A/N: Happy New Year and what better way to start it than with a new story. Hello, my dear readers and I hope you are ready for a long journey as we start a 'what if' story. This was written over a six-month period with the help of VegasGranny; she is amazing. I think it turned out to be a good story. She kept me on the right path and gave me ideas and support. Thank you to Julia H for the cover art that VegasGranny got for my birthday. This AU will start at the beginning, so all this is a world I created. The first part is centered around Dean but don't worry, Sam will be brought in later in the story. There will be familiar faces with twists and turns along the way. Enough from me, buckle in and enjoy the read. I do love your reviews/comments. NC
Disclaimer: I do not own SPN, and this is my own creation. Any errors are my own.
Chapter 1
Strange noises and loud voices woke the small boy from his sleep, and he knew something was not right. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed and threw back the covers. He heard the voices again louder this time, sounding like screaming and his Daddy's panicked voice, and quickly got out of bed and went to his door. When he pushed it open, he could see smoke coming from his little brother's nursery and his one thought was to get to Sammy. It was his job to look out for Sammy and take care of him ever since he was brought home from the hospital.
Dean stepped into the hallway and looked toward the doorway of the nursery to see flames shooting outward from the ceiling, providing the orange light that illuminated the hallway. He took a step toward the doorway when a dark shape suddenly appeared, blocking his view, coming out of the now thickening smoke, making him stumble back against the wall. Before he could say anything, a bundle was shoved into his arms, and he looked up into the frightened face of his father.
"Take your brother outside Dean! Hurry, and don't look back," John insisted in a scared, frantic voice. He gave Dean a shove toward the stairs before covering his mouth and running back into the nursery.
The wiggling of the bundle broke his trance and he looked down into his baby brother's face that was scrunched up and he was getting ready to cry. Dean could not help himself as he took one more step toward the doorway and looked inside. What he saw would stay with him for the rest of his life. He ran for the stairs and sat down to scoot down them on his bottom so he would not drop his little brother.
It seemed to take forever before his feet finally touched the floor downstairs. Dean got a better grip on his precious bundle and hurried to the door on wobbly legs. He got the lock on the door undone but couldn't reach the one above it. Not wanting to, but not having any choice, Dean put Sam on the floor and drug a chair to the door so he could reach the deadbolt and flip it. Once that was done, he moved the chair, opened the door, and picked his brother back up so they could get outside.
The cool night air made him shiver as he drew in a clean breath of air. He made it down the steps and stopped to look back when an explosion rocked the area, sending a shock wave outward and knocking him backwards onto the ground on his back. He clutched his little brother to his chest as the breath was knocked out of him and he lay there unable to move. Sammy's wails pulled him back and he tried to sit up to comfort him.
Everything became a blur from then on as strangers helped him up and a blanket was wrapped around their bodies. Hands tried to take his brother from him, but he had a steel grip on him and was not going to let him go. He did not see any of the faces that tried to talk to him, nor did he make a sound. None of the voices were familiar to him and they were not the ones he wanted to hear. Dean's four -year-old mind could not comprehend the events that had happened to him or his parents. He shut down and quietly rocked his baby brother in his arms as firefighters, neighbors, and police moved around him mummering sadly about the deaths of John and Mary Winchester.
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"What have we got here?" a doctor in the emergency room asked as he looked into the cubicle to see a young child holding a baby in his arms.
"Explosion in a house and these were the only two who made it out. Their parents were killed in it," the nurse said quietly. "Child Protective Services is sending someone down to stay with them and will try to find emergency temporary placement for them until they can see if there are any relatives to take them," the nurse explained.
"Tragic turn of events to lose both your parents at the same time," the doctor sighed softly. He put on a happy face and stepped into the room. "Hello there, young man. My name is Bruce, I'm a doctor. Will it be okay to check you out? Why don't you give your brother to the nurse for now?"
