Sam knows he's supposed to walk straight home from the bus stop. Dean will be waiting for him, just like he's done for the past three days. Sam can't remember what sickness Dean has; Daddy said something about walking, but there's nothing wrong with Dean's legs, he just coughs all the time.
It's just that there's this pretty blue light bobbing around in the air in front of him and Sam can't get close enough to see what it is no matter how hard he tries. It looks like a big blue firefly, swooping and twisting just above his head. He tries jumping to catch it but it always flies up out of his reach. He tries running as fast as he can but the cold wind stings his cheeks and burns when he tries to breathe it in.
The light slows down and hovers just ahead of him, but he's too tired to try to catch it anymore. It flies forward, then stops and spins in a circle, and then flies a little bit further, like it wants him to follow it. He knows he shouldn't, knows he will get yelled at later, but he has to know its secret.
He follows it down past where the road ends and onto a dirt trail blocked by a gate. The light jumps over the gate so Sam does too. The trail slopes downhill and gets narrower the farther he goes.
It's starting to get dark now and Sam knows he's a long way from home. His feet hurt and he's tired of walking but the light dances in front of him, showing him the way. Every time he stops to take a rest something pulls on him and makes him keep walking.
They're going into the woods now, into total darkness. He can hear an owl hooting from high up in a tree. The light is sticking closer to him but he's too tired to chase it. It feels like there's an invisible rope around his waist, dragging him through the bitterly cold night. He's shivering and his teeth are chattering and his legs and feet are freezing but he just keeps going. He can't stop.
Finally, the light stops. Sam collapses to the ground and begins to cry. He's cold and scared and lost in the woods and he just wants Daddy and Dean. The light circles him and hovers for a few seconds before dropping down and disappearing. Sam crawls forward to see where it went, but his hand slips on loose rocks and then plunges into empty air. He loses his balance and falls on his face, frantically scrambling away from the cliff. He manages to slither like a snake back to solid ground and he curls up in a ball and sobs until he falls asleep.
*~*~*~*~*
"Sammy!"
Sam jerks awake at his father's shout. "Daddy? 'zat you?"
"It's okay, son." Daddy pulls off his jacket and wraps it around him so tight he can hardly breathe. Then he picks Sam up and starts running through the woods. "I gotcha, Sammy. You're gonna be fine."
The collar of Daddy's jacket tickles Sam's nose as he bumps up and down in his arms. It smells like smoke and cinnamon spice and something else that is just home. Sam rests his head on Daddy's warm, solid shoulder and sniffles.
Next thing he knows, he's in Dean's lap in the backseat of the car, a heavy wool blanket wrapped around them both. Dean is whispering something he can't make out, his chin resting on top of Sam's head. He's a lot warmer now but he's still shivering. Dean squeezes him tight and starts rocking back and forth.
"Almost there, Sammy," Daddy says quietly.
Dean turns his head away and coughs into the blanket for a long time. He slumps against the back of the seat, pulling Sam with him. "Are you alright, Dean?" Sam asks.
"'m okay," Dean says in a croaky frog voice. "Are you still cold?"
Sam thinks about it. "My feet are, a little. But you're real warm." He shifts in Dean's lap until he can snuggle his cheek into Dean's shoulder. Dean is like a furnace; his shirt is warm even though the fabric is damp.
Suddenly there's a bright light outside the window. "Everything's gonna be fine, Sammy. We're just gonna get you checked out real quick."
"Okay." He knows everything's gonna be fine. He's got Daddy and Dean.