Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Nodding, John slowly turned onto the next exit. He had a hotel to find.

SPN

Sam awoke to find himself lying on a soft, flat surface. 'I slept all the way to Bobby's?' he wondered as he snuggled further down in the warm comforter and listened to the sounds of someone shuffling around the room. Recognizing Bobby's heavy gait, he waited to hear the echoing footsteps of his dad or his brother. When neither came, the youngster bolted upright and snapped open his eyes. He scanned the unfamiliar room with a frown.

Hearing the blankets rustling, Bobby looked over at the bed. Seeing the littlest Winchester sitting up fisting his eyes, he smiled. "Hey Sam, feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah, actually I am" Sammy replied with a nod. "Bobby, whewe awe we?"

"We are at the Marshal Dillion Inn and Suites in the beautiful town of Dodge City, Kansas." The salvage owner informed the toddler. "The snow flurries turned into more of a snow storm so your dad decided to find a place to hole up till it blew over."

"My dad stopped because of a snow stowm?" Sam questioned the disbelief clear in his voice.

"Okay, so maybe he was persuaded to pull off." Bobby revised.

Sam snickered. "That sounds more like it. Bet you had to do some fast talking to get him to agwee."

"You don't know the half of it. That pig-headed father of yours was bound and determined to make it to my place or die trying." Bobby related. "Dean and I had to double team him to get the stubborn SOB to even consider it."

"What finally tuwned the tide?" the littlest Winchester curiously asked.

"Two things" Bobby answered, holding up two fingers. "First, I told him Josh was headed to my place to start researching the trickster. And second and most importantly, you."

"Me?" Sam gasped.

"Yeah, as soon as Dean said that riding like that was exacerbating your injuries your dad took the first exit off the highway." Bobby explained.

"Weally?" the toddler asked.

"Of course kiddo, why wouldn't he?" Bobby replied, frowning at the expression on the little boy's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Sam mumbled, dropping his gaze to the blanket covering his lap.

"I'm not buying what you're selling, kid." Bobby huffed. He walked over and took a seat on the bed beside the toddler. Grasping the boy's chin, he tilted it up until they were eye to eye. "Now spill. What's going in in that big ole head of yours?"

Sam sighed. "It's, it's just he, he" he stammered before blurting out, "He never cared before."

"You know that's not true, Sam." Bobby softly disagreed.

"Yes, it is." The youngster argued. "One of us being sick ow huwt nevew stopped him from dwiving all day to get to the next hunt. If we complained, we wewe told to suck it up. People wewe dying and that was mowe impowtant than some little cold."

"Ahh buddy, I'm so sorry" Bobby soothed, wrapping an arm around the toddler and pulling him close.

Sam snuggled into his surrogate father's side, soaking up the comfort being offered. "You know, as bad as it was fow me, it was wowse for Dean. When I was the one undew the weathew, I had Dean to take care of me. He'd sit in the back with me and do whatevew he could to make the wide easiew on me. I twied to do the same for him when he was ill but he wouldn't let me. Dean would wide shotgun and pwetend he was okay no mattew how bad he felt." He disclosed.

Bobby ran a hand up and down the trembling toddler's arm. "I knew Johnny was no father of the year but I didn't realize it was that bad." He admitted. "If I had, I would've taken you boys from him."

"I know." Sam replied, gracing the older man with a dimpled grin.

"For what it's worth, I think he knows he screwed up where you two were concerned and he's trying to do things right this time around. He'll do right by you if you'll let him." The senior hunter offered. "What do you say? You up to giving the old coot a second chance?"

Sam nodded. "Umm, Bobby, where is the old coot?" he asked.

"He went out to play in the snow with your brother." Bobby answered with a shrug.

"Dad and Dean? They're, they're playing?" Sam incredulously questioned.

"Yep, the big bad demon hunters are out frolicking in the snow." Bobby said as he pulled out his cell phone. "And I have the pictures to prove it."

"Gimme" Sam squealed, reaching for the phone. Taking the cell from his friend, he set it in his lap and flipped it open. After punching a few buttons, he doubled over laughing. "These awe awesome, Bobby!"

