AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was inspired to write this because my youngest child "graduated" from elementary school this week, and it's bittersweet for me. (I only cried a little bit!) Some fluff and feels from the Aly-verse, with a little bit of angst at the end. Dean is 14 years old, Sam is 10 years old, and Aly is 2-ish.
If this is your first time reading one of my fanfics, please check out my profile for more stories with Alyson Winchester. The main story is called 'The Adventures of Alyson Winchester', and there is now a sequel called 'Winchester Interrupted: The Further Adventures of Alyson Winchester'. There are also several one-shots about Aly at different ages. I hope you enjoy them- please leave me a review and let me know what you like!
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A humid June day had turned into a sweltering evening. All the doors and windows of the gymnasium had been opened, and the fans turned on, but with the high ceilings, they didn't help much.
Parents sat in metal folding chairs, sweating gently in their button-down shirts and dresses, waving the graduation programs like fans.
John Winchester sat at the end of a row, keeping one eye trained on his children. Sam was walking Alyson around, in the hopes that it would tire her out and she would sit still during Dean's graduation ceremony. The little girl hopped and then spun around, making the skirt of her dress bell out. The neighbor who had started watching Alyson had children who were a little older than her, and she had given John a couple bags of toddler clothing. The dress was technically too big for Alyson, and the hem dragged on the floor, but she insisted on wearing it- it was a yellow sleeveless dress with a full skirt and daisies embroidered all over. It looked good on her and matched her blonde hair. People heard her giggling and turned to watch her spin.
The orchestra began playing the processional music and people hurried to find their seats. John turned and caught Sam's eye, beckoning to him.
"C'mon, Aly, we have to sit down now," Sam held his hand out, and the little girl went to him and took his hand. The people in the row next to John moved down, and Sam slipped in next to John just in time.
"I wanna sit!" Alyson said with a sulky face. John had saved two seats for them, but one of them was needed by an elderly woman.
"You'll sit with me," John told his daughter. She lowered her head and pouted for a moment, then looked up when John stood up. The students began to walk up the aisle towards the stage. Dean hadn't wanted to come, he'd said it was dumb to graduate from middle school, but it was an important transition, from a middle-schooler to a high-schooler, and John wanted Dean to have a bit or normalcy in the midst of all the craziness of hunting. Dean had just started, and he had taken to it like a duck to water. John was torn between being impressed with how good Dean was, and knowing that he was going to make an amazing hunter, and wanting him to stay a "normal kid" for as long as possible.
Alyson was clapping her hands in excitement, looking at all the teens walking by in their shiny blue robes and caps. Then she squealed. "De! De! I see 'im! You see 'im, Dada?" She began to wave frantically and bounce in John's arms, grinning from ear to ear.
John saw the moment that Dean noticed them- he'd been looking a little sullen, but then he saw them and caught John's eye, and grinned, and then ducked his head with embarrassment.
"Dean! Dean! Hi, De!" Alyson called as he walked by them. She leaned forward, reaching out for him, and he lifted his hand and high-fived her. She screeched with happiness and clapped again.
Once the students were seated in front of the stage, the principal took to the podium, and the Pledge of Allegiance was said. A student walked up and sang the national anthem, and then everyone sat. Opening remarks were said, and then awards started being handed out.
Alyson sat quietly on John's knee for a while, playing with his tie, walking her fingers up and down the pattern of squares on it. Then she patted his face, recently shaved smooth. She had cried when he'd shaved his beard off initially, and been scared of him, saying, "You taked my Dada away!"
She shifted, like she was trying to slide off of his leg, and he held on to her. "Dadaaaaa, wanna get down," she whined.
He looked down at her. "I told you that you were going to have to sit quietly with me for a while," he reminded her.
"But I don't got nuffin' to do!" she complained.
Sam reached under the chair and picked up the small backpack, unzipping it and reaching in. He handed Alyson a little board book.
