Thank you so much Leann Nickerson, Kathy, Stormysea-breaks, Blondie 20000 and Secretwrittenword for all the kind feedback!

Okay so we have a little sadness, then some fluff and a little drama in this part. I hope people enjoy!

Thank you,
Val

Chapter 6

John sat on the couch as Dean sat on his lap and Sam sat next to them. Once he had accepted that his oldest son was going to remain a toddler and agreed to organize the tracking of the demon for Bobby and Caleb he had agreed with Sam they needed to explain to Dean that his mother was gone.

They couldn't continue to tell the child his Mom was visiting friends. John agreed with Sam it was cruel to let Dean think his Mother was going to be with him soon.

"Dean do you remember Mrs. Carson?" John asked, knowing that this was the first time his little boy learned about death when their neighbor who sat with Dean died suddenly.

Dean nodded his head as he played with a button on his father's shirt and said, "Aven singing angels."

"Right, she's in Heaven singing with the angels." John told him as he looked over at Sam who nodded his head.

"Dean look at Daddy," John urged gently. This wasn't fair…Dean had already lost his Mom once. He was only four at the time but he understood what was happening.

Sam was different when they explained why he didn't have a Mom. He didn't have any memories so he didn't hurt the same way Dean did. For Sam it was painful but his pain was that he never got a chance to know her.

Now Dean was in an in-between stage of remembering his mother but he knew those memories would fade…it was only natural but right now his mother's memories were fresh and he knew his little boy's heart was about to be broken.

"Dean," John said again as he gently pulled the toddler fingers away from playing with the buttons on his shirt. "You know how pretty Mommy is and how nice she sings?" John asked his son.

Dean smiled up at his father and nodded his head. "Mama sing good!"

John gave Dean a sad smile, "yes Mommy sings good. She sings so good the angels came to take her to heaven to sing for them."

Sam swallowed as he watched Dean comprehend what his father was saying and at the tears in his eyes.

"No Dada…you…rummrumm…Mama!" He demanded in a loud sob.

John shook his head as he pulled Dean close. "I can't Baby. I'm sorry but I can't get in the car to get your Mommy and bring her back."

Sam scooted closer and placed his hand on Dean's heaving back as he sobbed in his Dad's arms while John rocked him gently. Hating having to watch his brother's world being shattered.

SPNSPNSPN

The next two weeks were much of the same thing. Dean's sorrow was overwhelming not only for the small child but for the men caring for him.

Oh there were still moments where the little boy would giggle as he played with one of his toys but after a few minutes he seemed to remember his mother was gone and the light would fade from his eyes.

John was at the kitchen table with Dean sitting on his lap drinking a cup of apple juice when the kitchen door open and Caleb came in with a big grin on his face that made John frown with a feeling that his friend has been up to something he wasn't going to like.

"Caleb," John called out in greeting.

"Hey John, Dean." He said as he poured himself a cup of coffee and joined them.

Dean smiled at Caleb as he put his sippy cup down and held his arms out in a silent request for a cuddle.

Caleb chuckled as he reached over and took Dean from his father. "So have you been a good boy for your Daddy today?"

John's eyebrow rose slightly at the question. Dean nodded his head and John reached over and stroked his head.

"Dean, use your words Buddy." John told him. Just like the first time Dean dealt with his mother's death he withdrew into himself and was barely speaking. They all began encouraging the child to speak more.

"Me sorry," Dean said as he laid his head on Caleb's shoulder.

John smiled at his son, "it's okay Ace, you didn't do anything wrong. We just like hearing you talk."

"We sure do and I know somebody who is really going to love hearing your voice." Caleb said as he looked over towards the door between the living room and kitchen.

John groaned slightly when he saw Sam gently nudging a puppy with his foot into the kitchen. He was just getting ready to ask what the hell Caleb was thinking when Dean caught sight of the animal and cried out, "Dada woof woof!"

Caleb smirked when John sighed and smiled at his son. "I see him."

Caleb put the squirming child down and let Dean run over to the dog. "Technically he's Jim's new dog but he said he wouldn't mind Dean naming him and playing with him." He told the elder Winchester before he could voice his objections.

John turned his attention back to Dean and swallowed as he watched Sam sit on the floor next to his brother who was hugging the stuffing out of the tiny dog.

