Santa's little helper's include-

Side kick-Bia1007

Beta- Eggylaine

Things will work out

"Dad, Dean....I'm scared..." and Dean leaped in for a tight hug like he was protecting his baby brother from the world.

John was still shocked Sam had signed 'dad' towards him...but he shook it off and just went to comfort his boys.

"I know...it's all gonna be okay, nothing's gonna happen to either of you."

"You're not Luke...Sammy you are not gonna be my Luke, I swear!" Dean spat at whoever was to blame for all this mess.

That night all three of them slept better than they had in months, after John convinced Sam to let him go that was. He pushed both the double beds together for them all when he knew Sam was going to need all the support he could get when it was lights out.

Next in his plan was getting Sam to get cleaned up. It took a bit of nudging and poking but Sam finally moved from the bed with Dean guiding him all the way to the bathroom. After his big brother ever so gently pushed bits of cotton wool in the kids ears protecting them from water Sam got himself in the shower and started washing away the week's worth of grime. Careful of his still itchy stitches Sam lathered the shampoo up in his hair and watched the dirt wash down the drain.

He had himself a nice long shower and only realised how long he'd been when he stepped out of the tub and wrapped himself in the warm towel Dean had put on the radiator for him. He got dressed in some clean clothes and smiled at how much better he felt when he walked from the bathroom where Dean was waiting anxiously for him. When the older kid saw his brother was fine and hadn't done anything...silly, like he'd done in the past when he was left alone in a shower room, he got himself some clean bed clothes and went to get a shower himself.

Dean rushed with the soap and was out before Sam or John could blink which was weird for Dean but not when he was more concerned about his baby brother than his own hygiene.

John was last, he got right in the spray and didn't even curse or complain when he felt all the hot water was gone. He laughed as he shivered and wrapped himself up in the wet towel the boys had previously used.

When he emerged from the now rather chilly bathroom he saw the lights were off, the TV was on, and the remote was limp in Dean's hand as he slept with an arm wrapped protectively round Sam who was also snoring away.

John gently took the remote from Dean's hand and set it on the table by the telly as he pressed the power off switch on the front side of the screen.

He pulled up the covers round his boys and got under them himself at the spare end of the makeshift super queen bed.

"Night boys," he said closing his eyes. "Crap..." he whispered just as he was about to drop off, he took a look at his watch and gulped, "19th already, damn..." he said as he saw the date. He closed his eyes taking note to ring round some people in the morning before the boys woke up, he had no idea how but he would make this Christmas a good one, Sam probably hadn't had one since he was 6 and Dean certainly hasn't had one since he was about that age. He thought screw his own hard-ass act and feelings over his late wife that always seem to creep up a notch this time of year, Christmas was for kids anyway, not for him to mope about how terrible his life was. No, this year he was going to do it right, and along the way they were going to teach Sam that Winchesters were too stubborn to let some pansy doctor hold them back in life, it was going to work out for them all, it had to, no way it couldn't, everything would work out in the end he was sure of it. But right now he had the slightly smaller problem of how he was going to get a turkey on the table in just 6 days. 'And Christmas pudding...we gotta have some of that...and pie for Dean...huh, wonder what desert is Sam's favourite?'

~S/D~

"Dean, Dean wake up," John whispered shaking his eldest careful not to wake Sam, he sure would get it in the neck if he woke that sleeping angel up, that kid was NOT a morning person that's for sure.

"Dad wha...?"

"Come on, time to get up, we got some packing to do, times-a-wastin'."

Dean grumbled under his breath when his father didn't stop shaking his shoulder so he opened one eye and looked up not too happy to be woken up so early.

"Where we goin'?" he asked cold when he felt the anger build up as he looked at the half packed bags at the end of the bed.

"Away from this dump, motels are no place for Christmas son," he told Dean with a happy smirk.

"Huh?" Dean asked when his dad said the taboo word starting with a C.

"We got the cabin for Christmas Dean," John smiled, his bright teeth lighting the room and it was freaking Dean out.

'Okay since when was he Mr. Sunshine about Christmas, and since when did he start saying that word?!'

"Dean, you with me? I said we got the cabin."

"The cabin?...You mean...THE cabin?" Dean grinned sitting right up careful not to wake his brother.

"THE cabin," John affirmed, his grin matching Dean's by now.

"Awesome," Dean almost shouted as he leaped from the bed and went straight for Sam's bag first to start packing the kid's stuff.

"You got this?" John asked as he picked up his coat.

"I got it," he told his dad knowing he was going to find a diner for some breakfast and junk for the road, it was a fair few hours to THE cabin. "We're going to the cabin Sammy, oh yeah," he smirked to himself as he watched his baby brother sleep soundly and he packed the bag neatly.

~S/D~

"Okay, you boys warm enough?" John asked knowing the Impala's heater was good but he just wanted to make sure as he zipped up Dean's jacket higher, getting a grunt from his son.

