Started this version in June and only completed it in September… Yea I'm slow… It's already halfway through the semester! ›‹
Note: This chapter has a quote from ep3x02 "The Kids Are Alright" and has references from ep7x10 "Death's Door" and ep10x12 "About A Boy".
Version 6
3yo Sam & 7yo Dean
"What the…" Dean gasped as 2 young boys appear in the room after a bright light that flashed out of nowhere.
"Huh?..." "What… Where is this…?" The kids look around in surprise and confusion.
They eventually fix their eyes upon the two men in the room and a look of fearfulness settled on their faces.
"Hey… It's ok, we're not bad guys…" Dean said while rising from his seat. It was a wrong move, however, as the older boy immediately grabs a hold of the younger one's hand.
"Run!" He yelled and dashes towards the staircase that leads to the exit.
"No! Wait!..."Dean exclaimed and he and Sam quickly ran after them. Sam caught the smaller boy by the arm and his hand slips out of his brother's.
"Sam!" The older boy bellowed, abandoning his own escape route as he spun around to reach for Sam. However, his attempt is thwarted as Dean caught him from the side and traps him by his arms.
"Dean! Dean!.. No.. Dean!" Sam struggled and cried for his brother.
"Sammy! Urg… Don't hurt him!... Don't hurt him! Please!" Dean shouted at Sam while struggling against his own captor. Despite using all his might, he could not break the stronghold of Dean's. And this is truly driving him crazy - that a giant of a man is manhandling his little brother right in front of him and yet, there's nothing he can do but watch.
"Hey… Stop it, you'll get hurt…" Dean warned as Dean continues to tug and pull violently with no regards to his own body.
"Ok, ok, calm down…" Sam said appeasingly as he slowly let go of mini Sam while Dean too releases his smaller self.
Once freed, the young brothers sprint towards each other in a mad dash. Sam leaps onto Dean in one fluid movement, and his little arms and legs wrap tightly around his neck and waist. Dean held on to him in an equally strong grip while backing away from the two perceived threats in the room.
"No! Stay back!" Dean yelled when they tried to approach them.
"Ok… Look, it's ok, we're not gonna hurt you…" Sam told him.
"Who are you and what do you want?!" Dean fixes them with a gaze so focus and alert beyond his age.
"There has been a mistake. We, er… we didn't mean to have you here, I mean… This is an accident, and we will fix it, I promise," Sam said.
"Then let us go!" Dean demanded.
"We will. We will find a way, give us some time…" Dean replied.
"No, let us go now!" He insisted.
"We can't do that," Dean spoke. The child glowers at the two strangers. He can feel his own pounding heartbeat against Sam's, but there is no time for fear. He has to think fast and get both Sam and him out of here.
"My dad will find us, and he's really strong," Dean threatened. "Let us go now, or he'll come and get you!"
The adult brothers exchange a look.
"Your dad is... John Winchester," Sam stated the fact.
"You know my dad?" Dean blurted in surprise.
"Yea, we're friends of his," Sam quickly said.
"… I've never seen you before," Dean narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"We are his friends at work. You wouldn't have met us since our job is not so much the "Bring your kids to work" kind of deal," Dean explained with a touch of humour, trying to lighten the mood.
"Dad works alone," he said, still not convinced.
"Mostly, but not every time. I know Bobby got him out of a few tight spots before…"
"You know Uncle Bobby?" Dean cut across him.
"That's right. Grumpy old guy with a knack for old cars. It's a pretty small circle, what we do. Was talking to Pastor Jim the other day, said he worked on a case with both Bobby and your dad one time," Dean said deliberately. The younger Dean widened his eyes at yet another familiar name.
"Listen… Dean. We are not bad guys. We help people, like your dad. I know you know what we do. Sometimes strange things happen. Give us some time and we'll make things right. Ok?" Sam looks unwaveringly into his eyes as he said this.
