Chapter 14

Sammy woke up as the sun crept up through the closed curtains. He had made it through the night. No one had even come to try to steal him away. He felt warm and secure. He looked around himself. Dean was sleeping, not just next to him, but was hugging Sammy to him tightly like he was some sort of teddy bear. Sammy felt safe.

He sighed and relaxed in bed for a while appreciating Dean for all he did for him. Dean, the macho-man hunter, was still willing to snuggle up with his little brother and scare the nighttime monsters away. Sam smiled. He really did have the best big brother in the world.

As Sammy stared up at the ceiling, he felt Dean's chest vibrate as he moaned. He watched his big brother stir out of sleep. They met eyes and Dean smiled warmly. "Morning, bud."

"Bud?" Sam teased. "You've never called me bud."

"Yeah..." Dean yawned. "I've never been old enough to be your father before. Now I'll call you anything I want." He smiled at Sammy. Sam just rolled his eyes.

"Ready for a day full of more research?" Sammy asked.

"Research on what?" Dean asked. "We already know what it is."

"What is it?"

"Tyler said goblins or trolls." Dean smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, but we're hunters, Dean." Sam looked down his nose at Dean like he was some sort of librarian. "We both know there's a huge difference between goblins and trolls."

Dean sighed like a teenager listening to his parents lecture. "Fine. Fine."

"Plus we don't have any idea where to start looking for the creatures, whether they be trolls or goblins, nor do we know how to kill them." Sammy sounded like a five-year-old professor.

Dean stretched and placed a big hand on Sammy's shaggy bedhead. "Can't you go back to acting like a kid? You're more fun that way."

"Thanks, Dean. I appreciate how determined you seem to change me back."

"Yeah, well the old you sucks." Dean said, placing his bare feet on the floor.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Little you still tells me how much he loves me and how I'm the best big brother ever." He started heading to the bathroom. "I'd forgotten how nice it feels to be loved."

"I tell you that." Sam protested. "Don't I?" Sam looked at Dean for affirmation, a hint of regret in his eyes. Dean looked at Sam sadly and said nothing. "Well, even if I don't it doesn't mean I don't think it." Dean just nodded his head and shut the bathroom door. Sammy heard the shower turn on as he tried to recall the last time he told Dean anything even close to "I love you." He couldn't think of a time. Shit. I suck...

Dean made the shower a quick one and got ready to head out and do some scoping out of the town. Whatever they were hunting was clearly after children, so it seemed to make sense to see where around town kids would be. As he put his boots on, he noticed Sam getting himself ready too.

"You're not coming with me." Dean said like a father to his son.

"What?" Sam asked, sounding completely shocked. "What do you mean I'm not coming with you?"

"You're a five-year-old kid, Sammy." Dean stood up, making his presence seem even more large and intimidating to little Sammy. "You're a liability. I'm going out to try to pick up a trail on whatever creature is doing all this. If I find it, I don't want to have to worry about my little brother who barely stands up to my waist." Dean sounded both stern and demeaning. Sammy was furious at what he was hearing.

"Dean, we're a team!" Sam complained. "We hunt together!"

Dean's features went from protective of his little brother, to down-right angry. "We're a team, are we?" He said through a scowl. "We hunt together?" He approached Sammy, making the kid very uncomfortable as he realized he really did just stand at Dean's waist. "Because lately, I don't feel like we are."

"What do you mean?" Sammy asked, trying to hold back his trembling lips and tears.

"What do I mean? Are you serious?" Dean sounded like he was about to explode. "Ever since I've been back I've been trying to work with you as a team, but somehow I always feel like a third-wheel. I feel like I've been replaced."

"What do you mean? You're my brother."

"I know I am. Why do you think I've been taking care of you like I'm your dad or something? Family matters to me! It means something to me!" His anger-filled eyes lock onto Sam's tear-filled ones. "While I'm bending over backwards to try to work as a team with my own brother, you're more distracted by that bitch Ruby. You trust her more than you trust me, your own flesh and blood." He started to march toward the door in a huff. "Don't you tell me we're a team." He turned back and looked at Sammy with hurt eyes. "You haven't been on my team for a long time now."

"Dean..." Sammy muttered, but it came out with more difficulty than he expected.

Dean held his hand up. "Just..." He took a deep breath. "Don't, Sammy." He opened the door and took one look back at Sammy. He couldn't tell if Sammy was sad or angry. Dean figured he was probably both. "I'm going to go hunt. When I get back, I expect to find you here, safe and sound. You can do some research or something." He slammed the door as he left.

After Dean had left, Sammy spent the next hours staring at a laptop screen. He typed various lore ideas into his search engine, desperately trying to find something that would help them identify the monster. The problem was that all they found was golden dust that only children seemed to be able to see. Maybe if he had proper lore books around that would help, but with only the internet at his disposal, it was hard to find anything that seemed legitimate.

He tried to do some research, but his mind was racing. He was so upset with all that Dean had said, and also angry. Who was Dean to call him useless? He and Ruby had accomplished more in the time they worked while Dean was in Hell than he and Dean had ever accomplished just the two of them. He wasn't useless. He was the brains and the brawn of the operations.

Sammy shut his laptop, unable to focus. He began pacing the room, trying to calm himself down. Nothing seemed to be working. I'm not useless. I can help. He shook his head at himself. You are helping, moron. Research is helpful. Besides, Dean's right. You're a kid now. You can't fight like he can- not until you're restored to normal... if that ever happens.

He sighed as he tried to calm himself down so he could get back to his research. It just wasn't working. He felt like ever since he had become a kid again, his emotions were all over the place. One second he was happy as could be, loving every moment he had with Dean like a little kid having a vacation with dad. It had brought him back to the good times he and Dean had when they were growing up and Dad was gone, like the time when Dean had taken him out into the backwoods on the Fourth of July and lit off fireworks with him. The next moment, however, he could be angry, depressed, or scared out of his mind. It almost felt like he was losing his mind to his young age.

He stopped pacing and took a deep breath. You're fine, Sammy. You just need some fresh air. Let's take a walk and then we'll get back to work. It'll be fine. Dean's mad, but he wasn't lying. Family does mean everything to him. He'll make sure you're turned back into an adult. Somehow, his own mental monologue made him feel a bit better already, but he figured a walk wouldn't be a bad thing for him.

He put his shoes on and headed out the door, making sure to lock it behind him. He stuffed the motel room key into his jacket and headed out on a walk through town. I better not stay by the roads. Dean might see me. Not quite ready to face Dean again, he decided it would be better to take an off-road walk into the woods on the outskirts of town. It was still noon. There was nothing he needed to be scared of at this hour.