Singer Salvage Yard, 1988.
A terrified Sam Winchester jumped into his Uncle Bobby's arms and clutched onto him for dear life. In front of the gruff man that held a five-year old in his arms was Josh. He was known as Uncle Josh to Sam, just as Bobby was known as Uncle Bobby.
Josh hadn't intended to scare the little boy with curly brown hair and puppy dog eyes. He heard that clowns were supposed to be fun! He was just trying to entertain the kid. Maybe dressing up as a clown wasn't the best idea...
Nights' Inn, Trenton, New Jersey, 1989.
Being at the motel was boring to Sam and Dean Winchester. They had been locked up there for a week; it was during the summer so there was no school.
John Winchester was cleaning his guns, getting ready for a hunt. Fortunately, he was in the separate bedroom of the motel doing so, while Sam and Dean were sitting in front of the television.
Sam was watching Thundercats, his favorite show that Dean was slowly getting sick of. He didn't mind watching the show for the millionth time for Sam's entertainment, though.
There was a knock on the door, and Sam jumped from his seat in front of the television and ran to open the door.
"Stop!" the youngest Winchester was stopped quickly while he was running toward the door. He had almost made it, too. Dean was the one who stopped him.
Being four years older than Sam, Dean was ten-years old, and he was much more responsible than other kids his age. Dean had been taking care of Sam nearly by himself since he was four, and that was how it was gonna stay.
"Don't ever open the door by yourself, got it, Sammy?" Dean asked. The younger boy nodded. He wouldn't admit this until he was in his mid twenties, but he had always looked up to his older brother, since he was four-years old. Dean then opened the door to reveal Joshua, another hunter who often hunted with their Dad, and one of the few men that were granted the name as 'Uncle' to Sam and Dean Winchester.
"Uncle Josh!" Sam smiled bright when the door was opened. He ran and hugged the man, not having seen him in a long time, though he could never forget his Uncle Josh; the man that had dressed as a clown two years prior.
"Hey there, Sammy!" Josh smirked. He lifted Sam into his arms-the kid was tiny-and hugged him back. Bringing a stuffed dog in view, he held it up to the six-year old. "I'm sorry about the clown thing." he apologized.
"Deanie, look at what Uncle Josh brought me!" Sam said with the excitement that only a child could have.
"That's great, Sammy," Dean smiled. Sam was placed on his feet, the little boy then running back in front of the television. "I'll get Dad for ya."
Red Motel, Salem, Oregon, 1992.
Nine-year old Sam had known about supernatural beings for a year now. Even though he did know about them, he was still training. His Father hadn't let him go on any hunts yet, and tonight wasn't any different.
Of course, John wasn't about to leave him home alone either while thirteen-year old Dean was tagging along on the hunt. So he called the closest person to them; Josh.
"Hey, kid, look what I brought ya," Josh smirked as he held out a stuffed bear. "Sorry about the clown thing."
Two years ago it was a stuffed dog that had quickly been named Dean by the uncreative seven-year old. Sam was nine now, he thought he was too childish to name it, but he was definitely not too childish to play with a stuffed animal. He rarely got to act like a kid these days.
"Thanks, Uncle Josh!" Sam smiled brightly while hugging the stuffed bear tightly. Dean and John walked out of the separated bedroom in the motel with bags that Sam knew were filled with guns, salt, and holy water. Lots and lots of holy water.
"Thanks for watching him, Josh. I would take you and leave Dean here, but the kid needs experience. You know how it is." John said.
"No problem, you know I love the kid." Josh said, taking a hand to ruffle said kid's hair. He received a death glare from the nine-year old, which Josh turned away from. If there was one thing that anyone should know, it's that Sam Winchester loved his hair more than life itself.
"Take care of Sammy or I'll rip your throat out. Got it, Josh?" Dean said. A smirk that had been inherited from John and passed down to both of the Winchesters. While the smirk was planted on his face, everyone in the room knew that Dean was completely serious.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll take care of the squirt," Josh didn't make the death glare any better, and watched as Dean placed a hand on Sam's hand to say bye-Because he was too old to give hugs, that was just babyish-before leaving.
"What should we do now?" Josh asked as he planted his ass on the couch.
