In retrospect, it wasn't that great of an idea to allow a small child to eat three scoops of ice cream, a full stick of cotton candy, and half a plate of nachos before going on the Tilt-a-Whirl. Sure, he could see the idiocy of it – now! However, he had been so determined to show his little boy a good time, he forgot how big of a mess could be produced from such a small body. Now, as he rubbed Sammy's back to help soothe the retching that was going on behind an out of the way bush, Dean wondered what the hell he had been thinking – he hadn't gotten that out of practice in taking care of someone, had he?

"I's done Daddy… sowwy." Sammy said sadly as he sat down on the ground next to his daddy and wiped his face with the wet cloth. He truly felt miserable, more so now that he knew that he messed up his daddy's good time.

"Sorry for what Sammy? I'm the one who let you eat so much then put you on that ride. It's me who's sorry, ok?" Dean spoke softly as he pulled Sammy closer, content as he watched his son watch the other people.

"Why's they so happy Daddy? Don' they know Liwith is goin' to be mad?"

The soft words brought Dean harshly back to the issue at hand; Sammy still didn't understand that he wasn't in his own reality. Sighing, Dean only knew of one thing to say. "Sammy, buddy… do you trust me?" he asked and watched the shock surface on Sammy's face. "Ok, so that was a silly question wasn't it? Let's try this. Where we are right now, Lilith hasn't gotten a chance to do what you remember. So right now, everyone still thinks that what they think is bad and scary is only in bad dreams and fairtales. You know the truth though, and that makes you very special. So how about I show you just how special and we go someplace with just the two of us, would you like that?"

Nodding, Sammy smiled as he grabbed his daddy's hand and they walked away from the small street carnival that had stopped by for a few days. He didn't know where they were going, but he knew that his daddy was more special than anybody.

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It took less time that what Dean thought to get back to the back side of Bobby's property and even less time to get Sammy set up on the bank next to the creek. Although he and Sam normally didn't carry fishing poles around, they did make sure they had a few items to help them catch some fish if they ever needed to.

Sitting down next to Sammy, Dean smiled and showed his boy what he had in his hands. "Ok, here's what we have… some fishing line, a few hooks, and a small cork just so we know the fish aren't stealing the bait." Seeing that he had a captive audience he managed to piece together a pole from a sturdy stick and made a show of casting before he stopped suddenly. "Huh… I think I'm forgetting something. What do you think, am I forgetting something?" Sammy nodded before pointing to the hook. "Oh my… looks like we're not going to catch any fish if we don't find a worm are we?"

That was all Sammy needed to hear as he suddenly raced around, looking under each small rock until he found a large worm that dangled from his now dirty fingers. "Found one Daddy!" he squealed as he ran back towards his daddy as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"That's a good looking worm Sammy… shame to have to waste him, huh? That's ok though, I think the fish will appreciate it more than we will." Dean said as he carefully placed the worm on the hook and once again made a big deal out of casting his line. When he was satisfied that the hook was far enough out, he turned towards Sammy and smiled. "Alright little Dude, it's your job to watch the pole. If the cork goes under the water, then you need to yank it out of the water as hard as you can."

Sammy looked very unsure about the whole process but knew that if his Daddy said he could do it, then he could. "K Daddy!"

Dean sat back and watched how serious Sammy became when he was given a job and he couldn't help but chuckle as once again he started to compare his brother with his son. He had no doubt that the two would get along – it was a given. Now though he just needed to figure out how to keep Lilith from getting to the adult Sam while they figured out how to…

"Ah Hell no!" he exclaimed, not thinking of the reaction his outburst could cause.

"I's sowwy Daddy. Did I's do som'ting wong?" Sammy asked while looking back at his daddy with teary eyes.

'Damn it… poor little guy just can't seem to catch a break today.' Dean thought as he knelt by Sammy. "No way buddy, you couldn't do anything wrong at all. Daddy just thought of something and it made me mad – but not at you, ok?" Dean watched the doubt fade from Sammy's small face and vowed to make sure he never thought that again – he was going to make sure that his father's mistakes stayed that way, his father's and not his.

It didn't take long to wipe the tears away but soon they found out they had a new problem. "Uh oh's…I dwoped th' pole."

Laughing, Dean pulled Sammy back into another hug. "Don't worry about it little guy, it's obviously the fish's lucky day."

