REASONS WHY
It's my own desire,
It's my own remorse.
Help me to decide,
Help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure.
Nothing ever lasts forever.
Everybody wants to rule the world .
-Tears for Fears, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
John Winchester was walking with his son in his arms, humming lightly to him, when his older son Dean came out of the bathroom. "I'm done."
"I see that..." John laughed, sitting down and tapping the couch beside him. "C'mere, Sport. Let's put that top to rights."
Dean frowned as he clambered up onto the couch. "What's'a matter with my top?"
"Nothing, if you want it to twist and strangle you in your sleep. That wouldn't do at all, would it?"
Dean's eyes went huge and he shook his head, unbuttoning the crookedly done buttons.
"Now feel for the buttons and holes. Make sure they line up." John verbally corrected him once when they threatened to get off-track again. Then he grinned and reached over, ruffling the soft blond hair. "Great job, Sport."
Dean grinned, then frowned a little. "Daddy?"
"Hm?"
Dean worked his lower lip with his teeth silently.
"I don't have all night, Sport. Got somethin' on your mind, out with it."
Dean turned to look at his father. "Why does everything wanna rule the world?"
John considered his answer carefully. He knew Dean wasn't asking because of something he'd seen on TV. Their lives were strange enough that they'd already encountered plenty of things that wanted just that.
"Well, Sport," he said slowly, "for a lot of people -"
"—and creatures?" Dean asked.
"And creatures," John conceded, "it's about power. About controlling people and making them do what you want."
Dean's nose wrinkled. "Sounds boring."
John chuckled. "For others, it's about position. About being Number One, being The Boss."
"But then you gotta watch out for the person in second place," Dean pointed out.
John grinned and touseled his hair. "You're so damn smart. Are you sure you're only five?"
Dean giggled.
"And then there are those who just want to do it because they think they can."
"Those are the dangerous ones, right?"
"Right," John said. "The ones who think they have nothing to lose. But they're not quite as dangerous as the ones who want to do it because they think they have to prove themselves."
Dean winced. "Those are the ones we can't reason with – that just have to be put down."
"That's right," John said gently, a hand on Dean's shoulder. "They're animals caught in a trap, and those are the most dangerous of all."
"Cause they think they have everything to lose," Dean said slowly.
"And there's that smarts again." John bounced the boy in his arms. "You got a lot to live up to. Your brother's a brain!"
Both boys giggled this time. Then Dean sobered a little and asked, "But what about us?"
"Us?" John looked at him and broke into a broad smile. "We want to rule the world so that we can get rid of the creatures that kill mommies and make children cry."
"And that makes us heroes, right?"
"Right." John smiled down at the boy in his arms. "And with your brains and this one's power, we can do this, right, Sammy?"
As his father's fingers danced on his belly, baby Sammy twisted and shrieked a laugh around his pacifier. He wound down to giggles and looked at his father, his golden yellow eyes shining with adoration.
John grinned into those inhuman eyes and said, "We're going to rule the world someday, boys."
END