The doctor tried to get Sammy out of Dean's arms, but even being so young, Dean was strong, and he would not release his hold on his brother. A deep, soft, childlike growled rose in his chest as he held Sammy tighter making him whimper softly.
"The EMTs said he's been like this since it happened. He won't let him go," the nurse informed the doctor.
"Can we do this, Dean?" Bruce asked. "I need to check both of you out, could you lay your brother here beside you and maybe let the nurse change his diaper while I look you over?"
Something seemed to sink into Dean's mind as he gazed down at his brother who was almost asleep again but looked up at him with trusting eyes while sucking on his fingers. It took a few minutes, but Dean relented and laid Sammy by his side placing a hand on his chest to have contact with him.
"Thank you, Dean. I'm going to listen to your heart, and I want you to take some deep breaths for me," Bruce explained to him as he took his stereoscope and slipped it under his pajama top and onto his chest. He listened to his lungs and heart making sure the lungs were clear and the heartbeat good. He took a pin light to check his eyes as best he could since Dean was not taking his eyes off his brother while the nurse changed his diaper. "His lungs are clear, and it doesn't look like he sustained any injuries from the explosion. Now let's look at this little man," he cooed to Sammy. He checked Sammy over and deemed them both in good health. He let up the railing on the side of the bed so neither would accidently fall.
"It'll be another hour before CPS can get here doctor," the nurse informed him. "The police are waiting outside to question the older boy, should I let them talk to him?"
"Only for a minute, he's still in shock from what has happened, and I don't think he'll tell them anything. We'll keep them here until CPS can find a suitable place for them. Why don't you get some juice for Dean, and I bet the baby will probably want a bottle before long? Might better send someone up to maternity and get a couple of bottles and more diapers."
"Already done. I'll have an orderly stay with them and let the police know they can have a minute with him."
They stepped from the cubicle and the doctor went to the nurse's desk to type some notes while the nurse stepped to the two officers waiting nearby. She informed them they could see the boy, but to make it brief, he had had enough tragedy for one so young and did not need further trauma.
The two officers stepped into the cubicle and looked at the two children with sad eyes. Dean had picked Sammy back up and was rocking slightly as he brokenly hummed a Beatles song.
"Hi young man," one of the officers spoke to him in a soft voice. "I'm Officer Clark and this is my partner, Officer Barton. I was wondering if you could tell us what happened tonight?" He waited for Dean to say something, anything, but it was like he did not see or hear them. His entire focus was on his little brother. "Why were you outside? Did your mom or dad tell you to go out?" Still Dean did not speak as he stared in front of him with unfocused, glassy eyes.
"I don't think you're going to get anything out of him Clark. Poor kid has lost his parents and is lucky to be alive."
"Yeah, guess you're right. Hopefully, the arson guys can tell us something once they've done a preliminary sweep of the upstairs where the fire originated. You take care Dean; we'll try talking to you later when you're feeling better."
The officers stopped by the nurse's station to leave contact information and to find out what was going to happen with the kids. They would give them a few days and try to talk to the older one again. The officers wanted to know if he saw anything that would explain the fire and explosion on the second floor of their house, centered in what was the nursery.
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Dean was so tired, but he would not let himself go to sleep because he needed to protect his little brother. When Sammy started whining and smacking on his fingers, the nurse gave Dean a bottle to feed him, and she was surprised that he could burp him and knew when to do it. Once Sammy had finished the bottle and had gone back to sleep, Dean accepted juice and crackers and ate one and drunk the juice before curling around Sammy and letting his eyes slowly close. Someone dimmed the lights in the cubicle and not able to help himself, Dean drifted into an uneasy sleep.
Voices just outside of his hearing range had Dean stirring and he worked hard on opening his eyes. He became fully alert when the bundle beside him was removed from his care. Dean tried to let out a wail that turned into a gargled moan as he tried to launch himself at the person who took his little brother.
