I really liked this. I had an idea and the next chapter already has a base idea thanks to a reviewer! I'll get started on that as soon as I possibly can! This chapter picks up a few months after the first left off. Also I realized that I used Prentiss in the first part, and she's gone. I've replaced her with Blake.

Fresh from the desk of a twelfth grade nothing.

Enjoy!

J.J. sat the plate of toast and eggs in front of the twelve-year-old. Sam was dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans and was both excited and nervous for the first day of school. His older brother, however, was a different story entirely. Dean had yet to emerge from his room this morning. J.J. knew that teenagers loved their sleep, but, if he didn't get up soon, he was going to be late. She decided to go check on him. She knocked on the door before she opened it – respecting his privacy, but asserting her authority as a parent by going in anyway. She was stunned to find the room empty. The only other closed door in the hall was Henry's door. Thinking about how quickly Henry had taken to the sixteen-year-old, she supposed that he probably went in there. She opened the door slowly and saw Dean sitting on the bed. He had his back against the headboard and Henry had climbed up onto Dean's lap and fallen asleep with his hands fisted in Dean's long-sleeved t-shirt. She absentmindedly wondered why he was wearing that when it was still plenty warm outside. He looked up at her.

"I couldn't sleep last night."

"Worried about school?" she asked. He shrugged in response – something that could mean anything really. He hadn't really been talking much for the past week. She figured that, since things were going to change, it was a defense mechanism. He didn't want things to change but he couldn't stop them, so he was going silent.

"Hungry?" she asked. At least she could usually get him to answer yes or no questions.

"Not really." J.J. faked clutching her heart.

"But you're always hungry!" she said dramatically. He gave her a small smile. It was true though; it was a rare occurrence to find the teenager without some kind of snack in his hands. With a semi-healthy diet, Dean had gone from being a scrawny, sort of emaciated, looking kid to being a muscular, healthy young man. He worked out – training that had been worked into his head too long ago, and it didn't hurt anything so J.J. saw nothing wrong with it – and Will played baseball and football with both boys.

"Dean, are you okay?" she asked gently. Dean nodded and stroked Henry's blond hair. She smiled as she remembered how surprised she had been when she found Dean lying beside Henry whispering something to him as Henry clung to Dean's side during the first week here. He had told her that Henry came running into his room saying that there was something in his closet. He had then gone with the small boy and proved that there was nothing there. He had then explained to J.J. that, after a nightmare, the only fool-proof way to get a kid back to sleep was to lie beside them and reassure them. He told her that Sam had nightmares and the only way either of them could manage to calm down was to lie together. Dean had been the only one to really take care of Sam when they were growing up, so it made sense to J.J. that he'd known how to comfort Henry and, at the same time, find some comfort for himself. Henry had soon after started running to Dean every time he had a nightmare. He had also started asking Dean for bedtime stories. It seemed, to J.J. and Will anyway, that Dean was enjoying taking care of someone again. Henry went to Sam when he wanted a book read to him, but if he wanted a story that wasn't a book, he went to Dean. On nights that Dean would tell a story, Sam would sit nearby and listen. When Sam read a story, Dean would lean against the doorframe and listen. On nights where the nightmares were really bad, Dean would sing Henry back to sleep. She had listened in one night and discovered that Dean was really good at singing. He went out of tune every once in a while, but he was half-asleep and a capella.

"You'll have to get ready for school soon," she reminded him. She didn't miss the look of panic in his eyes that flashed for the briefest of moments, before his face went blank again.

"Do I have to?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so," she sighed. "Why don't you want to go?"

"It's just…nothing. It's nothing," he said, cutting himself off. He stood up, waking Henry gently and placing him back on the bed. Henry reached up for a hug first, which Dean obliged with a chuckle. Dean ruffled his hair before slipping out the door, not looking at her. She helped Henry dress before taking Henry into her arms and carrying him downstairs. Sam looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she shrugged in response. A few minutes later, Dean came down. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a Led Zeppelin shirt. He grabbed his leather jacket as they left. After dropping Henry at day care, she headed to work. Will had gone into work earlier this morning.

Everything was going normally. Work was work and they were doing what they did best. Then she got a call. They were all together in the observation room discussing a case when her phone rang. She answered and the team watched her eyes go wide.

