, and I always will be. I love you more than anything else in the whole world. Okay?"
"Okay, Sammy."
"Okay." Sam said. When Evy yawned, Sam suggested, "Why don't you start getting ready for bed?"
"Will you sleep with me?" Evy asked. "Until you leave?
"Absolutely." Sam said. "Can I have a hug?"
Evy wrapped her arms around Sam's neck and squeezed it tight. "I love you, Sammy."
"I love you too, my baby." Sam said. "Always."