Challenge issued by the evil genius: Platinum Rose Lady

Awesome Betas: Platinum Rose Lady and LivingForTV
Disclaimer:
Me? Own them? You've got to be kidding.

A/N: I wrote some of this at work. But as far as my boss knows, I was folding t-shirts.

Smile Like You Mean It

Chapter Three: I'll Tell Thee Everything I Can

How cheerfully he seems to grin!
How neatly spread his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!

"The Crocodile," Lewis Carroll

Now, the things about Dean Winchester could fill a book. A very short, tawdry book but a decent paperback at the least. The chapters concerning his childhood were terse. They had been cut short as soon as Sam learned to walk and needed someone to look after him. As a result, Dean hadn't been tickled much. Once when he was six he had been tickled, but after he'd learned how to use his knife no one dared surprise him.

As the Tickle Monster held Dean, he felt the tentacles wriggling across his skin. Dean looked up at the Tickle Monster, who was angrily tickling him awaiting a reaction. Dean's lips curved into a tight, thin smile but he did not burst out laughing.

If he had those missing chapters of his life, he might have giggled more profusely. Dean was a lot of things, except childish. He twisted in the monster's grip trying to break free, nearly immune to the tickling.

Behind them, Sam had sprung into action. Now, the things about Sam Winchester could also fill a book. A very tall encyclopedia with a rigid spine that probably was to smart for it's own good. Somewhere after the chapters on his vivid and imaginative childhood, at about chapter fourteen you would find the weapons training.

Sam swung the vorpal sword as he advanced. With a snicker snack, one tentacle fell way and began to flop uselessly on the ground. "Watch where you swing Sam!" Dean hissed. "That was almost my torso!"

The Tickle Monster screamed and rotated his head almost all the way around to stare menacingly at Sam. "You," he bellowed, "I'll kill you for that as soon as I'm done choking the life out of this one."

"I don't think so." Sam hissed.

There was a squelching noise as the blade snicker-snacked away another limb. Dean's left arm was freed. He punched the beast, but his fist got stuck in the mucus. The Tickle Monster laughed hoarsely and loosened the tentacle around Dean's stomach.

Dean had just begun to breath easier when the large tentacle wrapped around his neck. "Move any further and I'll kill him." The Tickle Monster said coldly; all sense of humor gone.

Dean's lips began to turn blue as Sam maneuvered about the room. Sam forced a mocking laugh, "So this is the famous Jabberwock?"

The Tickle Monster growled. "That's one of my names, yes." He turned back to Dean and cocked his head. Dean's eyes bulged as the side of his mouth curled into an unnatural grin. The Tickle Monster smoothly continued, "Why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to make sure I wasn't talking to a cheap imitation." Sam hissed. "'Cause frankly, so far you've been pretty damn unimpressive. Where are the jaws that bite, the claws that catch?"

The Tickle Monster relaxed his hold on Dean as he turned to stare spitefully at Sam. "How dare you! I've been alive longer than you can imagine young whelp!" He smiled widely, barring his teeth. The long rotting yellow fangs momentarily caught Sam off guard. "Is that what you were looking for? Some truly horrible beast from legend?"

Dean started to make a low rasping noise that sounded faintly like chuckle. The Tickle Monster looked down. "I've had enough of him." He bent over and took a bite out of Dean's shoulder before throwing him down to the ground. "You need more laughter in your life."

The Tickle Monster wiped blood from his lips with one tentacle. He stepped over the Dean's nearly still form and advanced towards Sam. "Your turn. Knock knock."

Sam raised the blade. "No one's home, you bastard."

"That's not how the story goes!" He yelled charging forward.

Dean lay on the ground, twitching and bruised. His shoulder was bleeding and torn. Dean looked up, smiling like the Cheshire Cat, as he watched the monster advance. He reached out blindly for something to help Sam. He laughed to himself quietly as his probing fingers managed to grasp his knife. It felt light in his shaky hands. "With a feather." He smirked as he tried to attempt to stand. Failing, he laid there pinching the dagger's hilt between both fingers.

Sam hacked wildly with the blade as the Tickle Monster approached waving his four limbs and two stumps wildly. Gritting his teeth, Sam swung the blade, nicking one limb.

As the Tickle Monster reached out, one slimly tentacle wrapped around Sam's raised arm and began to encircle it in a death grip. Sam's tight grip on Feather began to falter as his arm was squeezed.

Dean's eyes were burning with tears as he began to laugh. Focusing with all the concentration he could muster, he threw the knife.