Dean bites his lips as he considers them. He has been taught not to trust strangers easily but instinct is telling him that the two people standing before him are, in their words, "not bad guys". The brows above his eyes close in on one another as his mind works hard to analyse this situation. Running is no go, especially with Sam here. Fighting is obviously impossible. Pleading has been tried, and they responded that they need more time to… do something to let them go? Dean did not completely understand that, but it seems to have something to do with the hunting job. And the more he thinks about it, the clearer it becomes that staying put is the only available option. They could have easily retained them by force, but they chose to explain and convince. He will not trust them just yet, but he has decided to wait and see.
"Let me call Uncle Bobby," he requested, wanting to confirm their identity, and they readily agreed. Dean holds the phone for him (after explaining what it is) as Sam is taking up his hands. His trust for them rises by a small fraction when he sees the correct set of numbers on the screen. Bobby did not pick up his phone, but they let him leave a message so that he can call back when he hears it.
Dean loosens his stance a little and then he gives a bouncing heave to keep Sam from sliding off. The toddler is still clinging onto him like a koala to a tree and he has been staying real quiet so none of them knew how much he understood from the exchange.
"Here, have a seat. …Treat this as your own place," Dean said, smiling at how right that actually sounds. He pulls back two chairs at one of the library tables.
Dean relaxes his support on Sam's back for him to return to the ground.
"Hey, come down," he nudges when the boy continues to stay up with his own strength.
Dean walks towards the chair and tried to put him on the seat, but it only makes him clings tighter.
"Come on, you can come down now, you're heavy…" Dean complained lightly as he tries to pluck him off. In response, Sam made an unintelligible sound of protest and stubbornly held on.
"Are you crying?" Dean said in a teasing tone.
"No!" The indignant reply came out muffled as Sam has buried his face into Dean's shoulder.
"Get off me, you cry-baby," Dean tried to land him onto the seat again.
"I'm not, I'm not!..." Sam countered in annoyance, and this time he loosened up and moved on to stay on top of the chair.
Having regained his sight to his surrounding, Sam immediately took notice of the two strangers in the room. He peers up at them warily while holding on to the arm of his brother.
"It's ok, Sammy. They are friends of dad, like Uncle Bobby," Dean informed him.
"Hey, Sam. I'm Rob and that's Jim. Sorry if we scared you before. We'll send you back to your dad in a while, alright?" Dean told him in a slow, soothing voice.
Sam looks towards Dean, who gives him a reassuring nod, and then he looks back at 'Rob and Jim' and nodded in acknowledgement.
"Great. Ok, why don't you take a seat and, uh, give us a minute," Sam said before walking a distance away to discuss with Dean about the situation. They decided on calling Cas for help while doing whatever research they can in the bunker. As they return to the library, they find their younger selves in some kind of disagreement.
"… Dad said we can't leave the room…" They hear Sam grumbling with a tone of displeasure.
"Geez, I know. I didn't want to leave either, we just… somehow got here!..." Dean replied in exasperation.
"But Deean~…"
"Shh!" Dean hushed him urgently when he saw Sam and Dean returning.
"Everything's alright...?" Dean asked.
"Yes, sir," the older child replied immediately, in an extra-polite manner as if to make up for all the yelling that he did before.
"Ok… So, we called a friend to help us out and we'll get you back to where you came from. You guys can chill in the meantime," Dean told them.
"Yes… What?!..." Dean turned and hissed at Sam, who is tugging at his arm demandingly.
"We left the Lucky Charms on the table!" Sam said in a failed whisper.
"… You can have it when we get back!" Dean told him through gritted teeth, not seeing the urgency that Sam is expressing towards this matter.
"Bu- But it won't be nice anymore, it'll get mushy by the milk. And it's the last bowl for my dinner!" Sam elaborated. Dean was about to retaliate when Sam talked over him.
"We have food in our kitchen, I can make some sandwiches or something while you wait," Sam offered.
"No, it's fine, sir, you don't have to- "
"It's no trouble, we haven't had our dinner too," Sam said and went towards the kitchen.
