AUTHOR NOTE: I love kid fics, but have never written one. So, why not? :)

Spoilers for season 8.

This may end up going a different route than season 8, since it isn't over yet and I don't know how Cas and the last trial is going to play out. So... AU-ish? Sure. Whatever. And no slash... I'm trying to keep this canon, so, it may be implied, but nothing's gonna happen later on here, so don't get disappointed.

Enjoy! And review, if you will. :)

It was the middle of the night when Sam heard it. His brother's cry woke him from sleep and he sat up in his bed, ready to leap out and attack any threats present in the motel room.

"Dean? You okay?"

A sniffle. "I miss Castiel."

This was not only shocking in the sense that Sam knew his older brother would never admit that aloud, but also that his older brother was sounding more like his younger brother.

"What?" Maybe he'd heard wrong.

"When's Cas coming back?" came the whimper.

"What the hell?" Sam muttered as he flicked the lamp on and moved to Dean's bedside.

He was greeted with the sight of a small blonde boy, green eyes blurry as tears streamed down his flushed pink cheeks. The child was crying as he sat and rocked back and forth on the bed in effort to comfort himself. He was swimming in the black t-shirt and boxers that Dean had gone to bed in just hours before.

Sam gaped a moment before shaking his head and lowering his voice in hopes of soothing the child. "Dean?" he asked hesitantly. A pair of worried green eyes met his and Sam stood in shock as he looked down at the boy. "How... how old are you?"

"S-six," Dean replied. "B-but... I'm s'posed to be bigger than you, Sammy."

Sam, somewhat relieved that his brother at least knew who he was, asked Dean what happened.

"I don't know. I woke up and I'm small. I'm scared, Sammy. Something's not right and I know it."

That's an understatement , thought Sam.

"I want Cas, he can fix it."

Panic rose within the hunter as Sam realized he hadn't the slightest idea how his older brother had suddenly become his younger brother.

"When's Cas coming back, Sammy?"

Sam's heart sank. "He's been gone for a while, remember, Dean?" He tried to sound comforting, despite his alarm at waking up to find a 6 year old Dean, he tried to make Dean feel like he, as the adult, knew exactly what was going on and wasn't afraid.

But he was afraid; they didn't have time for this, there was still another trial to get through. He knew that Dean was right, their angel friend could probably help them in this situation. Whatever the hell this situation was.

"He left, with the angel tablet. We don't know where he is."

Dean's lower lip quivered as he nodded in remembrance, his tiny hand lifting to rub his tired, worried eyes. "I know."

The way the 6 year old kid sounded like there was no hope left in him had Sam desperately searching for a way to reassure the child, as he knew Dean did for him when he was younger. Hell, Sam himself needed some reassurance right now.

"Hey, we can pray to him," he finally suggested. "You wanna do that?"

Dean nodded as Sam moved to sit beside him, wrapping an arm around the shaking child.

"Okay. Dear Castiel... it's Sam, and, uh, Dean. I don't know where you are, but I'm sure you can hear us. We need your help." He paused to look at his brother, who had folded his hands in his lap and bowed his head as if they were saying grace over a meal. "Dean's got a... problem, and we don't know what to do about it."

Dean nodded. "I'm s'posed to be big but I woke up small. And it's scary, Cas. I need you, please."

Hearing little Dean mutter the truth of the situation made it all the more real to Sam, and as his smaller older brother ended his prayer with "please come home, Cas", the formerly younger Winchester realized he was now repsonsible for a frightened, helpless 6 year old child.

And he was used to Dean taking care of him .