Chapter 2

Dean's small body slumped as his eyes glazed over and he stared off into space. He never offered to drink the milk or eat the cookies. He was getting lost in his mind as he tried to make sense of what was happening to him. Nothing going on around him seemed to matter anymore. He did not resist when Andrea picked him up and carried him to a cot, she had set up in the corner of the dining room. She gently laid him down and covered his small body, caressing his cheek, sighing sadly about his situation. Kim had told Andrea the circumstances of Dean losing his parents in a fire and having to separate him from his baby brother. She turned on a small lamp so he would not be in the dark before leaving him to hopefully sleep.

Andrea had seen other foster kids she took in look just like Dean and knew he was trying to deal with so much for one so young. It was too overwhelming for his young mind to comprehend and make sense of. The only thing she could do was try to show him compassion and care while he was with her. She wished she had room to keep him, but she already had four kids in her care and that was all she could manage fulltime. Andrea headed down the hall to the bedrooms and glanced in two of them to check on her other foster kids before going to her own bedroom. She got back in bed and snuggled up against her husband to go back to sleep.

The house was quiet around Dean as he curled into a fetal position and squeezed his eyes shut, letting tears roll down his cheeks. He never made a sound as he silently mourned the loss of his entire family. He was alone in his sorrow and had no one to lean on. Exhaustion and stress had him falling into a fitful sleep filled with flames and sirens. He whimpered in his sleep as he tried to fight the images that invaded his mind.

No one in the house felt the heavenly form that appeared beside the cot and looked down at the small body that trembled and whimpered in his sleep. He laid a warm hand on the boy's head and drove away his nightmares to allow him to rest. The form silently vanished once his orders were completed, because he was a loyal soldier, leaving the child alone.

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"Dean, sweetie, it's time to wake up," a soft voice broke into a dream he was having.

A gentle touch shook Dean's shoulder making him come instantly awake and jerk away from it. Dean opened his weary, green eyes and looked at the face of a stranger who was kneeling beside the cot he was laying on. His eyes searched around him for something familiar, but he did not see anything that would comfort him.

"Dean, would you like some breakfast?" Andrea asked. "I have cereal, oatmeal, or I can fix you some eggs and toast," she offered.

Dean lowered his gaze and did not say anything. He didn't feel like eating, though he was hungry.

"Why don't I show you where the bathroom is, and you can use it. The other boys have already gone to school, so you won't have to worry about them until this afternoon when they get home. I made sure they were quiet so not to wake you." Andrea reached to pull the blanket from Dean's body but stopped when he shielded away. "Sorry, I won't touch you Dean. Do you want to get up? I've got some clean clothes for you to put on until they can get your own from your house."

Dean obeyed her only because he really needed to use the potty and wanted something to drink. He pushed the blanket back and slipped his legs to the floor to stand on shaky legs. Once he got his balance, Dean followed along behind Andrea to a hall and to the bathroom.

"Here you go honey, take your time and the kitchen is on through the dining room. I'll be in there waiting on you." She closed the door behind her leaving Dean alone in the bathroom. She had laid the clothes on the sink for Dean knowing he would not want help.

Once the door closed behind him, Dean went to the commode, stepped on the small stool, and used it before looking at the clothes Andrea had left for him. He pushed the stool to the sink and washed his hands like his Mom had taught him and froze with his hands under the water as the sadness washed over him. He knew a little about death that his Mom had explained to him when a cousin had died from a fatal illness but did not truly understand it all.

He did grasp that his Momma and Daddy were not coming back for him. Dean cupped his hand and sipped a little water from it before turning the faucet off and drying his hands. He took the clothes and shook them out to put on. He pulled off his dirty pajamas and dressed in the slightly too big clothes.

The kitchen was not hard to find, and Dean stood in the doorway watching Andrea move around the room.

"There you are, I'm making you some eggs and toast. I thought you needed something a little more substantial to eat. Would you like some chocolate milk to drink? Why don't you sit down at the table, honey?" she told him when he did not move from the doorway.

Not having much choice, Dean went to the table and pulled the chair out to sit down. He settled in the chair and waited as Andrea sat a plate with eggs, and toast on it in front of him. She put a glass of chocolate milk by his side and stepped back to allow him space.

Andrea knew this type of trauma and knew it would take time for Dean to come to terms with all that had happened to him. He was so young for something like this to happen to him. She hoped as time went by, Dean would be able to move past this and continue his life.

The smell of the food had Dean's stomach growling and he knew he needed to eat to get strong. His little brother was out there somewhere, and he was going to find him some day. He picked up the fork and began to eat small bites of eggs with his eyes downcast.

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Dean was sitting on the couch watching the television when he heard the front door open and young, loud voices echoed through the house. He stiffened when two boys older than him came into the room. They looked at him with curious eyes before continuing into the kitchen calling out to Andrea. Dean let out the breath he did not know he was holding when they left him alone.

Happy voices and noises came from that way bringing back memories of his kitchen and his Mom and Dad, making tears brim his eyes. He quickly wiped them away before anyone could see them and gazed absently at the screen, not seeing what was playing on the television.

Andrea had given him some toys to play with, which he did not touch, and fixed lunch for him and ate with him. He still had not spoken a word since the fire and did not care if he ever spoke again. He had nothing to say to anyone, but that did not mean he was not listening to everything going on around him.

It was not long before two other boys came hustling through the front door, jostling each other and laughing. They saw Dean curled into the corner of the couch and slowed long enough to offer him a smile before heading for the kitchen where the others were. Dean did not offer to join them in the kitchen knowing this was not his family and he did not belong. He made himself even smaller on the couch as he curled in on himself, fighting to hold back the emotions that threatened to come out. He had never felt so alone as he did right now.

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Andrea came and got Dean to have a snack with the others. She introduced him to her other boys and told them he was only staying for a night or two. They spoke briefly to him and then when they had finished their snacks went to their rooms to do their homework. Dean didn't speak as he kept his eyes downcast, eating the cheese cubes and crackers and drinking the juice Andrea gave him.

He sat at the table later with a coloring book and crayons while Andrea fixed dinner. The boys had gone outside to play, but Dean didn't want to join them and stayed inside. He picked up a crayon and looked at the page before him, using a green crayon to begin coloring a tree. By the time he was finished, Andrea had dinner ready and asked Dean to set the table. He dutifully did as he was told and began to place the paper plates, napkins, and silverware around the table.

Dean remained stoic and quiet as the others chatted and talked about their day. He listened to everything and stored it away in his memory. It brought back his own memories of his family gathering around the kitchen table and enjoying a meal. Dean would help Sammy with his bottle of milk as they ate, being sure he didn't drop it. He thought about his baby brother and wondered where he was.

Dean didn't understand the feelings he was having or the painful ache in his chest when he thought of Sammy. He blinked away the tears before anyone saw them. He reeled in his emotions and locked them away, not wanting anyone to see them. He blanked out those memories, not wanting them anymore. Dean locked them away and erased them from his mind. Those memories were too heartbreaking for him to keep, and he just wanted this over with. He would use this as a coping mechanism for himself to help with the unbearable memories.

A/N: Dean is on his own now and must learn how to live without his family. Thank you for coming on this journey with me and I hope you enjoy the life I created for him. Thank you to any guest who have left reviews. I greatly appreciate them. Reviews/Comments would be great. NC