He returned shortly with two big plates of sandwiches and placed them on the table.
"Here, help yourselves," Sam said generously. Dean already has half a sandwich in his mouth before Sam even finishes that sentence.
Sam leans forward eagerly but stops himself right before he touches the food, turning to look up at Dean questioningly. He received the 'go ahead' when Dean gave an approving nod and he delightedly picked one up and began munching.
"You can have some too. I made enough for all of us," Sam told Dean while taking one from the plate himself. Dean is already starting on his second piece.
"Thank you," Dean said and picked up his first sandwich.
"Thank-you," Sam echoed after him with his mouth full.
The four of them chatted casually about their favourite sandwich fillings and the boys watch in entertainment at how the grown men banter over peanut butter and banana combination.
"What's in yours?" Sam suddenly leaned over without warning, reaching for the bread in Dean's hand.
"Hey!..." Dean gasped when Sam accidentally swipes the sandwich off his hand while trying to see its content. "What are you doing?!" Dean scolded while hopping off his seat to retrieve his fallen food.
Sam has risen from his seat too to clean up the floor of bread crumbs and peanut butter sauce.
"I just want to see what you got…" Sam said in an apologetic tone.
"They are the same, dummy!" Dean snapped at him before turning to the older Sam. "I'm sorry, we didn't mean- Let me do it, Mr Jim, sir…"
"Sorry, Mr Jim, sir…" Sam parroted Dean again.
"It's ok, it's ok, I already got it…" Sam said as he wiped off the remaining bit of crumbs on the floor.
The difference in attitude that Dean exhibits towards the two Sams is so apparent, especially when he is addressing them side to side, that it is almost comedic. At least it definitely seems so to Dean, who is watching them with great amusement.
"Thank you, sir. I'm sorry, sir, it won't happen again," Dean apologised once more.
"Don't worry about it. And uh, you can just call us Rob and Jim, we don't care." In fact, Sam has been having goosebumps every time Dean addresses him so politely. Even though it is a younger Dean who does not know his true identity, it still feels strange and just… wrong.
"Ok," Dean agreed with a smile, getting more comfortable in this unknown place with their relax attitude. Having been through his fair share of babysitters, he would say (if this was a normal situation) that they are the nice and easy-going type that are actually cool with kids.
The boys ate while the men multitasked with both food and books. They finished all of the sandwiches in no time. Dean volunteered to clear the dishes, followed by Sam, but was turned down as they didn't want them out of sight. Sam then passes around some napkins as besides him, the rest of them look like they really need one.
"You've got peanut butter on your forehead!" Dean laughed while cleaning it off for young Sam.
"You got it too!" Sam shot back, pointing at Dean's face.
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do! You just cleaned them away!"
"At least I don't have them on my forehead, you baby!"
"I'm not baby! You baby!..."
And it gets louder and more ridiculous as they go.
"Guys, whoa, ok! It's just some peanut butter, take it easy," Dean stepped in, ending their noisy squabble. Dean was tempted to remind him about his argument regarding peanut butter and banana just a moment ago but thought better of it.
The boys sat quietly in their seats after that. For 5 minutes. Then, for some reason, they started poking at each other while blocking the other to do the same. Since a while ago, they have begun to trust the two large strangers as they could tell that they are of kindred spirit despite all the secrecy. And with that rise in comfort level, they became bolder and less restrained. It started small, a childish back and forth, and when the adults turned a blind eye to their antics, it naturally escalates.
Before long, both boys have left their seats and proceed to emulate a scene of lion cubs wrestling in the wild. Onlookers may even think they are fighting for real given the image of violence, but the huge grin across both their faces make it clear that this is just a harmless scuffle. Also, having been told off earlier on, they are conscious of keeping their noise level down, hence Sam and Dean let the boys be boys and concentrate on their work instead. However, a sudden commotion made them look up from the books.
The two of them have been pushing and pulling, and punching and kicking but Dean, being both bigger and stronger than Sam is, has a clear upper hand in this play fight. Sam thus decided to pull out his strongest weapon.