"Gently Dean," Sam said as he looked up at his father while Dean decided to tell his new best friend about his family.

"Tay Sammy," the toddler said as he kissed the puppy.

"Okay Sammy Ace," John correct. They were trying to get Dean to practice saying his words more clearly.

Dean turned towards his brother, "Oookay!"

Sam grinned as he nodded his head. "Good job Dude!" He said as he held his hand up and Dean grinned as he gave him a high five.

"What do we have here?" Jim asked as him and Bobby walked into the room.

"According to Caleb…your new dog."

Jim watched Dean chatting happily with the newest member of their group, "so it is." He agreed.

"and Mama singing and angels," John heard Dean say sadly to the dog. Sam leaned down and kissed the top of his brother's head.

John cleared his throat, "Hey Deano seems you get to name your new friend for Jim. What do you think we should call him?" He asked before turning to Caleb and confirming, "it is him right?"

"Yup this is a boys only club house," the other man said with a chuckle.

Dean looked around the kitchen and his eyes fell on the table and turned and looked at his brother, "Sammy story…Rtaar."

Sam blinked as he tried to figure out what Dean was saying when he smiled. "Story…Rtaar…you want to name him after King Arthur from the knights of the round table story I told you?"

Dean nodded his head as Sam pulled him onto his lap and hugged him. "You are so clever. Arthur of the round kitchen table it is."

"Arthur's a little formal," Jim said as he watched the brothers, "how does Artie sound?" He figured that would be easier for Dean to say than Arthur.

"I like Artie," Caleb agreed as he took a sip of coffee.

"Rtee," Dean repeated.

"Aaa…Artie," Sam said focusing on sounding out the long A for Dean.

"Aaa…Artie," Dean said as he nuzzled his face against the puppy's face.

"Right," Sam told the child.

Bobby smiled as the dog licked a giggling Dean. "Hey Sam, why don't you set Dean and Artie up in the living room…we need to talk."

Sam stood up and looked at the older hunter before holding his hand out for Dean to take. "Hey Squirt you and Artie want to watch Scooby?"

Dean stood up and began bouncing excitedly. "Scooby Doo! Scooby Doo!"

John couldn't help smiling at his son before calling to him. "Here Dean…take you juice with you."

"Fishies?" The toddler asked hopefully.

John ruffle his hair. "Sure Ace," he said as he went over to the cabinet with the snacks and grabbed a small pouch of gold fish crackers that he opened before handing it to Dean. "Can you carry everything?"

"Me do," Dean said as he carefully carried the juice and crackers into the other room with Artie eagerly following behind in hopes his new friend would share.

The men waited for Sam to join them at the table. "He should be all set for a little while," the now older brother said.

"Is this pow-wow about the demon?" John asked.

"Heard from Rufus and he thinks he has a lead on the bastard. He'll be her in a few hours."

John nodded his head. He caught Sam staring at him and knew his son was preparing for a fight. John was getting ready to argue one more time to convince Sam that it was their mission..

He opened his mouth to speak up but snapped it shut when a loud crash came from the living room as they heard Dean scream in horror.

John bolted from the room first and stopped short when he ran into the living room to see his son on the floor with numerous books covering him and a broken book shelf lying at his feet "Dean!" John cried as he hurried over to his son.

"John don't move him!" Jim called out to the other man. "I'm calling 911."

"Help me clear this stuff away!" John shouted. He knew Jim was right, he didn't dare move him.

Caleb, Sam, Bobby and John quickly cleared the debris covering the toddler.

"Oh Dean," Sam cried as he saw the bruises already forming on the child's face. He dropped to his knees as he stroked Dean's head.

John knelt on the other side of Dean and gently probe the back of his son's head for any blood. Thankfully, his little man landed on a couple of quilts on the floor that he had been playing on earlier.

"You're going to be alright Baby," John kept murmuring to the unconscious child. He chanced a glance at Sam and saw tears in his eyes. "He's gonna be fine Sammy."

"It's my fault. I forgot I put Wolfie on the shelf earlier and he must have climbed up to get it." Sam told his father as he reached up and wiped at the tears he couldn't seem to stop himself from shedding.

John sighed, "Sammy listen kids get into everything at this age. It happens."