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Bobby wasn't watching the clock, or the shadows lengthening along the walls, or the internal clock he had or even… yeah, ok, so he was watching the clock – sue him. Of all the things he knew was out there, his greatest fear at the moment was something mundane and idiotic would surprise them and bite the Winchester's in the ass. It would be just their luck that they managed to survive demon attacks only to get hit by a truck, or struck by lightning, or…

"Ok Singer, shut the hell up and finish what you're doing." He muttered to himself as he put the finishing touches on the Shepard's Pie he was making and put it in the oven. Sure they had plenty of food, but after last night's little melt down he wanted to show little Sammy that they weren't taking what they had for granted. He had run into town and made sure they had plenty of milk though because the kid was just way too tiny and he knew that the Henderson's sold their stock to the corner store on a regular basis which he always thought was healthier anyway. Of course the twelve pack he picked up at the same time made several people look at him odd – sometimes it didn't pay to live in a small town.

The sound of the Impala pulling into the driveway once more brought him out of his musings, but it was the giggling he heard through the open window that really got his attention. Taking a quick peek he saw Dean swinging the little boy around the yard and had to wonder who was the bigger kid. For a moment the harsh reality of what they were going to have to do faded away, for that one moment Bobby could almost believe that everything was going to be ok – almost.

It was five minutes later before Dean and little Sammy stumbled inside still laughing about their exploits while carrying arms full of things along with them. "Hey Bobby, smells like we're just in time." Dean said while he watched Sammy race into the kitchen.

"Looks Uncle Bobby! I's gots a artset an' is all mine!" Sammy exclaimed as he held up the case for Bobby to see. When he felt he got the appropriate amount of attention for his wonderful possession, he raced off to the living room where he was already opening it and pulling out paper and pencil, unaware of the tension in the room.

Dean smiled a moment before he turned to Bobby and saw the anxiety in the older man's face.

"We've got a problem." Bobby and Dean said at the same time, giving weight to the problem they both knew they couldn't escape.

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Sammy's enthusiastic account of the day made both Dean and Bobby smile while trying to avoid the hollow feeling in both their stomachs. It had been an easy decision to wait until tiny ears was sound asleep, but at the rate the little guy was chattering away they could tell that it might still be awhile. The good thing was that Sammy had gotten over his hesitation to eat, choosing to believe his uncle and daddy that they wouldn't go hungry any time soon.

Bobby got up from the table to get Sammy more milk and at the same time reached in for a couple of cold beers, but when he reached the table he got a surprise.

"No thanks Bobby, maybe later." Dean said casually while picking up his cup of coffee and giving cursory glance before he took a large swallow.

Although more than a little puzzled, Bobby snorted and leaned back. "Yeah, and who said it was for you smarty pants?" he asked casually, but his gaze was intense. Something was going on in Dean's head and he'd be hard pressed in find out what it was about right now. Looking over at Sammy he motioned to the boy's daddy. "You'd think I was his waitress or something, huh Sammy?"

Giggling, Sammy covered his mouth while kicking his feet in amusement. He missed his Uncle Bobby's teasing and was happy to hear it again. While he was busy laughing he was unprepared for what happened next causing him to squeal even louder.

"You think that's funny do you Sammy? I'll teach you!" Dean exclaimed as he began tickling the small boy in the side until finally Sammy was begging for his daddy to stop. "Yeah, I thought you'd see it my way." Dean smirked as Sammy gasped in air between fits of giggles.

Before long though it was obvious that the assessment of how long the little guy would last was wrong as his eyes started to droop and his head began to wobble a bit.

Dean knew when it was time to tuck little Winchester's into bed and this was no exception. He easily scooped Sammy into his arms and they went up stairs where he helped his son into a fresh pair of pajamas before tucking him in with a hug and a kiss goodnight. He hadn't even stood up to his full height before he could tell that his little boy was sound asleep.

Bobby was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a fresh cold beer for him with understanding eyes. "So, you've figured it out too huh? Damn it… if this don't beat all." Bobby muttered as he sat heavily on the couch.

"Tell me about it, Bobby. What am I supposed to do, huh? Save my brother or protect my son who's not even…" Dean trailed off knowing that what he was about to say wasn't true. Sure he hadn't been there when the boy had been born, didn't know about what his first steps were like, or how come he liked strawberry ice cream, or even what his birthday was, but he felt a connection with him all the same and he would be damned if anyone dared to claim that Sammy wasn't his.

"Dean…" Bobby began but stopped when he saw Dean's face.

"I can't lose either one Bobby – that's not an option!"

Sighing, Bobby nodded. "Alright then, looks like we have some work to do."