"Sammy wead?" she asked.
"No, read it by yourself," Sam replied.
She pouted briefly, and then opened the book and began to look at the pages. She closed the book with a snap, announcing, "I'm done!"
A woman sitting in front of them turned her head, frowing, and hissed, "Shh!"
Sam took the book out of Aly's hands and replaced it with another book. The third book he gave her was larger, and the pages were thick cardboard. Each page had little flaps cut out in the paper for her to lift, and there was a drawing under each flap. Aly was absorbed in this book for a long time, lifting some of the flaps more than once, and patting Sam's arm to get his attention to show him something.
John tried to pay attention and not let his mind wander, but he knew none of the kids onstage except his son and didn't care about any awards- he knew Dean wouldn't be receiving any. Dean had been doing the absolute bare minimum in school for the past couple of years, and wouldn't try harder no matter what John did. Talking, grounding, and even a dose of the belt when Dean had failed three subjects in one semester had not made Dean's attitude about school change. He just wanted to hunt.
John was ready for the school year to be over anyway- they'd been living here for about 5 months now and John hadn't taken anything new on in a few weeks, because it was the end of the school year, and he was working on potty-training Alyson. The boys had agreed to change her diapers as an infant, but they staunchly refused to have anything to do with potty-training, for some reason.
Finally all the awards were handed out. A former principal came up onstage and gave a short speech. Then a couple of students gave an award to a teacher who was dealing with cancer treatments. Finally, the principal began to read off names, and students began to cross the stage to accept their diplomas.
Alyson stood up on John's lap, craning her head to look over the sea of people.
"It's going to be awhile before they get to Dean, Alyson, they call them alphabetically," John told the little girl.
She turned towards him and leaned on him, draping herself over his shoulder and grabbing his shirt. He lifted her legs and tilted her forward, and she giggled and tried to tickle his back. He stood her back on his thighs and patted her bottom as she hugged his neck.
"Okay...they're at the Ws now..." John told her, and she turned. "Wook, Dada, I see 'im!" she pointed at the line of teens on the floor waiting to walk up the steps. She waved frantically, but Dean wasn't looking at them.
The families were supposed to hold off on cheering for their child, instead they were instructed to all clap at the end of the ceremony. But every so often, a parent or child would yell out, "Go Joseph!" or "That's my girl!" and then everyone would laugh.
"Jennifer Waugh...Taylor Wenger... Edwin Wharton... Dean Winchester..."
Alyson gasped with excitement and yelled, "YAY DEE!", clapping her hands. People around them chuckled, and the woman in front of them turned again. "DAT'S MY BWUDDAH!" Alyson told her loudly, and there was more laughter.
Sam laughed, shaking his head. "You're awesome, Aly." She beamed at him.
Dean had crossed the stage and was at the top of the stairs, pausing to move his tassel like they had been instructed. He caught John's eye and grinned, giving a little wave as he started down the small staircase.
"HE WAVEDED! HE SEED ME!" Alyson crowed happily.
"Shh, calm down, kiddo," John said to her.
After a couple more students crossed the stage, that was it. There was a blessing said by another teacher, and then the band played a short fanfare and started the recessional. The students lined up and marched to the back of the gymnasium.
People began standing up and collecting purses and jackets. John set Alyson on his hip and Sam shouldered her little backpack, and they began to fight the crowds of people.
"You sure are proud of your brother," an elderly man walking next to John said to Alyson, smiling. "She's as cute as a button," he said to John.
"Thank you," John smiled back at him as Aly hid her face in John's neck.
Dean was surrounded by a group of teens, mostly girls, and as they walked towards him, he pulled one in for a kiss on the lips. She kissed him back and hugged him, and then let him go. Another girl threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek, and he put his arms around her and lifted her off her feet for a moment.
"DE!" Aly called as they got closer. Heads turned, and one of the girls said, "Aww, look at her!"
