Summary: Sometimes, the smallest gesture can lead to big consequences, no matter how many good intentions were behind it.

Disclaimer: All mentioned material belongs to its respective creators. I'm just here to play with their toys.

Word Count: 3774

21 years ago…

It was one of those days where everything seemed to go against you. Dean laid down on the bed, soaking in all the comfort from his bed. He tried to revel in the sheer bliss and ignored all that came with a long day. Dad left him and Sammy at another hotel and with the usual strict commands, couldn't go outside at all until he came back from the job.

Dean sat up and popped open another can of fizzy Orange Slice soda. He glanced around the dingy room, ignoring all the trash littering the space on the floor. Before he decided to take a nap, Dean had to make sure that Sammy was okay.

"Sammy! Ya there?"

"Yeah…oh no…c'mon!" Confused by the strange reply, Dean got off his bed and walked over to where he had heard Sam.

Dean grabbed an iron pole as he kept talking, "What's going on?"

"No, no, no! That's not fair!" Sam was almost hysterical at this point, screaming with frustration and anxiety. "You're cheating!"

As soon as he heard that, Dean rounded the corner to where Sammy was situated and then dropped the weapon on the floor. From where Dean was standing, he saw his little brother sitting extremely close to the TV with a-

"No way! Where'd you get the Nintendo?" The older boy was in awe. He had been seeing commercials about the video game system, but he knew that deep down, they wouldn't be able to get it. All the money they scrounged up from traveling went to the more pressing matters of foods, living arrangements, and stocking up on weapons.

"Hold on a minute." Sam scratched the back of his neck as he continued manhandling the controller in his hand. At this point, he was just button mashing everything that he could. The sight of seeing Sam in absolute focus on beating whatever game he was playing made Dean smile.

Dean walked forward and sat down next to Sam, who was currently venting out more frustration. Now that the blaring game over screen was up on the TV, Dean asked his question again.

Sammy pouted as he spoke, "I found it when I was throwing away the trash."

"No way! Man, that's awesome!" Dean figured that whoever threw away the brand new Nintendo Entertainment System had to be idiots. He snatched the small controller away from Sam's hands and continued the mission that his little brother had failed. "How do you play?"

Sam saw his intervention as a life saver as he eagerly rushed trying to explain all the controls as Dean was playing. It took two retries to finally grasp the controls, but when he did, he fought the enemy like no other person. Though, Dean could see why his brother would complain about the game cheating. The responses from the enemy were startlingly fast and the controls were a bit clunky, but Dean enjoyed playing all the same.

"Hey, Dean." Sam spoke up as Dean died again against the same boss for the fourth time.

Dean was thinking to himself how to take down the boss with all the items in his arsenal, so all that came out was a rushed, "What's up?"

"You think…Dad will let us keep it?" His brother's voice sounded resigned to the fact that Dad would take this piece of technology marvel and…get rid of it or sell it or something. Dean's heart thumped in such a girly way that he ignored the said thump and blurted out his thoughts.

"Of course! Dad won't do anything to it except for questioning where we got it. And if he wants to take it away, then just give him your puppy dog eyes and he'll fall for it." Dean pressed the start button and continued where he left off.

He didn't need to look at his little brother to know that his little brother was smiling.

18 years ago…

"Dean, Sam, come here." Dad bellowed aloud in the unusually large room. Light patters of feet scampered quickly to the door. It was Dean who came in and answered first.

"Yes?" Dean saw the bulking coat and the shimmer of weapons hidden on his body and he knew what was going to happen.

"I'm going out, so you know the rules." It was succinct and almost detached. Dean knew what was expected of him, but he felt a knife twist in his gut as he saw his dad leave again without a single goodbye.

Sam went back to whatever he was doing and left Dean by himself with his thoughts. Ever since he revealed what their dad really did, Sam seemed to actually stay away from Dad more.

"Dean," Sam called out loudly, "c'mon and help me with this guy!"

The boy in question felt a smile creep up on his face because of how innocent his little brother still was, even after knowing the truth. He went into the room where his little brother was and found him kneeling with a familiar video game controller in his hands.

"Still stuck on this guy? It's been four years and you still haven't beaten him."

Sam openly pouted as he replied, "That's because the computer's cheating! With insanely unrealistic reflexes and whatnot, they have the advantage against everyone."