"Ow!" Dean gave a hard push, an automatic reaction to be rid of the pain, and Sam went flying backwards; tumbling down onto the floor and stopping right before he hits the shelves.
"Sammy!" Dean exclaimed in panic, ignoring the teeth mark on his arm, and dashes across the room where Sam has stayed on the ground.
"Whoa, don't kill him…" Dean muttered in concern as he stretches his neck to visually examine the younger child.
"Sammy…? Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Dean asked tentatively, putting a cautious hand on Sam's shoulder. He can only see a small half of his face while the rest is hidden in the shadows.
Sam stayed still and didn't reply.
"Sammy?" He called out again, the worry in his voice intensifying unmistakably.
Sam turns to look up at Dean with a blank expression, his clear, bright eyes taking in Dean's anxious features.
Out of a sudden, Sam bounces up and shoves Dean by the chest. Surprised, the latter fell backwards and ends up sitting with his hands pressed onto the ground behind his back to break the fall.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Sam grinned triumph-ly.
The confounded look on Dean's face changes as he narrowed his eyes.
"You were bluffing?" He accused.
The smaller kid sticks out his tongue at him and then scrambles to get up and run away, but he isn't fast enough. Dean pounces, bringing him down before he can even stand, and the two went rolling across the ground, effectively kicking off 'Round 2' of the wrestling match.
The adult brothers lean back into their chairs, seeing that they are fine. And although the younger Dean might not have realised, the older one certainly did. He is heartened to see that, young as he is, Sam has been looking out for him too.
"… Give up?" Dean asked. He is currently sitting on top and kneeling across Sam's torso. Though, he is careful to put enough weight on his knees so as not to squish the toddler.
"No!" Sam said firmly while struggling to break free – unsuccessfully.
"Oh yea? What about now?" He asked while aggressively messing up his hair, but Sam still didn't give.
"You're disgusting," Sam told his adult brother when Dean pins both of his wrists over his head next and threatens to drool over his face.
"You could have just surrendered. Stupid," Dean retaliated.
"No! No! I won't!" Sam squeezed his eyes shut in disgust and whip his head from side to side, but continues to resist. And Sam is pretty proud of himself for not giving in easy.
Dean pursed his lips in contemplation. Then, a devilish smile spread across his cheeks as Eureka strikes.
The next thing they know, a series of uncontrollable giggles erupted from the youngest in the room. Dean has freed his hand from around his wrists and proceeds to tickling him all over.
"No… S-Stop!... De-ean!..." Sam exclaimed in between his snickering.
"Say you'll give up!" Dean prompted.
"No!..." Sam replied.
"You sure?" Dean tickles him even more vigorously than before and the giggles turn into high-pitched screams of laughter, with his hands and legs flailing all over the place.
"Aaahhh-ha-ha-ha…! No.. Sto…! Da-Daaad!..." Sam screamed for help in his desperation.
"Dad's not here, you cry-baby," Dean told him, but he is too distracted to hear him.
"You know, a cool kid once told me – "Only bitches send a grown-up."," Dean told Sam, who rolled his eyes and shook his head in distaste.
"… Ok!... S-Stop… Stop! You win!" Sam finally raised the white flag, through tears of tortured laughter.
Contented, Dean rolls off his tiny frame. There was a moment of peace as both boys lay on the floor, panting from exhaustion.
"…Dean? How did we get here?" Sam asked out of the blue as if that thought has only just occurred to him.
"Huh…?" Dean replied, even though he heard him loud and clear.
"We were in our room. Remember? How we got here?" Sam rolled over to lie on his stomach as he raises his head to look at Dean curiously.
"We... we just did," Dean said evasively.
"But how?" Sam continued asking.
Dean pursed his lips and pinched his eyebrows. He doesn't know exactly how too, but he does know it was no ordinary, human way.
"Dean…?" Sam is still waiting for an answer.
