CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

Sam protects Dean from a storm. Dean's letter to Santa.

"What matter Sammy? You's sad?" asked Dean, climbing onto the couch beside his brother. "Pees not be sad... I's not wike you sad." He looked up at his big brother sadly.

"I'm not sad kiddo, I'm just thinking about something."

"Noooo. You's wook sad, Sammy. I make better... Weady? I hearded song make happy." Dean paused to clear his throat, and started clapping. "Wowwy, happy... Happy joy joy, happy happy joy joy. Be happy... happy joy joy... wowwy happy happy joy joy."

Sam couldn't help smiling. He tried to think of what song Dean was singing, then he realised he was singing two completely different songs. The 'happy happy joy joy' song was from Ren and Stimpy. Dean must have heard 'Don't worry be happy' on another show he liked.

"HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOOOOOOOY!" Dean finished with a grin. "I's maked happy Sammy?"

Sam picked him up, and hugged him. "I'm very happy now, kiddo."

"YAY! I maked Sammy happy," said Dean, hugging him back. He jumped in shock when he heard a sudden loud bang. "What dat, Sammy?"

"Oh crap. I think it's thunder." Sam held Dean tighter when the little boy clung to him, his arms trembling.

"I-It... It scawy, Sammy," Dean whimpered, trying to hide in Sam's shirt.

"Shh. It's okay. It won't hurt you. It's just noise, I promise you'll be okay," he whispered, kissing Dean's hair, and stroking his back. He looked down at his watch, and saw it was lunchtime. He tried to stand up, but Dean clung tighter to him. "Er... Dean? I need to move."

Dean shook his head, and wrapped his arms around Sam's neck, hiding his face against his neck.

"Come on. Let me go." He tried to get free again but it did no good, Dean held on tighter as he trembled in his arms.

There was another bang, this one louder than before, which made Dean jump again as he cried out in panic. "Scareded."

"There's no need to be scared. I need to go in the kitchen. Let go," said Sam, stroking Dean's back gently as he tried to soothe his frightened brother.

"NO! Sammy no. No Sammy," pleaded Dean, clinging even tighter to Sam with both arms and legs.

"Hey hey. Shh kiddo. The storm won't hurt you. You're safe, Dean." Sam kissed Dean's cheek, and stroked the blond hair. "It's okay."

Dean cringed when a gust of wind knocked something down outside. "I safe wivs you, Sammy."

"You feel safe with me?"

Dean nodded against Sam. "Yeah. But if not wiv you, I scared."

"You can stay with me as long as you want. You can help me make lunch if you like," he said, carrying him into the kitchen. "We'll make sandwiches, okay?"

Bobby and Zeppelin came in from their walk, both wet from the storm outside. "Is he okay?" he asked worriedly when he saw Dean attached to his brother.

"He's scared. Do you want to take him for me while I get lunch started?"

"NO! My Sammy. I need Sammy. Sammy, pees Sammy."

Sam frowned in concern, and rocked his brother gently to calm him down. "Shh. It's okay. Can you get lunch ready, Bobby? It doesn't look as if Dean's letting me go any time soon."

Bobby smiled, and stroked Dean's back. "Yeah, sure. Just sit at the table with him."

The two Winchesters sat on the same chair, since Dean still wasn't letting his brother go. Zeppelin jumped up, so his paws were on the edge of their chair, and started licking the frightened little boy.

Dean jumped when he felt something wet on his neck. "What dat, Sammy?" he asked in a scared voice.

"It's okay. It's Zeppelin, he wants to see if you're okay," Sam told him gently. "Are you going to come out and say hi?"

Dean slowly raised his head, and turned to his dog. He giggled when Zeppelin licked his nose, and barked. "Yeah. I's 'kay, Zeppin." He removed one arm from around Sam's neck, and stroked his best friend.

There was another crack of thunder, which caused Dean to whimper and throw himself at Sam again.

Sam sighed, and looked at Bobby. "How are the sandwiches coming, Bobby?"

"Done. I just need to cut Dean's up." Bobby put the sandwiches on a plate, and joined the two at the table. "Here, little man," he said, holding a triangle-shaped sandwich out.

Dean raised his head, and took the sandwich with a tiny smile. "Fank you, unca Bee-bee."

"Yer welcome."

Sam took a sandwich, and tried to eat it with Dean still on his knee. "How are you doing, kiddo?"

Dean shrugged, and laid his head against Sam's chest while he ate his lunch slowly.

Later that day the storm had settled a little, but Dean was still frightened, and refused to let Sam go.

"Er... Dean? I need you to let me go for a minute, I need the bathroom," said Sam, looking at Bobby for help.

"Hey, little man. Come sit with me for a minute while yer brother goes to the bathroom, okay?"

Dean looked up with wide eyes. "He come back?" he asked, removing one of his arms.

Sam smiled, and handed Dean to Bobby carefully. "I'll be one minute, I promise."

"'Kay." Dean nodded, and snuggled close against Bobby's chest. "You's pwotect me, unca Bee-bee."

"Of course I'll protect ya," he soothed, before looking up at Sam. "Go on then."

Sam nodded, and ran upstairs to use the bathroom.