"Now, now Dean, this nice lady is from CPS and she's going to find you and your brother temporary housing for the night," a male orderly told him as he grabbed Dean before he could attack. He held him a little too tightly until Dean seemed to calm. "That's it, now you be good for the nice lady."
Dean jerked his head back and looked up into the face of the orderly to see the evil in his eyes. He did not understand what just happened, but he knew this was something bad and he needed to do what he was told to protect his brother.
"Why don't you take the baby on out and I'll bring Dean along after he uses the restroom," the orderly told the social worker.
"Thank you, at that age they can be a hand full and such tragedy for them to have to go through. At least the little one doesn't understand any of it. I'm parked right outside the door."
"We'll be along shortly." The orderly sat Dean to his feet and kept a firm hold on his hand as he took him to a restroom nearby. Once they were inside the room alone, he turned to Dean and sneered at him. "I know you're too young to understand all that's going on brat. Now use the bathroom so we can go." He pushed Dean toward a commode and waited.
Dean was listening to the words he was being told but did not understand what they meant. The only thing that sunk in was he was being separated from Sammy. He never said a word as a stray tear crept down his cheek and his lips trembled.
"Wash your hands so we can go. Don't want to keep the nice lady waiting now do we?" the orderly told Dean. He turned away while he relieved himself and helped him wash his hands. They walked to the emergency entrance and out the door to a waiting car. The demon strapped Dean into a booster seat and patted him on the head. "Don't worry I'll be keeping an eye on you too," he whispered. "You're ready now, good luck."
"Thanks for the help," the woman replied and waited for him to shut the car door before driving away. "I know this is a lot to take in Dean, but everything is going to be okay. I'm sorry that I couldn't find a place for both of you together, but it was such short notice, and I was lucky to even find two spots for you two to stay the night."
Dean was not listening to the woman talk. He kept his eyes on his little brother and reached over to take his hand as he slept in the car seat next to him. Dean was a smart kid for one so young, and he knew something very bad had happened to his parents and they were not going to come and get him and Sammy. He took in everything about his little brother wanting to commit it to his memory before he was lost to him.
It wasn't long before the woman stopped the car in front of a two-story house and got out. She opened the back and unfastened Dean's harness, helped him out, and popped Sammy's car seat out to take him too. She walked up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the bell.
"Hi Kim," a middle-aged woman greeted her when she opened the door. "And who might this be?" she asked in a soft voice leaning down slightly to look at Dean.
"Hello Andrea, and this is Dean. Thank you so much for squeezing him in tonight. I know this was short notice," Kim replied.
"Like I said, I can keep him for a couple of nights until you find another place for him. I wish I could keep him, but I've already got four kids now."
"You're a lifesaver and I'll take what I can get. Dean, this is Andrea and you're going to be staying with her for a couple of days. She's going to take very good care of you and when we find a foster family or group home, we'll move you there."
"Would you like to come inside Dean? I bet I can find a glass of milk and maybe a cookie for you," Andrea encouraged as she reached to pat him on the shoulder.
Dean liked the sound of the woman's voice, but he did not want to stay with her. He wanted to go back home, to his bed, and his things. He shunned away from her touch and kept his distance.
"Go on inside Dean, I need to get your brother to his foster family," Kim told him stepping into the foyer with him. "You be a good boy and I'll see you soon."
"He'll be fine," Andrea assured her, giving her a brief wave as she turned to leave.
Before Kim could leave, Dean grabbed Sammy in a tight hug and whispered softly into his ear before being pulled away by Kim. He blinked back the tears and watched his brother being taken from him. Something inside of Dean changed in that moment and he locked away all the emotions he was feeling into a box vowing to never let anyone see them again. He allowed Andrea to lead him into a kitchen and sit him on a bar stool while she busied herself pouring a small glass of milk and getting some animal crackers for Dean.
This was the start of a new chapter in his life that would shape his future as he learned to live without his little brother. It would be years before he would see him again and remember this tragic night.