"He did what?" she demanded. There was a pause.

"Well, what caused it?" J.J. sounded like she was getting closer to being ticked off now that the surprise was gone.

"I told the school what he's been through; shouldn't that have been warning enough?"

"I'll head over now," she said tightly.

"What happened?" Reid asked?

"Apparently, Dean was asked to read something in class and he didn't read it correctly so the other kids started making fun of him. He stood up and left and no one can find him now." She sighed. "They called Sam out of class to help find him, but he told them that, if they couldn't find Dean, he most likely wasn't on the school grounds anymore."

"Where do you think he went?" Blake asked.

"Someplace he feels safe." J.J. turned and walked out, heading off to find her son. Hotch nodded to himself as she went. Those boys, especially Dean, were lucky to have her, because giving up was not something she did.

She had gone to the school, where Sam had assured her that he'd be fine; he just wanted her to find Dean. She had gone to the daycare center and he wasn't there. She had picked up Henry while she was there though because she had a feeling Dean would need the little boy to comfort him (even if he didn't want to admit that he wanted comfort). She had checked the nearby park, where he and Will played baseball. She had gone home, running out of places to check. She left Henry in the living room and went up to Dean's room as a last ditch effort to see if he was here. The lights were off, but she flicked the switch. She saw him curled up against the headboard with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms resting on his knees. His head was resting on his arms and she breathed out a soft sigh of relief.

Then she heard the soft sound of sobs racking his chest. She walked over to him and sat down beside him. She put an arm around him and he leaned into her warmth. She watched as the sobbing increased and he finally let it all out.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry," he sobbed.

"Shhh, it's okay, sweetheart." She rubbed his back.

"'m sorry. 'm sorry. 'm sorry." She held him tightly and wished that she had pushed just a little harder about what was wrong this morning. She murmured comforting sounds and tried to help him calm down. After a little while, his sobs turned into sniffles. He pulled back a bit, rubbing his eyes.

"Dean, honey, what happened?" she asked.

"Didn't the school tell you?" he deflected.

"I want to know what happened from your point of view."

"I'm stupid, that's what happened."

"You're not stupid."

"I haven't been to school in three years," he blurted.

"What?" J.J. was thoroughly shocked by this.

"Dad said I was too dumb for school. Harold never let me leave the house. Dad stopped letting me go to school three years before you found us," Dean revealed.

"Dean, you're not dumb," she told him.

"Yeah, I am. I'm pretty sure Sam's smarter than I am."

"Well, Sam's a budding genius and is probably ahead of a lot of kids your age."

"I'm still dumb," he insisted. "I skipped a lot the last two years I was there because Sam needed me and I was never all that great at school to begin with. I can barely read as it is. That's why Sam reads to Henry. I was always trying to take care of Sam and trying to help people get away and trying to survive and trying not to make my dad want to kill me because if I died no one would take care of Sam and it all got to be too much so I gave up school because I wasn't good at it and I just couldn't do it and –" He was working himself up again, so J.J. put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Dean, it's okay," she told him. "We'll work something out."

"How?"

"I don't know yet, but we will. We also have to get you a driver's license.

"I don't have a car," he pointed out.

"But I can pull some strings and talk to a few people and get a certain '67 Impala out of an FBI impound." His eyes snapped to hers

"You'd do that?" he asked. "You'd get my baby back?"

"Your baby?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, she's my baby." He offered a little grin. "You can really get her back?"

"I can certainly try." She didn't see why they wouldn't let her get it, but you never knew. "And you know what?"

"No, who's this What-guy and should Will be worried?" he smirked. She groaned but was glad he was joking again.

"I work with some pretty smart people, and I'm sure they can come up with some ideas on how to catch you up in school."

"You really think I can get caught up?"

"I do."

"And you think they'll come up with a way that'll work?"