"Do ya know what day it is soon?"

"Erm... Samday?" asked Dean, looking up at his uncle.

"No. It's not Sunday, little man. It's Christmas soon. Yer going to be able to see Santa Claus."

Dean gasped, his eyes going wide. "Santa? YAY! I see Santa. YAAAAAY!" He gave Bobby a hug.

Bobby chuckled fondly, and hugged him back. "What do ya want to get for Sam? Santa only gets little people presents, so we have to buy Sam one because he's big."

"We's get Sammy pwesent? Ooh ooh. What getted Sammy?"

"We'll go shopping soon, okay" he asked, looking over to see if Sam was on his way back.

"It secet," Dean whispered, putting his finger to his lips.

Bobby looked up again when he heard a noise on the stairs. "Shh. Sam's coming."

For some reason, Zeppelin decided to jump up onto Bobby's chair, almost squashing the two people who were sitting in it. "Zeppin pay hide seeks wiv Sammy."

When Sam came back in the living room, Bobby got his attention. "Hide and seek," he whispered, pointing at the little boy and his dog.

"Oh no. Where's my Dean and his Zeppelin gone?" he asked, and the two men smiled when they heard giggling from behind the German Shepherd. "Bobby, do you know where they are?"

"No. They just disappeared."

"BOOOOOO!" yelled Dean, popping up from his hiding place.

Bobby and Sam pretended they had been scared. "Oh Dean. There you are. You scared us, where have you been?" asked Sam, kneeling beside the chair.

Dean hugged Zeppelin tightly, and smiled. "We's hided here, but you not see."

"Well you're a very good hider, kiddo. Me and Bobby couldn't find you."

Dean giggled, but started whimpering when he heard the wind knock something else over. He cried out, throwing his arms around Bobby's neck and hiding his face.

"Shh, little man. Nothing is going to hurt ya," soothed Bobby in a gentle voice. "Hey, do ya want to write a letter to Santa?"

Dean's head shot up, and he bounced excitedly. "Wite Santa? Ooooh. What wite?"

Sam got out some paper, Dean's felts, with a book to lean on. "Me and Bobby will help you write it, okay?" he said as he sat on the arm of Bobby's chair. "To Santa, My name is Dean Winchester. Okay, what do you want for Christmas?"

"I want it snow, so we's pay... and... and make snowmans. Ooh ooh, unca Davey."

"Dave's coming up for Christmas anyway, remember?"

"Undaker and Batman come awell?" asked Dean with a hopeful expression.

Sam looked at Dean, who was still clinging to Bobby. "Do you mean your toys or the real ones?"

"Weal Batman and Undaker. Dey have Cwissmas wiv us?"

"The Undertaker and Batman will have Christmas with their families. But if you want, you can bring your toys, okay?"

Dean pouted, but nodded. "'Kay den. Erm... I's want dwums. Sammy and unca Bee-bee say I not have dem... I's want biiiiig Fi' twuck. And Wobin."

Sam smiled fondly as he wrote the letter.

"I want Impa have baby Impas and I keeps dem. Den I's dwive baby car. And she erm... gotted bed, she not be feezed. Snow maked her feeze."

Bobby chuckled when Dean asked for a bed for his car.

"You's bwing Mr Wiggles back den he have happy Cwissmas?"

Sam smiled sadly at his brother. "Santa can't bring him back, kiddo," he told him, stroking his brother's cheek. "But if you want, we'll give him a present so he'll be happy, okay?"

"Santa, you make snow up heaven? Den Mommy and Daddy and Mr Wiggles have snow cwissmas."

Bobby hugged Dean tightly when his eyes filled with tears. Zeppelin whined softly, and laid his head on Dean's legs to offer his own comfort.

After a couple of minutes, Dean continued with his letter. "And... Erm... We's have..." He looked at Sam with his big eyes. "We have biiiiig Cwissmas twee?"

"Yeah. We'll get a really big tree for you. And you can help me put the decorations on it, if you want."

Dean grinned and nodded. "I make twee pwetty. He wear cwoves?" he asked with a frown.

"No, little man. Christmas trees don't wear clothes, ya put loads of tinsel and lights and stuff on to make it look nice."

Sam ruffled Dean's hair fondly. "We'll make sure you have the best Christmas ever."

"OOH OOH! Santa, you's get Dean knight Pwesent?" Dean asked, looking up shyly. "You give kiss pees?"

"Do you want anything else?"

"OOH OOH! OOH OOH! I have bike same dan Undaker? It cool. You's get Batman on TV? My's vibidio bwoked, and I not watch it," he said sadly. "And cartoons... And Metaca and 'Ed Zeppin. I not have dem."

Sam sighed as he continued writing. Him and Bobby were going to make sure they got as much as they could. When he finished writing, he folded the paper up and put it in his wallet, before suggesting they watch TV for awhile.

"Yes pees, Sammy," said Dean, pulling Sam down into the chair, so he ended up on Bobby's knee too. "You sit wiv me awell."

"If you want to sit with us both, why don't we sit on the couch?"

Dean's eyes lit up. "Yeah. Come unca Bee-bee and Sammy," he said, standing up, and trying to pull his brother and uncle with him.

TBC

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