Disclaimer : I don't own the boys. They belonged to our beloved Mr. Kripke. Oh! I don't own Popeye, the Thundercats and Captain Hook either. Just borrowing them because the more the merrier.

X Marks the Spot

Dean had had it. He'd been trying all day and he was beaten to hell. Arms akimbo, Dean watched in despair at the sight of Sammy running around the room – paper plane in hand. Sammy was lost to his own world as he jumped and rolled and reeled on the couch, under the beds, on the table and under the chairs; lips trembling in heartfelt effort at a rumbling motor sound and one arm reaching up in the air as he twisted and turned the paper plane.

The room was a wrecked ship and Dean sighed wearily. First he needed to tempt Sammy to do what he was supposed to do hours ago and then Dean had to tidy up the mess to ensure everything was in perfect order upon their dad's return.

In the early hours, Dean had tried ushering Sammy by agreeing to let his baby brother rode on him; pretending he was the Lone Ranger and Dean was his Silver. After three exhausting rounds of crawling on all four round the room, Sammy decided he was Lion-O and started jumping around fighting Mumm-Ra. It was obvious to Dean Sammy had made an idiot out of him.

Then, not willing to give up just yet he tried tempting Sammy with his last share of M&M's. Sammy took the candies, popped them into his mouth and resumed to drawing Dean's stick figure on the motel's yellow pages. When Dean mumbled at him for breaking his promise, Sammy stuck out his puny M&M's-stained tongue at him and Dean cringed; realizing he had just wasted the last of his M&M's for nothing.

Since tempting didn't work very well, he tried threatening by saying dad was going to come back soon and he'd whip Sammy's ass for being stubborn. It's either Dean had used the wrong threat or Sammy was born to be stubborn, his three years old baby brother started dancing to Popeye's theme song instead – damn weird sailor with funny accent.

"Sammy…I think you are goin' to grow up being a stubborn ass" if the seven years old Dean knew what a pain-in-the-ass little brother Sammy would soon become later in the future, he'd freaked out and would have thought he had superpowers like Cheetara for being able to predict the future.

"Dean! You cwursed!! I goin' to tell dad" Sammy put a hand in front of his gaping mouth and later clicked his tongue as he wiggled one finger towards Dean. Then he just started dancing again; making the choo-choo sound when Popeye blew his smoking pipe twice. Not only his threat didn't work, Dean was embarrassed at how Sammy's worked on him. Dean had the feeling he was going to hate spinach later in his life.

If compromising, bribing and threatening won't work on making his little brother complied to him, Dean only had one last resort. He was going to fish for Sammy's sympathy. He started by hunching his shoulders and slumping into the couch; trying to look as worn as possible. Dean sighed tiredly as he slung an arm across his face and made a hissing sound. Smiling a little to see his acting gained Sammy's attention, Dean waited for his brother to come and play doctor.

With his eyes closed, Dean could mentally see Sammy coming towards him when he heard the pitter patter of Sammy's feet closing in. And when he felt Sammy's tiny hands grasping his arm, Dean wanted to jump on his feet and tackle his brother. But he delayed the urge and carried on with his acting.

"Dean…?"

Sammy's voice was raspy and Dean's heart skipped a beat. Was he doing it a little too much? Albeit feeling sorry for Sammy, Dean remained in his position. He was not going to give up to his brotherly instinct, not now when he was so close to succeeding.

"Deannn…" Sammy whimpered next to him and tugged his arm harshly; urgency etched the shaggy boy's voice.

Instead of replying, Dean groaned; adding in some kick to his acting – which he thought was awesome. The tugging stopped and he felt Sammy's hands grasping his arm tightly. Dean almost flinched.

"Dean…I does not feel good" Sammy whined.

Hearing his baby brother's whine, Dean bolted upright. He turned to Sammy and held his brother tight at the shoulder; giving him a thorough examination. Worries were making his heart thumping ferociously in his chest and his body to be drenched with sweat. "What's wrong Sammy?" he found nothing.

Suddenly Sammy's lips curled devilishly; Dean swore there was nothing more terrifying than looking at his brother right now. As quickly as the puny red lips curled, realization hit Dean like a train and he almost collapsed. "Owh…Sammy"

"Gotcha Dean! You lied!" Sammy pointed a finger to Dean's nose; almost touching it. "I knowed you lied" he jumped up and down on the couch. 'Victory at last'.

Dean stood up on his feet and gave his baby brother the most murderous gaze he could manage. But Sammy was lost to the world, dancing happily for his triumph over Dean. Realizing his gaze had no effect on Sammy, he let down the look and snorted in pride. Sammy was getting better at this and he'd learnt from the best. Then again, he was made a fool by his too young little brother and Dean couldn't help but cursed at himself for teaching Sammy a little too effectively.

"I winned! I winned!" Sammy was still jumping up and down on the couch, clapping his hands and shouting happily as if he had won some important game without putting much effort in it. 'Duh?!'

"I give up!" Dean flailed his arms in the air with defeat.

