A/N: I had so much fun writing this chapter, when you read it you will understand. Thanks so much for all the support and for favoring, following and reviews. If you have a moment, please leave me a few words in a review.

NC

Chapter 13

Brightness began to fill the clearing as morning rolled in. Drops of dew hung from the leaves and glistened and sparkled like a diamond necklace draped through the branches. Rainbows played around the bottom of the falls in their multi-color hues as the mist wafted up in the air. The forest was coming to life with chirping, tweets, scurrying, and buzzing of insects.

Dean moaned softly and rolled over stretching his arms above his head. Last night hadn't been so bad sleeping on the ground. The grass had made a good cushion against the hard ground. He opened his eyes when he felt movement down by his side. Looking down, he saw Kalen had joined him sometime during the night and was snuggled up against him.

Dry leaves crackled up near his head and he searched for the source only to catch a slight glimpse of something furry disappearing into the undergrowth. He couldn't tell what it was or where it had gone to. He didn't see anything disturbed around him so shrugged it off.

"Wake up." he grumbled to Sam's back.

With a groan and grunt Sam rolled over onto his back and wiped a hand over his face. He heard several clicks from a cell phone and turned more toward Dean. Gruff choking sounds pulled his attention to his brother whose chuckling turned into full on belly laugh. He threw his head back and howled as tears ran from his eyes. Sam looked at him puzzled and getting concerned as he watched Dean gasping for breath. Kalen joined in with the laughter, not sure why, but thought it was fun.

"Are you alright?" he finally asks. "What is wrong with you?"

"Dude!" he wheezed. "Never seen...bed hair...like that be' ore."

"What?" Sam frowned reaching up to feel his hair. He felt strange things in his hair and it felt like he had small braids sticking up. "What happened?" he freaked looking around for something to use as a mirror. Dean handed him a plate and Sam held it where he could see. There had been ribbon and flowers woven into braids that were sticking up all over his head, making him look even more ridiculous.

"Ya look like...Hell, don't know what ya look like." he said drawing in some deep breaths while quickly sticking his cell back in his pocket. This would make for some good blackmail when they got home.

"How'd this happen? Kalen?" Sam asked trying to pull the braids out.

"Oh...Silkies m'ke pretty." he chirped clapping his hands in delight.

"Silkies, what's that?" Dean asked wiping his eyes while still snickering.

"Li'le fairies, good."

"How did I not wake up?" Sam pouted working on unbraiding his hair.

"Magic." Kalen shrugged not seeing a problem with Sam's new hairdo.

"Can you tell them thanks but no thanks, I like my hair the way it is."

"Are they still around?" Dean inquired glancing around and sneaking a hand to his hair to double check it, glad for once he had short hair.

"Only nite."

"Good, I'll get the fire going and heat some water."

"Did I get 'em all?" Sam grumbled feeling around his head as he knocked the flowers and ribbons off his shoulders.

Dean looked over at him while Sam tried to smooth his hair down.

"Yeah, but it don't look much better." he snorted.

"Bite me!" he snapped getting up and heading for the water. "Goin' to soak my head."

"Me too." Kalen agreed getting up to follow him.

Dean chuckled again recalling Sam's new hair style. He gathered kindling and got the fire going just as a dripping, wet headed Sam came back to sit by the fire. Kalen plopped down beside him shaking his wet head to get the hair out of his face, sending sprays of water over Dean.

"Hey!" he complained wiping drops off his face.

Sam added more wood to get the fire going better so he could dry his hair.

"Here, sit this in the fire to heat, goin' to find a tree."

"Take Kalen."

"Come on kid."

Kalen jumped up and followed Dean into the trees, heading a short distance from camp. Dean found a tree and relieved himself watching Kalen follow suit.

"Where did ya find the berries?" he asked Kalen looking around the area.

"C'me." Kalen urged taking his hand and pulling him deeper into the trees.

Dean let the pixie lead him to a large bush that had the berries growing on it. Kalen began to pull the green berries from the lower branches. Dean pulled out his bandana to put them in and started picking from the higher branches. He stopped when a rustling caught his attention and he pulled Kalen back from the bush. They looked under it in the leaves and grass and saw a bird sitting in a makeshift nest.

"Yum?" Kalen asked looking uncertainly up into his face.

Dean knew what the pixie was thinking and couldn't bear the thought of another animal dying so he could eat. He smiled at the pixie before answering him.

"Naw, I'm good with these berries."

Kalen glowed with relief as a huge smile broke out across his face. He went back to picking more berries and dropped a few for the bird. Once they had a couple of handfuls, Dean motioned for Kalen to head back toward camp.

spnspnspn

Sam was stoking the fire and looked up as they came out of the woods.

"Found us some more of those raspberry thingies." Dean called holding up his bandana.

"Good, I threw some more potatoes thinks in the fire to cook too." he told them running his fingers through his hair trying to tame it as it dried.

"Is the water hot?"

"Yeah, coffee?"

"How much we got left?"

"Enough." Sam said spooning some instant coffee into two cups. He poured water into each cup and stirred them. He handed Dean one and took the other digging into his pack for the sugar he had packed.

Kalen looked from one to the other and poked his lower lip out before whining.

"Me?"

"Kid ya don't need coffee, how 'bout some water?" he asked offering him his water bottle.