Sam's head shoot up in shock at his words. Why wasn't his father ripping him a new one for his carelessness. John saw the shock in his son's eyes and gave him a mirthless smile.

"You know the scar on Dean's left thigh…he got it when he was three and I had him out in the garage with me. Turned my head for a minute and he managed to slice himself on a piece of metal I forgot to put away. He ended up with fourteen stitches and a tetanus shot."

"Your Dad's right," Bobby reassured the younger man.

John fought the urge to lift Dean up and the child being unconscious was scaring the shit out of him but he knew better than moving him. It seemed like a lifetime before they heard the sirens of the ambulance and two paramedics with a gurney were being led into the room by Caleb.

"Okay," the taller of the two men said as he and his partner put t their equipment down as they knelt by Dean. "Can someone tell us what happened."

John quickly explained to the paramedics that Dean had climbed up on the bookcase and that a shelf broke and fell as the men began to assess the damage done to Dean's tiny body.

"And are you the Dad?" one of the men asked Sam.

Sam looked at the man in shock as he shook his head, "no…I'm Dean's brother."

"I'm Dean's father," John clarified.

The other paramedic smiled, "okay Dad, does Dean have any allergies to medications that we should know about?"

"No none…only allergy is cat fur," John said.

The other man looked up from checking Dean's pupils response. "And how old is Dean?"

"Twenty-seven," John said absently and saw the way the men looked at him in confusion and quickly added, "months…he's twenty-seven months old."

"Right, we're going to stabilize him to transport to the hospital but his vitals are good and his pupil responses are normal but he could have a slight concussion."

"Why isn't he awake then?" Sam asked anxiously.

"It's not uncommon in accidents like this, he got the wind knocked out of him." The other man reassured them as his partner went over to grab the child size spinal board and the men got to work as they gently but firmly began to stabilize the toddler.

The men stood back as the paramedics worked on Dean. They were securing the last strap on the gurney when the child's eyes began to flutter open.

"Somebody's starting to come through," the shorter of the two men said as Sam and John rushed forward.

"Hey Ace," John said as he looked down at his son.

"Dada," Dean whimpered.

"Right here Baby," he murmured as he leaned down and kissed his son's forehead.

"We need to get this little man to the hospital," the senior paramedic said as he looked over at John. "Sir, do you want to come in the ambulance with us. That way he doesn't get upset or scared."

"Of course," John said.

"John, we'll follow behind," Bobby said before adding when he saw the way John was looking at him. "I'll call Rufus to let him know that our hunting trip will be delayed for a few days."

The elder Winchester gave a quick nod as he followed behind the paramedics when they began pushing Dean out towards the front door.

"Wait?" Sam called out.

John turned and had to smile slightly when he saw Sammy holding Dean's stuff dog rush forward towards the gurney, "here Deanie. Woofie said he wants to go with you." He said to his brother.

"Sammy stay me?" Dean asked meekly.

"Dad's gonna ride with you Bud. Me, Caleb, Uncle Jim and Uncle Bobby will be right behind you. I love you," Sam told his brother as he kissed his nose.

"We really need to get him to the hospital, we're taking him to United Hospital," the younger paramedic said.

Sam nodded his head as he took a few steps back to get out of the way as the other three men came and stood behind him. They all watched as John followed behind the gurney as they made their way outside and down the front steps before climbing into the back of the ambulance.

"Come on Sam," Bobby said as he slapped the younger hunter on the shoulder. "I'll call Rufus and tell him to meet us at the hospital."

"Wait," Caleb said. "Sam, grabbed Artie, we'll have to lock him in the kitchen with some water and kibble." He told the other man as he headed into the kitchen and stopped to grab the newspaper from the coffee table,

"Right," Sam said as he went over to the couch and picked up the sleeping puppy.

"Son grab a couple of towels from the linen closet too so you can make a little bed for the poor creature to sleep in while we're gone." Jim told him.

Sam went into the hallway and grabbed the towels like Jim suggested before going into the kitchen to find Caleb laying newspaper out on the floor.

Ten minutes later the four men were on their way to meet John and Dean at the hospital.

TBC

A/N Of course would still have the urge to go after Yellow Eyes and it was in the back of his head...but poor little Dean had to have an accident to make John truly get that he needed him.