Title: Love Me More
Summary: In which Sam and Castiel battle for a four-year-old Dean's affection and try to give him the childhood he never had.
A/N: I don't know much about four year olds.
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Sam bit his lip, a prayer on the tip of his tongue dying just as he heard the sound of wings.
"Something has happened."
The unspoken to Dean didn't escape Sam. Regardless, he still breathed a sigh of relief at the appearance of his brother's angel. He wondered how the angel knew they were in trouble before he even said a prayer, but then again, this was concerning Dean after all. Profound bond and all that.
Castiel turned to the younger Winchester, when a small gasp came from the bed that Sam was sitting on. The angel got a glimpse of green before it went hiding behind Sam. "Who's that?" asked a high-pitched voice that Castiel did not recognize.
"That's Cas, your guardian angel," Sam introduced gently to the child peeking at Castiel with him as the barrier between them.
The child stared at Castiel, wide green eyes brimming with curiosity and fascination. "Mama always said that angels were watching over me," he whispered breathlessly, eyes never leaving Castiel. "Where are your wings?" he asked.
Sam looked at Cas then the child, before going back again. "Why don't you tell him your name?" he suggested, seeing that it would make the explanation just go that much better.
"'m Dean," Dean said shyly behind Sam, making a cautious appearance.
Castiel just stared at the young Dean in front of him.
Dean blushed and hid behind Sam, who then pat him on the head. "Why don't you go watch TV while I speak to Cas?" he suggested, to which Dean nodded as he carefully slid down Sam's back, off the bed and dashed past Castiel to reach the couch.
As soon as the white noise of a cartoon was playing in the background, Castiel immediately turned to Sam. "What have you done?"
Sam answered by removing a piece of parchment from his pocket and handing it to him. It was written in Japanese characters, Castiel reading it as Sam explained. "We were out of options," he started, speaking low so that Dean at the other side of the room would pay no attention to them. "We were searching for something - anything - that could help us so that we couldn't be vessels for your generals. We found a book that suggested altering our souls so that angels couldn't claim our bodies from what Bobby translated for us. Dean insisted that he goes first just in case anything went wrong." He looked to his brother, fascinated with the colors on the screen. "And well... Dean ended up like that."
Castiel was shell-shocked. "What do you mean 'alter your souls'?" he demanded.
"It wasn't very clear, but we were out of options," Sam said, keeping an eye on Dean. "He doesn't remember anything about being an adult."
The sound of Dean laughing at the show he was watching brought both of them to his attention. When has Dean ever laughed when it wasn't sarcastically or bitterly? They kept quiet as Dean giggled, needing to hear him. There was something so light-hearted about it that made Sam and Castiel smile.
"But I did not know you could be so foolish," said Castiel after Dean had quieted down. "This spell would have your body altered to match the purity of your soul."
"So why is Dean a kid?" asked Sam.
"Dean is the Righteous Man. And children have the purest of souls. That is most likely why he ended up as a child," Castiel explained. "Although your brother is a special case, the spell would be rather limited with the amount of energy his soul would radiate."
Sam nodded. "I told him that I was his uncle. He has to be younger than four; I don't think he knows anything about me or having a brother."
"Perhaps," Castiel replied, glancing over at Dean and making a quick assessment. "The spell may have tampered with his memories and reverted his mental state to a time before he realized he had a younger brother."
Sam nodded thoughtfully. "That's what I was thinking. Well now he's away from our father and the horrors that hunting has to offer..." And free from their dilemma, and memories of Hell and other painful things like Sam's betrayal and most thoughts Sam wishes he could forget.
"In a way, I think it's better this way," Sam said, Castiel looking to the now eldest Winchester. "Now I could pay back Dean for all that he's done for me. Let him actually be selfish and happy for once."
Castiel nodded, allowing for a small smile to grace his face.
Sam turned back to Castiel with a frown on his face. "Is there any way to reverse it?"
Castiel shook his head, looking over the parchment. "It does not say, but it would be impossible without causing harm to Dean's soul. On the other hand, I am sure that Michael would not like to battle Lucifer in the body of a child." Castiel looked to Sam, waiting for an answer to his unspoken question.
Sam scoffed. "There is no way I would ever say yes, especially with the state Dean is in now."
The angel nodded, satisfied with his answer. "I will remain with Dean to make sure that he is safe until there is a way to reverse it."
Sam frowned. "No, that's fine. I can handle this."
Ignoring Sam, Castiel walked over to Dean, taking a seat next to him on the couch. Dean looked over to Castiel, who placed his hand on his head. "I will remain by your side," he told him, Dean smiling in reply.
"Okay, but where's Uncle Sammy's guardian angel?" Dean asked, looking around. "Are angels watching over Uncle Sammy too?"
Sam and Castiel shared a look. "It's okay," said Sam softly. "Don't worry about it, Dean."
Dean pouted and crossed his arms. "But I wanted to see Uncle Sammy's guardian angel," he said with a frown on his face.
"It's nothing to worry about, Dean," Castiel said, Sam nodding in agreement.
Dean looked to Castiel. "Okay," he said dejectedly.
Everyone remained quiet, not knowing what else to say, with the television still playing in the background. Sam moved to sit on the couch, placing Dean in the middle between his "Uncle" and his guardian angel.
"Whatcha watching, Dean?" Sam asked, curious if Dean understood what was on the screen.
"Ummm..." Dean looked to Sam, the screen then back to Sam. "Pretty colors!"
Sam laughed; he had no idea what they were watching but he had to admit the color scheme was pretty.
Castiel frowned. "How is this show amusing if it is solely about colors?"
Leave it to Cas to take everything literally. Before Sam could correct him, Dean cried out, "No! The colors are pretty! Pretty colors!"
For the first time since Sam had met Castiel, the angel chuckled. "Indeed, Dean. The colors are indeed pretty." Dean smiled at him, then rested his head on Sam's lap.
It was faint, but Sam recognized the sound of a rumbling tummy when he heard it. Sam smiled, picking Dean up and tickling his stomach. "Hey, are you hungry?"
Dean brightened up immediately with the sound of food. "Yes!" he laughed, squirming to be free from Sam's fingers.
Sam smiled and grabbed the car keys from the table. Dean took hold of Castiel and Sam's hand, and swung them back and forth as they made their way to his Impala.
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A/N: I have no idea where to go from here. If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me.