You'll be in the next room?" Dean demanded, looking at Caleb.
"I promise, bud," Caleb assured him, kneeling down beside him at his bed. "And Jim will be down in the basement working, okay?"
Dean nodded. "And Sammy's in the room across from me?"
"Yes."
It was so typical of Dean to want to make sure he knew where everyone was-it was a coping method, and it was also a way to make sure that the people he loved, were safe.
Dean reached underneath him and pulled out a Batman nightlight. "Can you plug this in for me?" Jim had slipped the nightlight to him that day, something to make him feel more at ease in a new home.
"Absolutely. Did Jim give this to you?"
Dean nodded, sucking on his bottom lip. "So I won't be afraid. I'm not," he added, "I just want it."
Caleb nodded, thinking over his next words. "It's okay to be afraid sometimes, Dean, it's actually healthy."
Dean shook his head defiantly. "Daddy wasn't."
Dean was fiercely protective of his late father-he held onto personal mementos as though they were prized possessions, which in a way, they were.
Caleb was glad that Dean could have that small piece of his father left. He wanted both boys to revel in their parent's memory as much as they possibly could. For Sam, he would rely almost exclusively on the memories his brother and guardians had.
"I'm sure even your father was," he gently contradicted. "He was only human, after all."
Dean nodded, though Caleb could tell he was still unsure of it all. "Good...night," he slurred sleepily, his little body already curling up on its side to enjoy his sleep.
"Goodnight, bud."
"Thanks for my room."
"You're more than welcome."
Caleb was glad Dean had that room to call his own. So many things he had no control over, he was glad that Dean could have had a say in where he slept and what it looked like.
His next stop once he had left Dean's room, was to check on Sam in the room across from it. Sam was already asleep, his little chest rising and falling gently.
Smiling, Caleb gently closed the door and went to his office downstairs. The new office housed everything, from Dean's (and soon to be Sam's), school records, to their drawings, and different files related to their cases.
"Someone made a jail escape," Jim announced the next morning over coffee.
"Sam?" Caleb asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep, found him wandering around the hall this morning when I got up."
"Think it's time we get him a toddler bed?"
"Yeah."
All in all, their first night in the house had gone smoothly. Sam hadn't made a peep, neither had Dean. The nightlight had remained plugged in, and his slumber had been peaceful.
"Hi," Dean said, leading Sam down the stairs by his hand.
"Morning," Caleb said, getting up and helping Sam into his high chair. "How did you sleep?"
"Good," Dean shrugged, sliding into his customary seat next to Sam. "Sammy liked his new room, right?"
Beside him, Sam nodded. "Room!"
The guys chuckled, shaking their heads in bemusement. "I'm glad it worked out."
"It did."