Heaven Landing Motel, Nashville, Tennessee, 1993.
"Uncle Josh!" Sam smiled. Even though Josh was one of the frequent people in his life, he always seemed excited to see him. It wasn't because of the stuffed animals the man always brought him; it was because he was a friend that made him feel normal.
"Heya, Sammy! Sorry about the clown thing." Josh said, though it had grown from an apology into what seemed more like an inside joke. Even if it wasn't really a joke to Sam. He held out a stuffed dolphin, the kid hugging it tightly to himself.
"You always bring a different stuffed animal, Uncle Josh." Sam smiled. Even if he was getting older, nearly a pre-teen, he would never get sick of Josh's visits. They were always exciting, he got to do things he didn't get to do with his Dad or Dean, and there were always stuffed animals involved.
"Trust, me, Sammy, I'll be doing this when you're thirty." Josh joked.
Even if both of them knew that Josh probably wouldn't live to see Sam turn thirty.
Singer Salvage Yard, 1997.
Sam had been sick with a fever and was dropped off with Bobby while Dean and John went on a hunt. The fourteen-year old never really went on hunts anyway, and if he did, he usually stayed in the car. Whenever he participated in a hunt, it was always to research; maybe join in on the hard work if it was a simple salt and burn.
Bobby had been keeping an eye on the fever by taking the boy's temperature every half hour. Dean had given explicit instructions to keep an eye on that fever, as well as make sure that Sam had books near so he wouldn't get bored, and keeping a waste basket near at all times. The kid hadn't thrown up yet, but if he did, Dean's instructions were to get Ginger Ale and open it so that it would go flat before giving it to Sam.
There was a knock on the door; Bobby was expecting Josh to come over to wait for John. Josh had said that there was a hunt that he couldn't do alone, and everyone else was out of commission. He would have taken Bobby, but his words were, 'Johnny boy has a better sense of humor.'
Bobby got up to answer the door, and as expected, Josh stood there with a stuffed animal in his grip. Everyone that had been around the Winchesters long enough knew why this was; Sammy was getting a new stuffed animal from his Uncle Josh.
"He's on the sofa." was all Bobby said. It was all Bobby had to say. The man made his way to the sofa and greeted Sam with a grin.
"Heya, Sammy, I'm sorry about the clown thing." was recited for what seemed like the millionth time for everyone. Sam didn't even have enough strength to sit up to greet Josh, though he gave a weak smile.
"Hiya, Josh." Sam said softly. When Dean had turned sixteen-years old, he outgrew calling everyone 'Uncle' before their name, in which a twelve-year old Sammy had as well. Now at eighteen, Dean considered himself an adult, and Sam tried to mimic him at every opportunity.
"Heard you aint feelin' too well," Josh said. "How about we watch some Thundercats or somethin'?" he suggested. In turn, Sam laughed weakly.
"Thundercats was cancelled a long time ago, Josh," Sam told the hunter. It was true, Thundercats had been cancelled in 1989 when Sam was six. "We could do something else, though."
"Wanna play a board game? I'm sure Bobby has at least one good one, and if not, I'll run out to the store and buy one." Josh suggested.
"Sure." Sam agreed. Even if the kid didn't have the energy to sit up, he was willing to humour the man.
"Bobby!" Josh began to rummage through the closet to only see dusty old books. "Bobby, come on! Board games! Where are they?"
The oldest hunter out of the three of them rolled his eyes.
"Do I look like I have time to play board games to you?" Bobby asked only to get a blank look from the other man. "In the boys' closet."
The guest room had become Sam and Dean's bedroom since they visited so often from the time they were very young. Josh ran up the stairs to the room to see that one of the beds was very neat, while the other was a complete mess. He could only guess the messy one was Dean's, but Sam could surprise him on the messy stunt.
Opening the closet, Josh discovered books, but not the dusty ones like in the other closets. He found books that were just regular reading books. All sorts of genres; they must be Sam's. Smirking to himself, Josh continued to look to find notebooks that had school notes written in them, some stuffed animals that Josh had remembered giving to Sam, and even love letters that looked like they had been written to Dean only to be jammed in the closet.
The boys had really thought of Bobby's house as their home; they must have. Otherwise all the personal stuff wouldn't be in there.