"Yeah, I figure there's enough blackmail material there for the next decade at least." The junk yard owner told the toddler. Taking his cell back from the boy, Bobby stuffed it in his pocket. "You wanna go join them?"

"Nah, I'll pass. I don't think I'm up to fwolicking wight now." Sam replied, wincing mentally as the older man's expression went from jolly to mother henning in a split second. "I'm okay, Bobby. I just don't want to push my luck. Besides, Dean needs this time with dad. He's weally missed dad whether he wants to admit it or not."

"Okay, I'll go with that…for now." Bobby said, giving the tiny hunter a knowing look. "So, what now? You feel up to watching a movie or something?"

Sam grinned. "Actually, I have a better idea." He answered as he slid off the bed. He tottled over to the white, plastic bags in one corner of the room and started searching through them. After sifting through half the bags, he finally came across what he'd been looking for. Holding up his treasure, he asked, "Wanna build a space ship?"

SPN

An hour later two wet Winchesters stumbled in the door. "Hit the shower, Dean. I don't want you catching a cold." John ordered, toeing off his shoes.

"Yes sir" Dean agreed, pulling his boots off as well. Snagging some dry clothes out of one of the plastic bags, he rushed into the bathroom and shut the door.

Striding further into the room, John pulled off his coat and slung it over the back of one of the chairs. Walking into the bedroom, he grabbed his duffle off the floor by the first bed before going back in the small sitting room. After retrieving a towel from the rack above the sinks, the cold hunter drug a chair over to the room's heater and plopped down. He swiftly shed his long sleeved shirt and under shirt, toweled his upper body dry, and pulled on some clean shirts. Then he stood and peeled his wet blue jeans and boxers off, toweled, and changed once more. Once that was done, the Winchester patriarch trudged back into the bedroom. Taking a seat on the end of his bed, he quickly exchanged his wet socks for a pair of dry ones before glancing over at his youngest. "Whatcha making there, Sammy?" he inquired.

"A space shuttle" Sam simply replied as he snapped another piece on the top of the long block rectangle Bobby was holding.

"I take it you're feeling better then." John observed as he stood and shuffled over to his son's bed.

"Yes sir" Sam answered, stilling as his dad quickly examined the lump on his head as well as his sprained wrist. "I'm sowwy we had to stop because of me. We can get back on the woad now."

"Nothing to be sorry for champ" John assured his youngest. "The snow was coming down too hard to keep going anyway."

"Oh" Sam muttered, fixing his gaze on his partially finished shuttle. He should have known him being hurt had nothing to do with them stopping. It never mattered before. Why should now be any different?

John frowned as he took in the change in the toddler's behavior. He knew the slumped shoulders and bowed head meant he'd screwed up again but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out how. Not for the first time, he wondered why Sam couldn't be more like his older brother. He never had any trouble understanding Dean. Dean was always…John was drawn out of his thoughts by a tiny drop of water splashing onto the sheet of instructions in Sam's lap. 'Crap, I didn't mean to make the kid cry.' The senior Winchester thought with a frown. Seeing his boy scrub a hand across his face, he resolved to fix things. He opened his mouth and softly said, "Sammy? Sammy, I…"

"DAD! I'm out!" Dean bellowed from the bathroom doorway. "The shower's all yours!"

John took one more look at his upset youngest before beating a hasty retreat. He dashed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Letting out a relieved breath, the father walked over and turned on the shower. He'd let Dean smooth things over with Sammy for him. He was better at it anyway.

"What was dad's problem? I haven't seen him run that fast since…" Dean stopped as he caught sight of his sniffling little brother. 'Yep, I should've known. That's why he ran last time.' The eight year old thought. Going over to the bed, he quickly climbed up beside Sam. Wrapping the youngster in a one armed hug, the elder brother snuggled him close. "What's a matter, little brother? You hurting again?" he asked.

Sighing, Sam scrubbed a hand across his eyes once more. He really hated this leaky, baby body of his. He looked up at his big brother, giving him a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "No, I'm okay." The little boy assured Dean. "I just got something in my eyes."