"There was a rabbit hole. We fell through it and came here," Dean blabbered. Sam snorted softly at the absurd lie while Dean glared at him from the side of his eyes.
"A rabbit hole?" Sam repeated with wide eyes. "There are rabbits in our room?" He asked innocently.
"Yeah. It's a special rabbit hole that can bring us to this place," he elaborated.
"A special rabbit hole? Oh, oh! Is it made by the Easter Bunny? That's how he goes around to give out Easter eggs, right?" Sam asked excitedly.
"Mhm," Dean went right along with his Easter Bunny theory.
"Where is he? The Easter Bunny, is he here?" Sam bounces up into a sitting position as he looks around the room eagerly.
"We can't find him, Sammy, he's hiding from us," Dean told him.
"I know! We'll find the rabbit hole then we can find the Easter Bunny!" Sam said, and he starts to look up at the ceiling to find the rabbit hole that they supposedly fell through from. And now it is Dean's turn to try and contain his laughter at Sam's childish ignorance while Sam kicks him under the table.
Just then, the heavy metal door upstairs clanked noisily as someone unlocks it from the outside.
"Dean! The Easter Bunny's here!" Sam squealed and shook Dean's hand fervidly. Both boys got on their feet, looking up at the door, as did the men.
The door swings open and a look of confusion and slight disappointment fell over Sam.
"Cas, thanks for coming," Sam said gratefully as Cas arrived at the bottom of the stairs.
"Yea, and uh, we've got a problem," Dean nodded towards the two children.
"They are… you. From 1986," Castiel said, and he walks towards them.
"Are you Mr Easter Bunny?" Sam asked uncertainly as Cas went to stand before him.
Cas tilts his head in confusion, unaware of the prelude behind the query. He believes that he appears to be a human to the human eyes, rather than a non-existence Lagomorph-type creature.
"No. My name is Castiel," he told him patiently.
"Ca-sell…" Sam tried to say his name.
"You can call me Cas," he said helpfully.
"Ca-s…." "Cas." Both boys said it correctly this time.
"It's nice to meet you," Cas extended his hand and Dean took it first, giving it a shake. Sam follows suit, but he appears shyer as he quickly goes to wrap his arms around one of Dean's after the brief contact. Castiel also noticed when the boys tug at their collars uncomfortably as their clothes are currently drenched in sweat and sticking to their back (due to their highly animated play-wrestling earlier on). Inconspicuously, he magic-dried both their shirts in a helpful gesture.
"Alright, Cas, why don't we talk over here…" Dean then came forward and took him further away to talk out of earshot of the two.
The trio discusses what they'll do and then Cas left the bunker with the promise to find Liutprand's counter-spell.
"Dean, who is he?" Sam asked after the angel stepped out of the door.
"He's Cas," Dean replied the obvious, but that's not what Sam was asking.
"Is he dad's friend too?"
"Yeah," Dean replied perfunctorily, not knowing the answer himself.
"Does dad know we're here?" Sam asked next.
"Sure he does," Dean said while avoiding his eyes and then biting down at his lips. Young Dean wasn't as proficient in the art of deception, but just as well, as little Sam wasn't as good at detecting them either. Both the older Sam and Dean could see though, that Dean is getting increasingly edgy.
"When is dad comin' fetch us?" Sam moved on without suspicion.
"I don't know… Soon, I guess," frustration is starting to seep through Dean's voice.
"Where is he now? Is he still working?..."
"Yes! Ok?!" Dean exclaimed at the endless queries that he has no answer for.
"Why are you angry?" Sam exclaimed back in bewilderment at the outburst.
"Cause you're noisy!" Dean told him.
"I'm not noisy, you are!" Sam shot back indignantly, as it was Dean who started shouting first.
"Ok! Ok… Your dad is on his way here. He's caught up on something at the moment, so, you have to wait out for a bit, alright?" Sam reassured them while demonstrating the skill of a professional liar.
The boys quietened down for a minute at those words. Sam's eyes roam his surrounding during this silent interval and the room next door catches his attention. He had noticed it since before but didn't speak out, until now.
