WARNING: There isn't one. This is way pre-series with no spoilers. :)
Author's Note: This was not requested. (Sorry. I know a couple chapters back I did a non-request one too, and I swear I will get back to requests next, but I went to write something that had been requested and this completely took over and didn't fit the request at all. I simply couldn't stop it. :P) It takes place from Bobby's POV when Sam was turning six and Dean was ten. I want to thank ImpalaLove, jojospn, AJTish, Zana Zira, mb64, judyann, and GuestJ for their recent reviews and support. And thanks to every reader! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.
It was Sam's sixth birthday and the boys had been left at Bobby Singer's place for the event. (As usual, some hunt had positively demanded John's full attention.)
Dean was in the kitchen with Bobby helping him arrange candles on a cake the hunter had picked up that morning for the youngest boy, and as soon as they were all lit (which Bobby handled despite Dean's insistence that he knew how to use a lighter just fine) Dean called his little brother in.
"Ok Sammy, it's ready!" Dean shouted toward the living room, and immediately an excited Sam came rushing forth.
"Wow!" the child said when he took it the sight of the large chocolate cake with the words "Happy Birthday Sammy" written atop in messy green icing. (Bobby had done the lettering himself.)
The boy's eyes were alight with pure awe.
The cake sat on the wooden table near the wall, and Sam climbed onto a chair next to the table happily. He was up on his knees on the chair, leaning on the table's surface with elbows pressed into the wood, eager to blow out the candles and make a wish.
"Ok Sam, on three. One. Two…Three!" Bobby said. Then he raised his Polaroid camera up and snapped a picture at just the right moment, exactly as Sam huffed out a big breath and all the candles flickered.
As the picture came out he could tell he'd gotten it right before the flames were extinguished. There was light above the cake, a large grin on Dean's face, and a look of thrill and concentration on Sam's.
Bobby was very pleased with the shot.
However, when he glanced up at the children gathered around the cake, they both looked a little confused.
"Why'd you take a picture of us?" Sam asked with a slight head tilt, as though taking a photo of the birthday boy wasn't a totally typical thing to do.
"Because you're six today Sam! Won't you want to remember the day?" Bobby inquired, coming over to show Sam the picture he'd taken.
"See? Now when you're old and gray you'll get to look back at this and know how good you were at blowing out candles." The man joked, and he was relieved when Sam smiled.
"That's a good idea! Thanks Uncle Bobby." The child said enthusiastically, and he looked to Dean who nodded encouragingly.
"Yeah, thanks Uncle Bobby." Dean echoed, but there was a deeper look in the older boy's eyes.
The consumption of cake went by quickly and was soon followed by games, and even a couple presents to open that Bobby had picked up for the kid. (He had gotten Sam a new book and a couple different toys at Dean's recommendation, all of which Sam seemed to love, so Bobby was glad.)
Much later, after Sam had fallen asleep on the couch clutching his new book (which he'd been proudly reading to Dean before at last succumbing to exhaustion and nodding off) Dean left his brother for just a moment and approached the hunter.
"Bobby, thanks again for all this." He said with a level of sincerity most ten years olds just didn't have.
"No problem." Bobby replied, "It is the boy's birthday."
Dean hesitated before saying, "That's just not how it normally goes. I always try, but I can't always make it happen, you know? Not like other kids get anyway..."
Bobby felt his heart break at hearing that, realizing just how much he didn't feel like he was speaking to a child.
Dean was far too young to be so old.
Ten year olds should be annoying the adults with all the things they want to do for their birthday party…Not worrying about how to scrape together some kind of celebration for their younger sibling while their father was too busy to notice.
Bobby was pulled from his thoughts when Dean added, "The picture was a really nice thing to do, too. I don't have any of those for him. Pictures of his birthdays, I mean. When I save up some money I'm gonna get a camera too so I can take more pictures of him. You're right that he should have them for when he's older."
Right then and there Bobby decided that he would do his damndest to take pictures of these boys whenever they were around his place.
Heck, maybe he'd go out and buy that camera for Dean for his birthday next year.
Or this Christmas.
Or tomorrow.
Looking at Dean, so genuine in his desire to make his little brother happy, Bobby just wanted to give the kid something to reward him for being so…good.
"You should have pictures too you know." Bobby finally replied, but Dean only shrugged in response.
Bobby's heart ached again.
"What do you say I take you and Sam to the park in the morning and you can practice with my Polaroid camera? I bet Sam doesn't have any pictures of him catching a ball, either." Bobby said, and watched as Dean finally smiled.
"Sounds like a plan Uncle Bobby. And seriously, thanks." The boy responded, honest gratitude shining in his eyes.
Yup. Bobby thought to himself. Definitely getting that camera tomorrow.
Secondary Author's Note: Thanks for reading! A lot of people had wanted a lighter one after chapter 35 "Impact", and I promise I really did try to make this lighter, but like I said, this one was totally outside my control. And at least it wasn't a death story, right? And it technically had Bobby fluff. lol Anyway, I'm back to requests next time, and the one I'm working on should definitely be brighter. ;) (I've been battling writer's angst as opposed to writer's block for a while now, apparently. lol) Anyway, thanks again, and please feel free to leave a review or request. :D