"Then what about me?" After convincing their dad into keeping the game system (read: using Sammy and his remarkable puppy dog eyes powers), Dean took about a week to beat the video game that came with it. Sammy, on the other hand, sucked.

"Shut up."

Dean chuckled to himself before heading into the refrigerator to get a drink. When he saw that the cold box held nothing more than old Chinese take out food from a few days ago, he sighed.

"Hey, I'm heading out to buy more drinks." Dean had already shrugged on his jacket when he found Sam standing in front of the door with a saddened expression.

"I thought Dad said to stay in and not leave."

"Well, we need drinks to survive, you know. Basic biology."

Sam scowled at the manipulation of knowledge against him, but he moved aside. He spoke in a quiet whisper, "Be careful."

"C'mon, it's me. What's the worst that can happen?" And with that, he closed the door shut behind him and walked towards the convenience store just around the block. He dug his hands in his pockets and tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. The summer heat made its way into this town earlier than usual, though the unusual was the reason why they were here.

As he turned the corner, he mused to himself whether or not it was right to live like this. To constantly be left behind by his dad like this and having the constant burden of making sure that they were still some semblance of a family…it tore at him, piece by piece. He knew that Sam was starting to feel resentful of their predicament, which was one of the main reasons why he kept the truth hidden away for so long.

Knowledge was a double edged sword, he supposed.

He arrived at the store with no harm done to him and he felt happy for at least this much. The automatic doors swished open and he could feel the cool breeze of air on his face. He took a moment to take in the refreshing atmosphere because the heat outside was almost unbearable.

Just then, someone bumped into him. Dean fell by the sheer force of the person, but he barely paid attention to his surroundings. The mysterious man muttered a surprisingly sincere apology before leaving the store.

Confused, Dean slowly stood up again and looked around to find that two pairs of eyes were on him. The cashier's absolutely frightened face and a customer's shocked expression met his own slightly amused and confused face. The lady customer simply looked him up and down before nodding her head and grabbed her bag to go. She left without a word. Just as Dean was about to pretend that weirdness didn't happen and go about finding those promised drinks, the cashier suddenly spoke up.

"H-hey, you wouldn't be…no way." The guy sounded completely scared out of his mind. Dean's curiosity overwhelmed him for a quick moment.

"What? A kid can't buy something on his own without his parents around?" Not that he wouldn't need his dad around. He was perfectly fine of taking care of himself. He told himself that numerous times.

"N-no. Just…your name wouldn't happen to be Dean, would it?"

Shock wasn't enough to describe what Dean was feeling. How did this man…

"Oh-oh no! It's not like that!" The shop clerk raised his hands to wave off any sort of strange implications to his words. "Some guy paid for…all this stuff and told me to leave it for this small boy with green eyes named Dean. It's…not like that."

The boy in question regained his senses and felt suspicion nagging at him. With practiced caution, he slowly walked towards the man and made sure that he didn't do anything. When he made it to the counter, the cashier man pulled out two heavy bags and placed it on the counter top.

"Strange guy…just put down a twenty and paid for all this. Foods, chips, water and soda."

Dean pulled one of the bags to him and sure enough, there were tons of bags of chips and beef jerky. The other bag had two large liters of drinks inside, one with a distinct orange color to it and the other clear and see through. The boy looked at the man incredulously.

"You serious?"

"Y-yeah. The guy said to make sure to give it to you. Wasn't convinced how to go about doing that, but…proved me wrong there." He sounded in awe now because of some guy's lucky prediction at guessing that Dean would come.

He should have left the two bags there because of how dangerous it could be. Above all else, the store clerk still looked suspicious and there could be some…witchcraft on it or something.

"Thanks."

As Dean grabbed the other bag, he figured he might as well relieve the sap's charity. It was free food, after all.

16 years ago…

The day that Sam had finally beaten the game was really just a regular day. Dean had gone into the bathroom and was in the middle of relieving himself when he heard a whoop from the other room. Curious as to what caused that particular sound pf joy; Dean quickly zipped up his pants and headed into the living room.

"Look, I finally did it." And sure enough, the victory stance that the main character was in along with the credits scrolling up on the screen provided all the answers Dean needed. "After six years, I finally beat it."