Kalen accepted the water and took a sip. He frowned looking at Dean's cup and back at the water bottle knowing it wasn't the same.

"Here let me." Sam said taking the bottle and spooning a little sugar in it and giving it back.

Kalen took another sip and smiled up at Sam liking the sweet taste the water now had. He continued to drink the water humming to himself as Sam poked the potatoes checking to see if they were done. He racked them to the side out of the fire to cool.

Dean had divided the raspberries among the three plates and was munching on his while he watched Sam.

"We need to fill all the water bottles before we leave here."

"Right, should we dig some more of these to take too?"

"Are there more? Wouldn't hurt."

"Think so, after we eat, Kalen and I will check."

"Kind of hate leaving this place." Dean sighed looking back at the waterfall cascading over the rocks in unfettered speed. It was peaceful, relaxing, and let them recharge.

"I know, guess we better enjoy it while we can."

spnspnspn

Dean and Sam settled their packs back on their shoulders and took one final look around the clearing before turning to leave. Sam pulled Kalen up into his arms to carry him back to the road.

"Well kid, it's time to do some walking."

"Casa." Kalen smiled and began to skip down the road.

The two brothers fell into step behind the pixie and headed down the road toward what looked like another forest. It at least seemed like the road went into the forest so maybe the traveling wouldn't be too bad, they could only hope. The sun was warming their backs and casting their shadows out in front of them. Kalen was playing a game of trying to catch his shadow as he bounced and jumped in front of them.

Sam smiled at his antics thinking back on times in his past that he had been that innocent. He cast a sideways glance at Dean wondering what he was thinking. Dean had shielded him from the bad as much as he could while growing up. He tried to let him be normal and do what most kids did. For that he was grateful to Dean. He had given so much and grew up way too fast; he never had a real childhood for himself.

Dean felt eyes on him and looked over at Sam who turned away quickly to look at something ahead of him.

"What?" Dean asked feeling a little self conscious.

"Nothing." Sam replied, to quickly for Dean's liking but he didn't pursue it. Sam cleared his throat and made a big deal of adjusting his pack knowing Dean didn't like chick fic' moments and would probably be in an ill mood the rest of the day if he said anything.

Dean looked at his brother one more time frowning slightly, wondering what was going on in his brother's huge brain. Sam was the one that wore his heart on his sleeve and was the emotional one of the two. He had been like this even as a kid and sometimes it drove Dean crazy. Sam couldn't stand to see anything in pain or hurt and would stand up to anyone to protect the innocent. Dean shook his head and focused back on the pixie in front of them who had stopped to smell some flowers.

"Come on kid, can't smell everything or we'll never get there."

"O-K." he replied throwing a kiss to a butterfly that landed on the flower.

spnspnspn

As they crested the hill, Dean saw they were closer to the forest he had seen when they left their camp. He judged they could make it into the forest before stopping for the semi-night. He was not liking these not so dark nights, they were causing his internal clock to get out of whack. He yawned slightly and shifted his pack to make it more comfortable. He walked on ahead of Sam and Kalen who had stopped for Kalen to fix his shoe. He went on around a curve out of their sight knowing they would catch up.

A rustling caught his attention, but he kept walking listening for the noise again. He was getting closer to the beginning of the forest and saw something white moving in the shadows of the trees. He slowed and cautiously tried to follow it, concentrating on the breaking of twigs. Before he got to the start of the forest, a surprising being stepped out of the trees, stopping off to the side of the road to stare at him.

Dean skidded to a halt, a look of shock and amazement on his face. The two stared at each other for what seemed like minutes, when it was only seconds.

"Sam!" Dean called over his shoulder afraid to move for fear of startling it.

"Hey, what's wr..." he began as he jogged up to him and saw what he was seeing.

"Am I seeing things?"

"If you are so am I." he stated staring in awe and wonderment.

The sun glistened off the flanks of a pure white, majestic unicorn. She pawed the earth several times with her hoof and tossed her head up and down sending her long mane out around her. She snorted and eyed them with sky blue eyes that showed a high intelligence. Words couldn't express how stunning and magical she was portrayed, standing in all her glory.

"S'm." Kalen twittered as he caught up with them looking to see why they had stopped. "Oh! Matia!" Kalen chirped excitedly running past the guys toward the unicorn.

"Whoa!" Dean yelled taking three big steps and catching Kalen around the waist stopping him.

"No!"

The unicorn snorted harder and shook her head at Dean as she stepped closer to them before rearing up on her hind legs.

"Look out." Sam yelled to Dean.

"Matia, fr'nd, calm." Kalen chirped wiggling out of Dean's grasp and holding up his hand to her.

Matia blew slightly and lowered her head to Kalen letting him rub her nose. He whispered to her as she butted his body lovingly.

"Come." Kalen motioned to the brothers to step closer. Dean and Sam moved closer to them watching the unicorn closely. "Matia, fr'en, S'm and De. H'lp Kalen."

The unicorn nodded her head slightly looking back at the brothers again. She seemed to speak to them without words welcoming them. Maria bowed her head to the pixie gently touching his shoulders with her horn like a blessing before nickering, then turning to trot back into the forest disappearing as suddenly as she appeared.

"I don't think I've seen anything that beautiful." Sam whispered.

"Right there with you bro."

"Matia one of last, treasured by all." Kalen said absently looking off into the trees trying to get one more glimpse of her. "Bye-bye."