It struck the tentacle wrapped around Sam's arm. Immediately the Tickle Monster shrieked and released Sam's arm. Sam's arm dropped in a clean arc, taking off another limb. Blinded by fury, the Tickle Monster opened his jaws and leaned forward to dispatch Sam from his head.

Dean was moving again, shaking with mirth he inched forward. He grabbed at one of the Tickle Monster's thick legs making his fingers dig into the hideous sores. In between giggles Dean stammered something along the lines of, "D-d-d-don't t-t-t-touch muh-muh-my b-b-brother!"

One large tentacle reached down to back hand slap him across the face. Dean took the blow but lose his grip as the mucus covered his hands. "This is ridiculous." The Tickle Monster said with a low growl as wrapped his tentacle around Dean's mouth silencing him.

With the attention off him, Sam was a flurry of action. The Tickle Monster's one bulbous eye was focused solely on Dean's bulging eyes. "You're quite a pest aren't you." The Tickle Monster said with a foul smile as eagerly waited for Dean to go lifeless. "Can't help yourself now, can you? Admit it you want to laugh."

Despite being muffled by the twisting tentacle Dean nodded slowly. He reached up both his arms and began to yank at the tentacle in a weak self defense. Sam brought the knife down in three quick motions, ridding the monster of his limbs. Dean threw the tentacle that had been so vilely around his face down.

"This is just a scratch!" The Tickle Monster said confusedly as he looked down at his bleeding self. "I've had worse from the Jubjub birds and Bandersnatchs! This won't stop me!" He opened his mouth threateningly.

Sam lifted his tired arm and swung one last time with the vorpal blade. With one last snicker-snack, the Tickle Monster's head was thrown down as he was tickled by one last feather.

Dean touched his bloody shoulder tentatively. He looked down at the headless monster and back up at Sam. He smiled wearily. ""And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! Callooh! Callay!" He chortled in his joy.

Sam looked at Dean strangely. He could see all along Dean's arms and neck the large ugly bruises. "Dean? Are you okay?"

Dean laughed nervously. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and nodded. "Yeah, yeah." He looked up at Sam with a deep pain in his eyes. "We should burn him, y'know?"

Sam set down Feather and stepped closer to Dean. He too, had been touched by the tentacles but their hold hadn't been nearly as tight or as powerful on his arms. "Dean, really…" Sam prompted.

Dean looked at him, and smiled sadly as he shook his head. He held up his hands and showed Sam the slimy poison on his hands. "He got the last laugh," Dean said with shaky timber. His eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled into a pile. Sam fell to his knees and touched Dean's wounded shoulder. There was dark impression of the fangs that had caused this, and there would certainly be a scar.

Sam glanced darkly over at the manxome foe they had fought. Dean whimpered once- a low, nearly in audible sound- but for the most part he remained silently smiling even in unconsciousness. Sam lifted gently on to the bed. Turning away from Dean he picked up the Feather and rolled up his sleeves. He was prepared to chop up the Jabberwock, Tickle Monster, beast until he got a chance to burn all of its pieces.

A faint acidic smell was coming from the decaying foe. With grim determination, Sam hacked it to pieces and shoved it all into a black garbage bag. He tied up the foul mess and set it by the door. Sam looked over at Dean.

Dean hadn't moved.

Sam went into the bathroom and found the first aid kit they always brought with them. He sat down on the bed next to Dean. He placed the back of his hand against Dean's forehead and froze as he felt the burning temperature. Sam moved quickly to take off Dean's bloody and mucus covered clothes. As he started to slide away Dean's shirt, he realized he was in a world of trouble if Dean woke up. Ignoring that thought, he turned back to the task at hand.

Dean's torso was covered in more bruises than Sam had thought. There were scars too, long jagged ones that Sam hadn't seen before. Probably something that happened while I was at school, Sam frowned as he thought, when he didn't have any hunting partner.

Not wanting to, but knowing he had to; Sam removed Dean's jeans as well. He dragged Dean, who was no help at all, to the bath tub. Sam ran the hot water, washing away all the slimy poison and blood. Hopefully, it'd help with the fever as well.

Sam towel dried Dean's hair and carried him back to the bed. Carefully, he bandaged Dean's hurt shoulder. Sam hadn't patched up any real wounds at Stanford, and he was just now being thrust back into the hunter's lifestyle. But with the first aid kit in hand, all other motions were robotic. Skillfully he applied the anti-biotic and the gauze.

After Dean was sufficiently patched up and tucked under the covers, Sam waited. He pulled up a chair beside Dean's bedside and a battered book. Sam didn't even know what the book was called, and he hardly glanced at it. Every time he looked up at his brother, he shuddered.

Dean was smiling even in his sleep.

.:To Be Continued:.