"Dean, Dean…" he tugs at the sleeve of his brother's shirt, "Tell me stories," he requested, pointing at the library of books. Dean had noticed them before too.
"I don't think they are children's book," Dean inferred from their dull colours and academic-looking book spines.
Unconvinced, Sam runs over to one of the shelves to see for himself.
"No, Sam, don't touch!" Dean chased after him and pulled him back before he can make contact with any of the books.
The younger child sniggers and struggles to break free as though it is a game.
"Guys… Here, you can read this," Sam holds up a tablet and walks to where they were sitting before. The boys run back to the table willingly to see what Sam has to offer.
Sam teaches them how to use the ebook and the two kids are rather amazed by the foreign technology. They have much fun swiping at the screen for several minutes just to see the virtual page turns on the screen, and the words enlarging and diminishing at their fingers' command. Eventually, they got over the touch screen functions and proceeded to the stories that Sam found for them.
It is a pleasant, harmonious atmosphere. They have pushed their chairs together so that they can sit side by side while Dean reads out the stories to a mostly illiterate Sam. Little Sam is quiet and attentive during the story-telling, leaning across the arms of their chairs to see the screen that will sometimes insert pictures that illustrate the story. And Dean is a pretty good reader for his age. The fluent way in which he reads, with appropriate phrasing and intonation, not to mention some dramatic voice acting for the characters' dialogue, shows that this isn't his first story-telling.
Sam and Dean managed to have some uninterrupted research time while the boys are occupied with children stories, but they didn't really find any useful materials.
"… One more~ one more~. Dean, one more story~" Sam pleaded, tapping on the tablet's screen.
"No. I've read you thirteen stories already," Dean grumbled.
The older pair of brothers pretends to be oblivious as they listen in on their conversation. Dean gave an internal sigh. He almost forgot that Sam has been a book addict before he can even read.
"Please? Please, Dean, please?" Sam whined and pulled at his arm while peering up with his puppy-dog eyes.
"No, no, no," Dean finally gained some resistance against that puppy power after falling for it for the past three stories.
"Yes, yes, yes, last story Dean, last one," he bargained.
"You said that five stories ago," Dean reminded him with a roll of his eyes.
"De~ean, I want one more~ This is really, really the last story!" Sam promised.
"You said that four stories ago and my throat hurts and I'm not reading anymore!" Dean reiterated.
"Dean, please~ Dean~ Deean~ Deeean~" Sam gets louder and louder with each plea.
"Sammy, stop it," Dean said firmly to the demanding toddler.
"Umrh…" Sam raises one fist to his eye as he screws up his face. The adults began to look up from their work in response to the commotion. Dean notices their reaction, making him all the more distress.
"Sam Winchester," he lowered his voice and said in a stern, warning tone, staring straight at Sam's face with a serious, no-nonsense expression. It is not hard to see that Dean is channelling John Winchester, who would apply this stance with them when he meant business.
Sam seems to heed the warning as his cries and whines quietened before it even escalates. Across the table, Sam and Dean watch their exchange with amusement. It is weird to see Dean acting as the adult figure as it is mostly Sam now who is the more sensible one between the two. Just earlier today, Sam nagged at Dean yet again to clear his days-old, unfinished pie in the fridge while the latter pretended not to hear him, slipping out of the kitchen at first chance.
There was a period of tense silence and Dean gradually softens his attitude when he sees that Sam has refrained from going into 'tantrum mode'.
"… Are you sleepy?" Dean asked softly, as a tired Sam usually becomes whinier and more unreasonable than usual - like he just was.
However, Sam shakes his head stubbornly, still pouting for not getting his stories. Dean left him be after that. Meanwhile, Sam went to the kitchen and returns with four cups of water which Dean immediately helped himself to.