John set Alyson down and she ran to Dean, hurling herself at his legs. He picked her up, and she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss, with a loud "Mwah!" which made the girls that were standing there laugh.
"I seed you up onna stade! Did you see me?" Alyson asked Dean excitedly.
"I did, when I was walking off," Dean told her.
John put his hand on Dean's shoulder and squeezed. "Good job, son, I'm proud of you."
He could hug Dean later, he knew that the kid wouldn't want any display of affection from him in front of his peers.
Dean grinned at John. "Thanks, old man!"
"Watch your mouth, smartass," John gave Dean's head a gentle cuff, grinning back at him.
"See you, ladies!" Dean said as they began to walk away.
"Bye Dean! Have a great summer! Call me!" the girls called to him.
"So, Sammy, one of my friends has a younger sister, want me to set you up?" Dean asked with a smirk as they walked to the car.
"Ew, no, Dean," Sam wrinkled his nose in disgust. He get into the back seat as Dean buckled Alyson into her carseat.
John turned after he'd gotten in and started the car. "I thought we could go out for ice cream, to celebrate."
Dean hesitated- he acted like he was "too old" to get excited by treats like that, but Aly squealed with excitement and clapped her hands.
"Sure," Dean agreed.
They drove to a Dairy Queen and went inside. Dean decided that he was hungry and asked for a burger and fries as well as a milkshake. Sam held one of Alyson's hands above her head as she twirled in place while they stood in line.
John had thought that getting ice cream in a cup instead of a cone would be neater for Alyson, but he forgot that even though she fed herself now, it usually got messy. Even though she ate quickly, she still got ice cream all over her chin and even on the tip of her nose. When she noticed that some melted ice cream had dripped onto her dress, and began to cry, John knew it was time to wrap things up.
Sam blotted her dress as best he could and talked to her to distract her from fussing further.
When they got home, Alyson went to bed without incident, and fell asleep quickly for once.
John had changed out of his shirt and tie, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and went to sit down in front of the t.v.
Dean came into the living room and sat down next to John, reaching for his beer bottle.
"Don't even think about it," John growled.
"Aw man!" Dean complained.
"So...now that you're a graduate, you gonna get a job this summer?" John took a sip of beer.
Dean turned to look at John with a serious look on his face. "No, Dad, I want to hunt with you."
"And you will. But there's more to life than that, for you."
Dean made a face. "C'mon, Dad, can't I quit school now?"
John sat forward and placed the bottle on the coffee table. "No, Dean, you need an education."
"Screw education, and screw school!"
John glared at Dean. "Hey, watch the mouth," he said sternly, "I know you don't have any interest in college, but I want you to at least finish school. That way, if you get your diploma, and I happened to catch this thing...and get rid of it...you might be able to go to college, and still have a chance at a normal life."
Dean scoffed. "I'm not going to college."
"Dean, it's what your mother and I wanted, for all of you..."
Dean blinked in surprise at the mention of his mother. "Yeah, well I don't think she expected—things to happen the way they did."
John knew that Dean was pushing away any thoughts or feelings about Mary; he'd always refused to talk about it with John. He leaned over. "She'd be proud of you, you know," he said quietly, "she knew how smart you were, even when you were small."
Dean turned his head away so that John couldn't see his face. John reached over and put his hand on Dean's shoulder again. After a moment, he pulled the boy towards him and hugged him. "I'm proud of you too, I know I don't say it often. You're a good kid, Dean, and you take good care of us."
Dean leaned into John, and his arms crept around his father's sides. John realized that Dean, for all his bravado and attitude, was still a kid, and still needed to be taken care of. Dean was the type of person who did what was needed, and took care of everyone around him, but he needed that too. John resolved to try and make sure that Dean got a chance to be a teen this summer, and not just be a hunter-in-training. He owed it to Mary's memory to try and make sure his kids still had as normal a life as possible. He didn't know if he could do it, but he was going to try.