Dean was going to call bullshit but a shake of Bobby's head made him think better of it. He'd humor the kid for the time being. He wasn't giving up, however. He'd find out what their dad had done to upset Sammy. He just had to wait for the right time to broach the subject. For now though, he had a little brother to cheer up. Taking the partially finished space shuttle from Bobby, Dean eyed it critically before handing it back. "What the crap are you making, Picasso? A lop-sided ash tray?"

"Picasso was a paintew, jewk" Sam huffed.

"And your point is?" Dean threw back.

The corners of Sam's lip curled up as he rolled his eyes at his big brother. Dean could be such a...he startled as Mission Impossible theme blared from Bobby's front pocket.

Bobby leveled a death glare at Dean before snatching his phone out of his pocket and flipping it open. "What?" he growled. "Oh, hey Josh, sorry about that…yeah? Okay hang on a minute." The salvage owner handed the incomplete shuttle model to Dean before standing and making his way out of the room.

"You think Josh found something?" Sam asked as he put another piece on his ship.

"Definitely" Dean replied. Setting the Lego vehicle on the blankets, he jumped off the bed and held out his hand. "Come on, let's find out what's up."

Nodding, Sam slid off the bed and silently followed his brother to the partially open door. Putting their ears to the crack, they attempted to overhear the older hunter's conversation. Unable to hear anything, the two took a step back to regroup.

"On three" Dean whispered in Sam's ear. Creeping back to the door, he carefully grasped the knob. He finger counted to three before turning the handle and pushing the door open enough for the two to slide through. Motioning for Sam to get behind him, Dean stepped through the opening only to jump back as a long pair of legs suddenly appeared.

"You boys going somewhere?" John asked, chuckling at his son's defensive stances.

"Geez, dad, warn a guy why don't you!" Dean grumbled. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

John fondly shook his head. "And just who did you think was coming? Bloody Mary?" he teased as he ushered the boys back to the bed.

"Don't even joke about that." Sam muttered, paling as parts of that particular hunt flashed through his mind.

"What?" John asked, taking a seat on the bed and pulling Sammy into his lap. "Bloody Mary is just a…"

"No she's not, dad." Dean interrupted. "We had a run in with her a few months ago."

"Really? How'd you banish her?" John curiously questioned.

"Can we please not talk about it?" Sam begged.

Feeling the toddler in his lap shiver, John quickly agreed. "Sure buddy"

"Why don't we talk about what to eat for supper?" Dean suggested. "I don't know about you guys but I'm starving."

"You'we always stawving, Dean" Sam helpfully pointed out.

"Hey, I can't help it. I'm a growing boy." Dean huffed.

"Yeah, but which way are you gwowing?" Sam asked, holding his arms in front of him to make a large belly.

"Dude, there's not one bit of fat on this body." Dean claimed as he struck a muscle man pose. "See? Nothing but muscle"

Bobby walked into the bedroom, took one look at the eight year old, and shook his head. "I'm not even gonna ask." He commented.

"Bobby, what did Josh say? Did he find a way to change us back?" Sam excitedly inquired.

"Well, I've got some good news and some bad news." Bobby replied, scratching his beard. "The good news is that the trickster was telling the truth. All the lore Josh found says that the Loki has to grant one true wish a year. It started out being the last day of the calendar year. But then in the 4th century Western Christianity put Jesus's birthday on December 25th and for some unknown reason, the trickster's good deed switched to the week of Christmas."

"Okay" Dean sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "And the bad news?"

"Afraid you two are stuck like this until midnight Christmas Day." Bobby informed them. "Josh said he hasn't been able to find a way to reverse the Loki's spell." Seeing the boys' faces fall, he swiftly added, "But he promised he'd keep looking."

John processed the information for a moment before nodding. "Okay, then there's only one thing for us to do." He remarked.

"What's that, Johnny?" Bobby asked, hoping the hard head wasn't planning on loading the boys back in the car and hauling tail.

"Yeah, what's the plan, dad?" Dean eagerly questioned.

John smiled as he gazed down at his boys. "The plan, Dean, is to have a good old, family Christmas."

"Wha?" Sam gasped. "Dad, you can't mean…"

"I can and I do, Sammy" John broke in, tousling the toddler's hair. "We've been given a gift and I for one plan on enjoying every minute of it."

"But what about hunting?" Dean protested. "There's always an influx of supernatural crap around Christmas."