"Have you met Reid?" Reid had actually been the first agent to be introduced to Dean. Dean was always on edge with strangers, so she'd decided to introduce him to the team one at a time. Reid, being the 'geek boy' as Dean so eloquently put it, was the least likely to make Dean feel threatened. Reid had actually formed a pretty solid bond with the teenager because both had a love of old movies and Reid always found time to talk with Sam about books and 'intellectual crap'. J.J. suspected that the latter was the big reason. Reid was good to Sam, so Dean was happy to have Reid around. She also suspected it was because both were kind of awkward with girls, but at least Dean had promise – or he would if he would ever come out of his shell. Dean could be charming when he wanted to be, but Reid was just… Reid.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll have some ideas, but what if none of them work?" Dean asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." She reached over and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's gonna be okay, Dean." She stood up. "Want some coffee? I know I could use some." He looked at her gratefully. She went downstairs and sent Henry up, knowing that Dean would feel better with him there. Once the coffee was ready, she went back up to Dean's room. She found him sitting in nearly the same position, but now with Henry sitting on his lap and telling him what he did in his time at daycare. Dean was listening patiently, resting his eyes as Henry told him about a killer butterfly. At the smell of coffee, he opened his eyes and gladly took the mug of dark liquid.

"You got him?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said softly.

"Then I'll be at work if you need me," she told him. "I'll pick Sam up on my way home. Pizza good for dinner?"

"Large meat lovers and vegetarian with a small cheese," he reminded her, knowing that they got the same thing every time."

"Got it." She winked at him. She leaned down and kissed Henry's cheek, then she kissed Dean's temple.

"I'll be home around four," she called out as she closed the door.

"So he hasn't been to school in years?" Rossi asked.

"He's not stupid, he's just not book smart," J.J. insisted.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet," J.J. admitted. "I could probably start having Sam work with him just to see where he's at."

"Why don't we see what the rest of the team thinks too," Rossi suggested.

"That's what I was planning on doing," she told him as they walked into the bullpen. "Hopefully Reid can come up with a few ideas."

"A few ideas for what?" Reid asked, coming up behind them. The rest of the team was waiting at their desks and looked up at the trio as they arrived.

"Dean, he hasn't been to school in three years and the two years before that don't really count because he was there about once a week. He's convinced he'll never catch up to kids his age. I can't send him back to school when he's so far behind. That's why he disappeared earlier," she explained. "He freaked out and had something of a panic attack."

"Why don't we tutor him?" Blake suggested. "We could each take a subject." The team murmured their agreement.

"That could work." J.J. brightened.

She relayed the plan to Dean when she got back home. He sat quietly through her explanation, his face blank and devoid of emotion. When she finished, she looked to him to see his reaction.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked. "This is all up to you, Dean. No one's going to make the decision for you."

"This might work," he said. He looked up at her with shining green eyes.

"We'll never know until we try." She shrugged. "Speaking of try, why don't we try to get you a license?"

"Like, now?"

"No time like the present, right?" She grinned at him, tossing him the keys to her car.

It had been a month. A month of home-schooling Dean and catching him up, and he was doing better than she could have hoped. With Rossi as a history teacher, Reid as a science and math teacher, Blake as an English teacher, and Garcia as a technology teacher, things were going exceptionally well. Morgan, Hotch, and J.J. filling in where necessary, and so did Sam. J.J had been right; Dean wasn't stupid, he just hadn't had a lot of educational guidance. It had been a rough start, but dean had wanted to make her proud (and succeeded enormously) so he hadn't given up. Even when he got extremely frustrated with himself, he had just gone out to the garage and spent about ten or fifteen minutes with the heavy-bag J.J. had gotten for just such occasions. The first time it had happened, Blake was teaching him. She had waited patiently for him to come back and hadn't commented when he did so with raw, bleeding knuckles and a clear head.

Now, J.J. had, in fact, pulled some strings and had decided to give Dean a reward for all the work he had done and was sure to do in the future. She sent him a quick text telling him to come outside. She watched as the door open and he shielded his eyes from the sun. She smiled and rested a hand on the powerful, if dirty, black car. Dean's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he took in the sight of the '67 Chevy.

"You got my baby back?" he asked, not entirely believing what he was seeing.

"I told you I'd pull some strings." She shrugged. She found herself suddenly being hugged very tightly. She laughed and hugged Dean back. She didn't fully understand why he was so attached to this car, but she was more than happy to do whatever it took (within reason) to make him smile. He let go and she saw the light in his eyes as he went over to the car.

"Didja miss me, Baby?" he crooned, running his hand over the roof of the car.

"Where'd they keep her?" he asked J.J., opening the door and grabbing the keys that were sitting on the front seat.