Finally fishing out Candy Land, Josh ran back to Sam and Bobby to announce his discovery.
"Look what I found!" Josh said with a goofy grin that caused Sam to laugh. Bobby had helped him sit up, and made sure that the waste basket sat close. The oldest hunter had also brought a coffee table over to rest in front of Sam; a place for the game. "Ready to play?"
"You bet." Sam said with a bright smile, color filling his cheeks once again.
Sleepy Shadows Motel, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 2005.
Twenty-two; that's how old Sam was now. The last time he had spoken with, or even heard from Josh was in '97. After that hunt with Josh and his Father was over, he was packed up and towed to another state within minutes.
Sam hadn't forgotten about all the times that Josh had visited them, bringing stuffed animals and joy. Dean loved when he came over too, knowing that there would be things that they could do with Josh that they couldn't do with their Father.
The youngest Winchester knew that his Father and brother had stayed in contact with Josh and Bobby; even after he went off to school. He knew that both of his only family members left would still need help on hunts, even more so with him out of the picture. But he was back now, and hadn't been expecting any news from Josh or Bobby. In fact, he only thought about them on holidays when he could remember that he spent a Christmas with both of them once.
Dean had picked Sam up from school on November 2nd of that year; the night that Jessica had died. The brothers never talked about what happened, but Dean knew that it was wracking Sam up inside. So they did what they always did when their feelings were getting too much; they ignored it and went on another hunt.
But Dean knew that Sam wouldn't be able to hide from it forever. He knew as well as any of the Winchesters, or even any hunters, that Sam would have to talk about it sooner or later. And Dean would be ready for Sam when he was ready.
Currently, Sam was resting on his bed in the motel that the brothers were staying at. At twenty-six, Dean still thought of it as his job to look after Sam, and did so constantly. While he could be out at a bar hustling pool he stayed with Sam to make sure he was safe. Hell, Dean didn't even go to bars to hustle unless Sam was either in the bar with him or waiting outside in the Impala.
There was a knock on the door and Dean shot up. Sam did as well, though didn't stand from his bed. He sat up and leaned against the headboard, confused as to who could be knocking on the door. They didn't need any held with the hunt they had been working on, it was already finished; they were just looking for more hunts to go after. Dean didn't seem confused at all as to who was there.
"Hey, Dean, how's it goin'?" an eerily familiar voice registered to Sam. He scrunched his eyebrows together in thought of who it was, but couldn't see past Dean, which was odd because while his brother was an average sized guy, nearly everyone they knew was taller than him.
"Everything's good, just checkin' things out. Come in and grab a beer." Dean said, turning from the mystery man and walking inside. Sam could see him clearly now.
"Josh?" Sam asked, standing in shock. He walked over to the man that he remembered being a lot taller than he actually was.
"Sammy, man, you got big. Didn't expect ya to even outgrow me," Josh smirked. He looked a lot older than he did before, but he was still young. He then held out a small stuffed rabbit to the man that he remembered being a kid. "Sorry about the clown thing." Sam laughed as he took it.
"Josh, I'm not afraid of-"
"Yes he is." Dean interrupted, holding out beers for Josh and Sam. They each took one while Dean was busily opening his own beer.
"Thanks for that, Dean." Sam glared at his older brother. Josh gave a laugh before taking a swig of his beer.
"Wow, you two are men now. Can't believe it," Josh looked at each of them standing together, breathing out a sigh that only someone who was reminiscing could muster. "Seems like just yesterday Dean was showin' me how to change your diaper, Sammy."
"It's Sam," the youngest corrected, though continued on with the conversation as if he hadn't. "And no offense to either of you, but let's try not to talk about what Dad likes to call, 'The Diaper Days of Sam'." the other two had their laugh at that.
"You're right, 'The Thumbsucking Days of Sam' is much more entertaining." Josh joked. Dean roared into laugher.
"Come on, guys!" Sam gave his adult version of the pout that both other men had seen plenty of times before.
I read a fic called, "Remember Me", by 'maxandkiz', where it was said that Josh would always be bringing Sam some sort of stuffed animal and he said, "I'm sorry about the clown thing."; so I created my own version of what that would be like :)