Dean had to choose his words carefully, less he would belittle the small achievement for his little brother. After a pensive silence (hey, six seconds was long enough), Dean finally said something.

"Whoop de doo, you finally beat the game." Upon seeing the truly hurt expression on Sam's face, Dean wanted to slap himself and take back his words. Didn't he just try to put it in lighter terms?

"Six years…I managed to spend almost all of my time trying to beat this game when I could have done something more productive and that…that's all you can say?"

Dean had nothing to say, but his upset expression spoke volumes.

"When I was playing, I could imagine all the crime that ran rampant in that city, even though it was only a game. Even though there was no supernatural going on, there was still so much bad in the world." Sam put the controller down and finally stood up. "I think…I know what to do with my life."

Alarms started to ring in Dean's head, but he still felt numb. What was Sammy saying? Was he…no, he couldn't.

"Don't tell Dad yet, but I'm gong to college in the future." The steely resolve was almost tangible in the younger brother's words. "I don't want this lifestyle and I could help fight evil from a different angle."

"Don't…you can't t do this." The first words he'd spoken in a while and they were all shaky and scared. Extremely out of character, but family was his only soft spot and there was no way he would let this go. "You have an obligation here. You can't leave the hunting business because once you know that something's out there, it'll kill you in the end."

"I'd rather die knowing that I did good for the innocent."

"But the demons and monsters kill the innocent too. You're telling me that you don't want to help them, the ones who get killed as prey?"

Silence blanketed the heated conversation, adding an edged barb that was by all means digging the knife further in Dean's gut. After what seemed like forever, Dean quickly stood up and headed for the exit. Sam's face screamed confusion, but he also knew where the older boy was intending to do.

"I'm going out to buy drinks. Don't wait up for me." Dean didn't wait for confirmation as he already left. Sam resolutely ignored the half full liter of soda sitting innocuously on the countertop.

On Dean's part, he simply wandered. The almost overwhelming guilt and urge to go back and protect Sam was strong, but his little brother was thirteen now. No matter how guilty he felt about the striga attack all those years ago, Sam was growing up to be a capable person in his own right, so wouldn't it be okay to let him lead his own life?

The question alone was intimidating, almost unfathomable. The answer though…the answer was the real monster here. Not only because of the fact that he'd have to fight for or against Sammy, but because the nightmare of his family breaking apart was coming true in all the worst ways. Sam's utter reluctance made the situation worse, as it showed just how much he didn't want to be here.

The normally gleeful bright sun was hidden behind billowing gray clouds, which only added to Dean's misery. He made another turn to the right, keeping track of where he was going in the back of his head. Eventually, he had to head back, lest he got in trouble for leaving his brother alone again.

If only their father knew what Sam was planning, he could put a stop to it. If Dean was a better person, he could have joined in Sam's request to leave because he knew damn well that hunters die much earlier than they should. If he was a more selfish person, he could have kept those concerns at bay and convinced Sam to stay with him, with them.

A tug on his collar jolted Dean out of his reverie. Angered at the sudden intrusion (and possible danger from a stranger), Dean turned around and saw a quiet man with a level and unnerving stare looking straight at him.

"What was that for-?"

A car came barreling down the street just then. It had to be going at least 60 or more, considering the motion blur and how the taillights seem to be trailing behind the vehicle. Seeing that, Dean felt his head reeling at the fact thathe almost died. The man that saved him let go of his collar and continued walking down the street without saying a single word. Dean was about to call out after him, but he was struck with an epiphany.

No matter how much he hated the thought of his family falling apart, nothing pained him more than seeing Sammy unhappy.

An unwanted epiphany, but an epiphany all the same. Just as the man saved his life and then let him go, Dean had to follow that example. Though, just the mere thought was extremely painful. He was purposefully letting his brother go to live a normal life. He didn't know whether to cry or not at the sheer heartache that tore through him.

When Dean turned around, the man had already disappeared.

10 years ago…

It was raining that day. Dean remembered each and every single part of that night. Thunder rumbled and shook and lightening burned and shocked. The rain fell in a mist, solemnly, quietly.

He ignored the calendar reminding him of what was going to happen today and headed into the dingy bathroom. As far as motels go, this was one of the worst ones he'd seen yet. That didn't matter though. A room was still a room, no matter what the condition was.

He really wished the dried blood stains weren't there though. They were mildly uncomfortable.