Not long later, Sam's eyes began to droop, and his head slowly drops further and further. Right before he hits his forehead on the table edge, Dean swiftly slides his hand over it and Sam bounces off the back of his hand instead. He was jolted awake by the impact, but quickly turns drowsy again. Shifting around in his seat, he curls his legs onto the chair and grabs hold of Dean's arm that is lying on top of their chairs' arms, using it as his head pillow.
Dean was adjusting his position to accommodate Sam when the two adults walk over to them.
"We've got rooms and beds at the back," Dean informed Dean as he gently picks Sam up from the chair and the child drapes bonelessly against his chest.
"I got him…" Dean said when his younger self stood up and raises his arms for him to pass the kid over.
Before he lowered his arms all the way down, Sam caught them and scooped him up. Dean was surprised by the gesture, but he didn't protest when he was carried through the corridors along with Sam.
Kid Dean feels lighter than Sam has expected. Maybe it is him being taller than the average 7-year-olds. Or maybe it is the way he acted, that made him seems bigger than he actually is. And this, is perhaps what triggered Sam to pick him up – to remind him that he, too, is just a child.
"Dea...?" Sam called out without opening his eyes.
"I'm here," Dean replied, stretching his head to look over at his brother.
Dean felt the tiny body relaxes further at the familiar voice, his soft, brown hair tickling his neck. It seems so unbelievable (despite knowing it as a fact) how this small, tender-looking thing in his arms will one day grow into the giant sasquatch that is walking beside him right now…
Dean carefully supported Sam's head as he lowers him onto the bed, and then carefully brushes his hair out of his face. Sam lets Dean down onto the floor before he climbs into bed beside his sleepy brother. He rubs his eyes after a huge yawn, the sleeping bug catching up to him as well.
"We'll wake you up when it's time to go," Sam assured him in a lowered volume.
"Thanks," Dean said with a brief smile. "Goodnight," he added.
"Night," they replied.
Dean then turned to his side and briefly lean down to give Sam a peck on his head. "Night, Sammy," he said before lying down and pulling the blanket over both of them. It seemed like that is their usual bedtime routine, though one that the current Sam no longer remembers.
Meanwhile, little Sammy sleeps on obliviously. With his eyes shut and lips slightly parted, it is as if he doesn't have a care in the world. The older pair quietly exits the room and closes the door behind a scene of endearing tranquillity.
"Dude, you were such a brat… still are," Dean poked fun at Sam instead of admitting how cute he finds young Sam to be.
"I was three, and you were a jerk… Oh wait, still are," Sam shot back with a smirk.
Cas shows up a couple hours later with the counter-spell.
"Guys… Hey, you can go back now…" It took them a few tries to wake the boys up and then got them back to the library where the hourglass is.
"Is dad here?" Sam asked in a sleepy voice.
Instead of answering, Sam and Dean recited the counter-spell and a bright portal appears in the middle of the room.
"You will return once you step into the portal," Cas told them.
The boys squint and shield their eyes against the blinding light, not knowing what to make of it.
"What is that?" Sam asked.
"It's the rabbit hole," Dean replied while Sam lifted one side of his lips. "You have to walk through it," he added.
"You're not coming?" Dean asked.
"Not now, we'll meet again soon... Your dad's waiting on the other side, go on," Sam prompted, giving them a little push on their backs.
"Thank you," Dean said to all three of them who smiled and nodded.
He then takes one of Sam's hand and turns to walk towards the light. Sam, however, pulled against him, unwilling to approach the blinding source.
"Sammy, come on!" Dean exclaimed.
"I can't see, it's too bright!" The little one complained while twisting his head away from the glare.
"You're such a baby…" Dean grumbled as he picks Sam up for the second time.
Sam waves shyly to Sam, Dean and Cas with his head perching on Dean's shoulder while being carried backward into the light. The three wave back with a soft smile on their faces until the children are completely engulfed by the brightness, which then disappeared in a heartbeat.
I had thought that this would be the last version of the story before but somehow I'm having ideas of adult versions of the boys time travelling into the bunker – particularly instances from Season 3~
Writer's Random Rant: Less than a month till Season 14~!~!XD