Giving Sammy a bath before had never been as tiring and as stupid as it was today. Maybe his little brother had developed a liking for not having to take a bath during cold winter day while he was down with fever since two days ago. But today, since Sammy was a lot better- almost completely recovered – and because he stink a lot, Dean decided it was time for his little brother to take a bath complete with the bubbles and shampoo and scrubbing, et cetera. And Sammy, too energetic for a toddler who had just recovered from a fever, chose today to be a spoilt brat when all this while he just loved taking a bath.

Dean turned around and his eyes fell on the television; it was one of the series in which Popeye had to fight a bunch of pirates in the middle of growling sea.

"Arr!" suddenly Sammy lurched forward from the couch to the telly. That was odd. He thought Sammy always liked the sailor.

"Sammy…you like pirates?" Dean asked. If Sammy confirmed it, he might just have the way to make Sammy agree on taking a bath without much fuss.

"Arr! Let down the sail matey!" Sammy didn't actually answer him but Dean knew immediately what to do. He disappeared into the bedroom; leaving Sammy to have the time of his life watching the pirates knocked some senses into good old Popeye the Sailorman.

…………………………………….

Sammy was acting as Captain Hook - pushing an imaginary Peter Pan to walk the wooden plank by thrusting a makeshift sword made from broom's stick into the air- when Dean came out from the room wearing an eye patch on his left eye and a crude pirate hat made from folded newspaper. Sammy was dumbfounded as he stared at Dean wide eyed and mouth slightly agape. Dean was holding a roll of paper under his arm and he had an origami sword in his other hand.

"Ahoy!"

"Dean?" Sammy called, feeling awkward and awe at the same time.

"It's Captain Dean to ye mate, arr!" Dean tried his best to sound like a sailor. "All hands on deck sailor!" and he thought Sammy was the only one spending too much time watching Peter Pan. When he saw the confused look on Sammy's face, Dean sighed. Maybe he had used too much of a sailor language. "Cm'here sailor" and Dean was enthralled to see Sammy practically ran towards him; his jaw dropped and his eyes wide.

"What cha' doin Dean?" Sammy asked curiously while he ran a tiny hand on Dean's eye patch; made from gauze, held firm to his eye with a band aid.

"Sammy, ye are my sailor now and ye must obey me" Dean said sternly. He started to think he might have a chance on this when Sammy started playing along with him.

"Aye aye captain!" his little brother stood up straight and saluted him like any seaman would do.

"I got me here a map…a treasure map" Dean took the paper pinned in his arm and rolled it open; exposing a lousy map he had drawn using Sammy's crayon. The map was merely a scribble of line swirling around the page and it ended with a big X mark at one edge of the paper. Dean smirked triumphantly when Sammy bent down with him; staring down eagerly at the map.

"Where you gets this Dean?" Sammy was awestruck, unbelieving. He was so excited he couldn't help gaping at the map Dean had just unrolled. He twisted and turned the map, studying it too eagerly.

"Arr! Tis' a secret mate…are ye with me here?" Dean asked – he was getting better at this. "We are goin' on a treasure hunt ye and me" he pulled out another makeshift hat and put it on Sammy. It fit him just perfect. Sammy grinned as he brushed an unruly bang covering his eyes.

"Aye aye captain sir!" Sammy saluted again. He looked down at the map he was holding and gazed back up at Dean. "Uhh…Captain? How you read this?"

Dean rolled his eyes but he explained it anyway. Before he could even finish, Sammy had started pacing around the room; looking for the treasure Dean had secretly hid somewhere while Sammy was engrossed to watching Popeye. The youngest Winchester was careful to follow each number of steps and Dean was the one who had to do the counting. They circled the couch once, went to kitchenette, rummaged through the drawer and voila! Sammy had found his first treasure chest.

The treasure chest was a used cereal box Dean had kept because he thought it would come in handy someday. Sammy shook it eagerly and a rubber duck fell on his lap. He stared at it earnestly before shoving duckie into his pocket, much to Dean liking. They had hopes after all.

"All right mate…another treasure is yet to be discovered" Dean announced as he shoved the paper sword forward, pointing towards the bed. "All aboard!" he called.

"Arr!" Sammy replied as he led Dean towards the next X spot; Dean's bed. He counted one to ten and Dean continued with the counting. At the count of fifteen, they halted. Sammy was the one to crouch under the bed and pulled out another cereal box. He fished for the treasure and there it was, a bar soap carved into the shape of a four legged creature.

"Donkiee!!" baby Sammy cried happily as he brought the carved bar soap to his cheek and kissed it tenderly. Dean cringed at Sammy's cries. 'It was a rabbit'. Then again, he heaved his shoulders nonchalantly and accepted the fact he was a terrible artiste. At least donkey came under the same category with a rabbit, mammal.