Just as Dean spit the mouthwash out of his mouth, he could hear two hard knocks bang on the door.

"C'mon, Dean." Sammy yelled aloud. "You can't stay in there all day."

I wish I could, Dean thought morosely. Still, he couldn't ruin what would obviously be a happy day for most people. He took in two deep breaths (in and out and in and out) and opened the door.

Sam was sitting on the other bed, dressed in a red plaid shirt and his usual jeans that Dad had managed to scrounge up from the Goodwill in some town. Dean ignored the surroundings and looked at his little brother. He was nervous and sad and oh so cheerfully happy.

Dean felt a familiar ache in his gut.

"Finally! Geez, I thought you were going to take forever trying to get out." Sam stood up and headed into the bathroom. He bumped into Dean's shoulders on accident and immediately apologized. "Sorry, I'm just trying to rush so I can get there on time."

"You sure?" Dean had to congratulate himself mentally. His voice didn't show the ripples of pain or crack at the fact that today was here. "I mean, it's not like it's going anywhere."

Sam gave him that familiar admonishing face. The bitchface, he nicknamed it. "You know this is important to me. Besides, I have to finish before Dad gets back."

When Sam went inside, Dean turned and came face to face with the calendar hanging in the kitchen.

August 21, Going to College!

The words were in bright red to bring the point across, yet Dean felt it was more of a final insult at the fact that Sammy was really leaving. When their dad found out about Sam's plans, he screamed and argued and tried persuading him till his face was blue in the face. Sammy put up as strong of an argument, which was surprising considering it was coming from his quiet and meek brother.

He fell back onto his bed and stared at the pasty white ceiling and just thought to himself. He was going to be by himself. He was going to be doing jobs alone and by himself. He was going to lose his family.

Dean tried to ignore the future and instead resolutely dug his feet in the present. Today was all that matters.

Just as he thought that, Sam came out looking fresh and ready. He grabbed his bag of clothes and his one backpack that he'd held onto from school and headed towards the door. Dean knew that today, he had to say bye before the distance tore them apart.

"Hey, man." Sam smiled and looked back at Dean still lying on the bed. "Thanks for being there for me and always helping me."

Dean raised his hand in the air. "Dude, what'd I say? No chick flick moments." It was a good thing he could rely on sarcasm to hide his real feelings.

Sam scoffed, but still held that ridiculous smile on his face. "Of course. Anyways, I'd better go catch that bus."

"Yeah…you better." No sooner had the words left his mouth, Dean could hear the door click open and then shut.

That was it.

With the mere sound of a door closing, Sam was gone.

It seemed like forever when he gathered enough energy to get up from the bed. Dean looked around the trashy motel room and saw that Sam had cleaned up one last time just for old time's sake or something prissy like that.

His eyes were drawn to the beaten game system sitting on the floor in front of the old television set.

Perhaps it was too much to see. Maybe it was because of the throbbing pain he felt in his heart. It didn't matter though. As soon as Dean laid his eyes on the Nintendo system, he picked it up and threw it across the room. It felt like everything moved in slow motion, including the machine. When it splintered into pieces, Dean felt something inside him stir. Never had he reveled in the sound of something shattering so. Pieces fell off and he could see the cartridge peeking out of the slot.

Dean repeated the process four times, enjoying the sounds of something breaking like he was inside. The video game system lay in a heap of broken springs and plastic.

Dean packed what little belongings he had left and left the motel room as quickly as he could. He didn't look back to see that the same man who saved his life all those years ago was now looking down upon the broken piece of technology.

29 years and 6 months ago…

"In the future, you have to look after this human. He is the savior that will cleanse and save this world. It is important that he lives to see his destiny through."

The throaty Enochian echoed in his ears, but as he looked around the quaint room and saw the quiet baby kick and move and breathe, he saw how the future would unfold for this child. The struggles and strife and pain that this one boy would trudge through would be hell incarnate, not to say the least of his time in the pit itself.

When he traveled back in time, he knew what he had to do. He had to help this young boy grow into someone that would selflessly save another's life and still hold some meager value in his life. Something had to change in the future and he would be the one to bring that change. Whether this boy needed some sort of entertainment, a form of sustenance, or help in general, he knew what to do.

Castiel would do his best to help push Dean in the right direction, no matter what.