"Yes," he smiled sarcastically, "Sammy's gloves and hat are on the backseat anyway," Dean told his dad as they closed both the trunks.

"What about yours?" John questioned knowing Dean thought about everyone else, especially Sam, before himself, and Sam wouldn't like to hear that was going on still, it frustrated the kid to no end, but then again, Sam thought about everyone else first as well, it was shocking how alike they were.

"In the backseat too, I swear."

"Good, now you kids be careful and drive safe, no cool guy show off crap, its icy up there and you know what happened last time."

"You mean when you tried to be all macho in front of Bobby and went straight down the hill backwards?" Dean asked with his classic angel smirk.

"Yeeesss," John groaned in embarrassment. "I gotta make a quick stop on the way there but you boys keep going, I'll meet you at the lodge when I get there. Oh and Bobby said Caleb left some wood last time and the axe is still in the shed so if we need any more wood for the fire we're all sorted."

"Good, cos it's freakin' freezing up there this time of the year."

John laughed as Dean shivered unconsciously then he patted his son on the back silently telling him well done for handling all this so well, at least for now and for Sam.

"See ya boys," he said then waved to Sam who was getting comfy in Impala's passenger seat with the heater on full.

"You good Sammy?" Dean asked as he got in the driver's seat.

Sam nodded carefully knowing his head still hurt sometimes if he shook it too hard.

"Good," Dean smiled as he started the engine and drove after John who was already out of the parking lot and on the main road.

~S/D~

"Sammy asleep?" Dean asked at 9:32pm.

"Yeah, snoring like a little piglet," John laughed down the phone.

"Um...listen dad...are you sure he's gonna be okay?"

"Dean, he's gonna be fine, he's got his big brother watching out for him."

Dean snorted at the irony.

"Dean don't, you know you could have done nothing more than you did, he doesn't blame you because it wasn't your fault okay, it's mine for taking you both along in the first place, from now on I go on a hunt first by myself, if I'm 1000000% sure it's safe for you boys then you can come."

"Dad...no hunt is safe, hell pillow cases are lethal if they're used the wrong way."

"No ghosts for a long time then at least," John joked.

"You get what you wanted?" Dean asked changing the subject.

"Yeah, we got the stuff."

"Sammy get anything?"

'Yeah!' "Nope," he lied.

"Huh...he sure was up for shopping when I told him you were going to get some crap."

"Don't know, maybe he just wanted to show Brownie the inside of my truck," John laughed and Dean followed soon after.

"Yeah, maybe," he chuckled as the images of Sam taking his stuffed pet dog on a tour of his dad's truck went through his mind. When the laughs died down, "how much longer dad?" Dean asked yawning loud then cursing himself when he did, if it was more than an hour's drive away from the cabin by now his dad was going to make them pull in for the night with that yawn.

"About 3 hours, come on, we're pulling in for the night, you sound beat."

'I knew it...' "I'm fine," Dean tried but the yawn at the end was such a contradiction he had to laugh himself.

"Next motel, we're pulling in young man," John told his eldest firm but kind.

"Yes sirrrrr..." he yawned knowing by now his dad was right, if Sam was in the car then he would give in instantly, not ever wanting to endanger his baby brother but he was in the safety of a wide awake guys car so he wasn't too bothered right now. "There's one at the next turn in...looks pleasant," Dean joked taking a look round the empty place as he turned in and looked in his mirror watching his dad do the same.

"I'll get us a room, you get Sam and yourself a change of clothes for the night, we can leave the rest of the crap in the cars."

"Yes sir," and with that both of them hung up. John went to the front office and Dean went to the truck to wake his brother. He helped Sam get down from the high vehicle then handed the kid a change of sweats for the two of them and his dad.

"Room 123, right there," John said coming from the office minutes later. Dean pulled Sam into his side as the little kid shivered whilst walking to their new home for the next few hours. He pushed off his sneakers, jeans, coat and shirt then put on the sweats Dean handed him, curled on the bed and waited for them to turn the light off so he could go to sleep once more.

"Night Sammy," Dean whispered as he got under the covers himself and his baby brother.

"Night boys," John said smiling at this plan, Sam had no clue where they were heading, Dean was so happy you would think he was going to Disneyland. He had managed to tattle tale his way into getting some old cooking books of Mary's that he salvaged from the fire and had kept in his storage lock up. He'd given Sam enough money to go looking for a gift for Dean earlier when his eldest was waiting at the garage for them.

Everything was in place and he now needed to make his hyper on coffee brain to shut up so he could get some sleep.

'Huh...wonder where the hell I'll get some baking trays...man I think Dean better take care of the food side of things.'

"John Winchester I swear you could burn water."

"Hey I know how to work a toaster woman!"

"Barely."

He smiled as he remembered his wife's laugh.

TBC...