"An FBI impound," she said. "Why?"

"She's filthy," Dean remarked. She went to the garage and pulled out a bucket of car soap and rags.

"Then clean her," she said, "it's time for gym class anyway." He grinned at her and grabbed the nearby hose. J.J. went inside, leaving him and his baby to get reacquainted.

She went back out a half an hour later to find the car sparkling and shining in the sun. She didn't see Dean, but she heard the radio playing classic rock and knew he was somewhere nearby. She heard a metallic clang and a muffled curse. She walked around to the front of the car and found a pair of jean clad legs sticking out from under the hood.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" he called.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Changing the oil, she needed it before dad got arrested and she's just been sitting in some impound lot since. It's just been sitting there for months and now it's being difficult. I also gotta change the gas, but that can wait a little bit."

"You know how to do all that?" she asked. He slid out from under the car and grinned at her. He stood up and slipped out of his sweaty t-shirt. She tried not to, but she immediately took in all of the scars painting his pale skin. The lines on his back, long horizontal tracks left by a whip, were the ones that really got to her. He had withstood being whipped over and over again, but he never once told her which caretaker had given them to him.

"I can take apart an engine and put it back together in working condition. I could change the oil when I was seven years old."

"Ever think about getting a job as a mechanic?"

"I'm certainly considering it." He nodded, tossing her another grin. "I met a guy in South Dakota, he offered me a job after he saw me fix Baby's radiator when we were up in Sioux Falls. I think he kinda knew what was going on because he didn't believe me when I told him that my black eye and busted ribs came from falling down some stairs." He shrugged and slipped back under the Chevy. J.J. knew that these revelations didn't happen often, so she didn't ask about it.

"You mind changing the oil in my car when you're done?" she asked instead.

"Sure," he laughed, "I'll be done with Baby in ten or so more minutes."

"Do you name all the cars you meet?" she joked.

"Nah, just Baby."

"Why do you call her that anyway?"

"Cause she's my baby," he told her. "Mom used to take me for rides in her when I was little and couldn't sleep and, even when we were moving from motel to motel, Baby was always there. She was home for me, and she still kinda is in a way."

"She's just got that feel?"

"Yeah." Dean's voice went all misty and quiet. "In the ashtray, there's a little toy soldier. When you turn on the heat, the vents rattle cause there's Legos in there. I'm not gonna take 'em out. I could, but I won't cause it's the imperfections that make her perfect."

"So, there are things wrong with her, but she's still perfect because you love her."

"Exactly."

"Are we talking about the car, or you?" she asked quietly, bending down to look at him. He was silent, ceasing all movement at the comment.

"I…I don't…" he stammered.

"Dean, we're all a little broken; we're all a little messed up. Sometimes it just takes the right person to love us, to call us perfect, even if we have some dents and scratches," she told him. "Kinda like you think of your baby." She stood and left him with that.

She heard the door close and put the finishing touches on the burgers she'd made. She heard him pause in the entry way to the room.

"You're right." She heard him say.

"Honey, I'm usually right." She turned and grinned at him. "Now, go wash up and get your brothers."

She watched him grin at her before he disappeared up the stairs. After a few minutes, she heard the telltale giggles of a five-year-old being tickled. She smiled and set the table, keeping in mind that Will would be home soon. She heard Dean laughing and Sam quickly joined in. She envisioned Sam coming up behind his big brother and tackling him, freeing Henry, and then the little boys would both jump onto Dean and hold him down. Henry would try to tickle Dean, who would laugh, not because he was ticklish, but because he littlest brother would try so hard to tickle him. The laughter calmed her worries and she reminded herself that Dean would catch up in school and would continue to keep his family safe. Sam would go on to do brilliant things, but he would always look to his older brother for guidance and support. They would both grow up to do great things, or at least small things with great love.

Fin

Okay, the last bit is an adaption of a quote from Mother Teresa. I love that quote. "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." Next chapter is up for grabs. I have two ideas: 1. Dean helps on a case (as requested by everythingwillbeperfect) or 2. Dean gets drunk for the first time. Tell me which you want, because either will work for me. Also, tell me what you'd like in future chapters. I will have Bobby in a chapter, but it'll be a little later, like after Dean's grown up a little more.