"There are plenty of other hunters, Dean." John pointed out. "They'll just have to handle things for a few days."

"Dad, did you fall in the showew and hit youw head?" Sam queried, reaching up to feel the back of his father's head.

"No, Sammy I didn't fall." John assured his son. Capturing the boy's hands, he placed them back in the toddler's lap. "I just, I meant that wish. I've wanted to go back and do things right for a long time. And now that I've gotten that chance, I don't want to waste it."

"But"

"No buts" John sternly said, putting a finger over Dean's mouth to silence him. "The Winchesters are having a traditional family Christmas and that's that."

Hearing the boys' stomach growl, Bobby laughed. "Sounds like your holiday needs to start with supper."

"What do you mean, your holiday? You are a part of this family, too; a very important part." John sincerely told his friend.

"John, I, I don't know what to say."

"Oh man, I'm gonna be sick!" Dean groaned. "They sound like one of those Hallmark Christmas specials!"

"Christmas specials? What a great idea!" John exclaimed, patting his eldest on the back. "We'll have to see what's on when we get back from supper."

"Way to go big brother." Sam muttered.

"Hey, at least I didn't mention the, mmmm" Dean glared at his little brother whose hand was clamped over his mouth.

"You say something, Dean?" John asked, looking down at his boys.

"He didn't say anything, dad" Sam innocently replied before yelping as his hand was licked. Pulling his wet appendage back, he hastily wiped it on the blanket. "Eww, Dean, that's disgusting."

"Made you let go, didn't it?" Dean fired back with a smirk.

Scowling, Sam patted his father's chest to get his attention. "Dad, I need to go wash my hand. Dean slobbered on it." he said, holding up his uninjured hand.

"Okay, kiddo let's get you washed up." John replied. He stood and carried the toddler to the bathroom.

Dean watched his father and brother leave the room before turning to his friend. "Bobby, I think dad has officially lost it." he announced.

"Your dad isn't losing it, Dean. He's just enjoying having his little boys back." Bobby explained. "Think about it, kid. How many times have you wished Sam was your little shadow again?"

"Too many to count" Dean admitted. "But this is dad we're talking about."

"Son, don't you think Johnny feels the same way? The man may be the big macho hunter but he's still human. He made a ton of mistakes when you and Sammy were growing up. And being away from you two has finally made him realize that." Bobby theorized. "Now he has a chance to make up for some of it. I can't blame him for taking advantage of it. There's a lot of things I'd like to do over, too."

"Me, too Bobby, me, too" Dean mumbled.

John walked back into the room carrying Sam on his back. Seeing the looks on the other two members of his family, he sighed. "What's with the long faces?"

"Oh, we were just trying to decide on what to eat." Bobby smoothly lied.

"Yeah, we're thinking of ordering in pizza but we aren't sure what toppings." Dean fibbed.

"Pizza?" John repeated, making a face. "Dean, you don't eat pizza in a stuffy hotel room at Christmas time. You go to a nice restaurant and eat a real Christmas dinner."

"Tuwkey and dwessing?" Sam questioned, licking his lips.

"You got it, buddy" John answered. He swung the toddler around before setting him on his feet. "Go get your shoes and coats on, boys. We are going to that fancy restaurant beside our hotel for a proper Christmas dinner."

Whooping, Sam raced out of the room with Dean hot on his heels. They swiftly pulled on their shoes, mittens, hats, and jackets. The excited boys waited impatiently for their dad and Bobby to get ready before leading the way out of the room and across the lobby.

Stepping out into the cold night air, John looked out at the sea of white. Realizing Sammy was too short to walk through the deep snow, he scooped up the toddler and hoisted him onto his shoulders. Grasping the boy's ankles, he carefully led the way across the snow covered parking lot to the long, wooden building beside it. The Winchester patriarch past the row of rocking chairs and entered the warm store. He weaved around the racks of shirts and tables of nick-nacks to the sign in podium. After reciting how many were in their party, he followed the waitress through the restaurant to a table right in front of a roaring fire. Sliding Sammy off his shoulder, John sat him in the booster seat the waitress had brought before taking a seat next to him. Opening his menu, he couldn't help but smile. This was going to be the best Christmas ever!