Word from the Author: This is the first of a three part series. I was aiming for cute: she shoots, she... scores? Drop me a review, if you will.

Disclaimer: Nuh-uh, not mine.

The Promise 'Verse

Part I

Never Break A Promise

It had been another one of those nights. Dad had gone out on a hunt, and had left Dean in charge of looking after Sammy. Sammy had been all of 5 years old. An age that Dean remembers fondly, probably because at that age Sammy had not only been obedient (and thus no real hassle to look after, unlike in the years that would follow), he'd been down right adorable. And Dean was not a man(-boy) to use such words lightly. The fact that Sammy had also hero-worshipped Dean at that age hadn't harmed Dean's perception of his baby brother either.

Then again, even if that hadn't been the case, he'd probably still have thought Sammy to be the cutest thing known to man kind, because just as much as Dean was to Sammy, in Dean's eyes, Sammy was his everything. And Dean couldn't see anyone but him. I guess that's one way you could say that love is blind.

This night in particular, however, there'd been a thunderstorm, and to a 5 year old Sammy, the sound of thunder and lightning had been just as ferociously frightful as any noise any evil creature lurking in the dark could make. It sure was a hell of a lot louder, anyway.

Dean had tried to distract him, with games, TV, music, food... it'd been hugs that had done the trick though. That and bundling Sammy up tightly into his blankets, leaving a small lamp light on, and finally, after much pleading on little Sammy's part, climbing in with him. As soon as Dean had slid into the warm cocoon that he'd made for his baby brother, thunder struck, booming loudly nearby, and just like that Sammy was stuck to Dean like a limpet.

Dean just sighed. Sammy really was too cute for words. Wrapping his arms around Sammy as tightly as the blankets, Dean hummed a little and rubbed his back as Sammy hiccupped little upset sobs into Dean's neck.

"Don't cry," Dean had said. "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just noise and light." Dean had learnt that from his Daddy, and felt it was important to share such wisdom with his baby brother.

Sammy had looked up at him with his big, luminous puppy dog eyes. The eyes that could make Dean do anything, say anything. "Really?" He'd asked.

And Dean had nodded assuredly. "And even if there were something," Sammy's hand clenched tighter in Dean's pajama top at that, "you wouldn't have to be afraid. I'll protect you."

Sammy really had been a child of few words. "Always?" He'd asked tentatively, as if afraid of what Dean's answer might be.

"Of course, baby." That endearment, even more so than Sammy, had always made his baby brother smile, euphorically, in fact. "We'll always be together. Always and forever."

Sammy's nose had wrinkled a bit as he seemed to ponder this. "So... We're gonna get married someday?"

Dean was a little puzzled by this jump in logic, but his lack of response seemed to have become the catalyst for big fat tears to gather at the corner of Sammy's eyes. So Dean had hastily agreed, "Yeah! One day, we'll get married."

And just like that the sun came out and shone from behind Sammy's eyes. "Promise!"

"Promise."

Years later, Dean could only thank God that Sammy didn't seem to remember their 'promise.' Otherwise, Dean surmised, he'd probably never live to hear the end of it...

Part I - Finis