"Come Captain! Let's go"

Sammy was eager to uncover the last treasure and Dean's breath caught. What if Sammy realized his real intention? What if Sammy knew he had something up his sleeves? Then his effort would be useless. He would be doomed. Dean looked down to his baby brother who was tugging at his arm excitedly and his heart melted seeing the brightness in the big brown puppy eyes looking up at him. Then he decided if Sammy found out about everything and it ruined the plan he worked hard for, it would be worth it. Dean had never seen so much happiness in Sammy's eyes than he had today.

So, together they paced towards the last treasure spot, where the biggest X marked the spot; the bathroom. They counted together, one, two, three, four, five…eleven……..and twenty, they came to a halt right in front of the bathtub. It was filled with tepid water and at the bottom of the tub, an outstanding X mark – Dean had tied a pair of chopsticks he found in the kitchenette drawer into a cross and deliberately put it there – cushioned a wooden box.

Sammy looked up to Dean, unsure of what to do next. "Captain?"

"Ye got to take of yer cloth and dive into the sea to get the treasure mate, arr" Dean's heart beat harshly in his ribcage. He was so anxious he thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown. Now, he was damn sure the plan was going right into the drain.

Out of the blue, Sammy started taking off his cloth and when he was done, he tossed them aside; taking with him the treasures he had found earlier – the rubber duckie and the donkie soap. He held the treasures close to his chest and grinned at Dean who had his jaw dropped and eyes widened with disbelief.

Dean was brought back to reality when he felt Sammy's hand grasping his. He looked down to his baby brother who beamed up at him with loving eyes. Sammy's lips curled as he gave his brother a nod, confirming whatever Dean was having in his mind. Holding his big brother's hand as a lifeline, Sammy stepped into the bathtub and fished for the box cum treasure chest; all the while not letting go of his brother's hand.

When he finally got the box, Sammy let go off Dean and sat in the bathtub. He looked up to Dean once and opened the box which revealed to a beautiful marble glinting majestically underneath the water. "It's bootiful Dean! Look! Our treasure!" Sammy held the marble up to Dean, flashing his biggest grin as he did so. Then he cupped the marble in his tiny palms and returned it to the box, pushed the lid closed and put it aside on the brim of the tub. Giving the chest another adoring look, Sammy turned to Dean who was stunned.

"Duckie and Donkie wanna' bath" Sammy grabbed the rubber duckie and the donkie soap and started playing with them; tossing and turning the 'treasures' in the air and into the water. "I gives them bath" the youngest Winchester giggled merrily as he was once again lost in his own world.

Dean snorted. It worked after all. The seven years old gave the treasure box one last look before he stripped off his cloth and joined Sammy in the bathtub. Another bath wouldn't harm anyone. And wasn't he glad to be in the bathtub with his baby brother because the bath had been the best bath in his life.

…………………………………….

It had been half an hour and Donkie the Soap was practically not a donkey anymore. It had been crushed and squeezed by eager little hands until it looked no more than a mere bar of soap. Duckie had long ago left the tub and found a new spot, the tiled floor. Sammy was no longer a sailor and Dean was done playing Captain. Now, Dean was carrying Sammy – whose head's lolling on Dean's shoulder – to the bed.

Fifteen minutes playing in the tub, Sammy had let Dean washed him, scrubbed his skin, and shampooed his hair. Then his lids started dropping and he began to yawn. When Dean took him out of the tub, Sammy was basically napping in his arms. When Dean toweled him dry, Sammy was dozing off; head lolling side to side, up and down. When Dean pulled the clothes on him, Sammy was oblivious and Dean caught him just in time before he fell off from the counter.

So, Dean carried Sammy to the bed. He laid his baby brother gently on the bed and pulled the cover over Sammy's small frame, caressing his brother's head softly as his hand brushed against Sammy's unkempt hair. Sammy's eyes were opened in slits and it was obvious he was fighting sleep. Dean, being the big brother who knows it all, rubbed Sammy's brows with the pad of his thumbs – one thing he knew would always worked on lulling Sam to sleep.

"Dean…tomorrow we play 'gain" Sammy's voice slurred and he yawned for the umpteenth times.

Dean flinched at the thought of steaming his brain off to have Sammy did the things Dean wanted him to do. Even today, when he brainstormed for the pirate thingy, he had the worst headache ever – he thought he had one since he didn't really know how a headache felt like. "We'll see about that Sammy" he whispered tiredly.

"I love ya' Dean" Sammy murmured before he was completely drowned with sleep.

Dean's heart went jelly at that. 'Well maybe one more tomorrow wouldn't hurt'. After all, he was having fun too; watching his little brother giggling and laughing like there was no tomorrow. He would just have to start working on the plan tonight while he tosses and turns on the bed, trying to sleep. Maybe Batman would be a good idea. Sammy could be his Boy Wonder. Yeah! Dean would love that. Thinking of Sammy in tight suit made Dean smile.

"Love ye too little sailor" and the light went off.

END

a/n : This is my first attempt at Weechester fic. Not really good at it though. This piece came to me while I was cracking my head to write chapter 8 for Brothers in Arms. Hope you enjoyed reading it. And if you have the time kindly leave a review because they are so sweet.