First off: WOW! Thank you so much to everyone who favorited and followed, and a special thanks to those who left a review. It was so great to hear what you guys thought. Really motivational. So motivational that I have the next chapter ready to go!

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.

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In the morning, Jody took a cab to the station and brought the Impala back to the motel - much to Dean's delight. She also managed to pick up breakfast which they ate quickly. Dean was anxious to get a driver's license made up, Sam was anxious to get to the bunker and start researching reversal spells, and Jody needed to get back for a parent teacher conference at Alex's school.

"Well boys, this has been...weird." Jody laughed looking at the two young Winchesters standing in the motel parking lot before her.

"Yeah," Dean smiled. "It's weird even for us. Thanks for coming all the way out here and bailing us out. We own you one."

"Don't think I won't remember that." Jody teased. She pulled Dean in for a quick hug, then Sam. "Now you boys behave, and don't forget call me when you've got hair on your chests again so I know you're ok."

"You got it." Sam said.

"You can also call if you need anything else. Advice on how to talk to girls at school, PBJ's with the crusts cut off, a bedtime story…" Jody trailed off.

"Yeah, we'll be sure to do that Mom." Dean said.

Sam rolled his eyes and Dean laughed.

The little group walked over to the Impala and Dean arched his eyebrows at the sight before him.

"Uh, Jody?"

"What is that?" Sam asked, although unfortunately he already knew the answer.

"High-backed booster seat for children between the ages of 4 and 11 and the weight class of 33 to 79 pounds." Jody said matter-of-factly. "Picked it up this morning."

"There is now way hell that I'm-"

"Look, I don't have the time or energy to drive down to Kansas every time you get pulled over. You may be a grown man on the inside, but that's not what the cops see. They see a little boy being driven around by another little boy, and that puts you at risk out on the road. Now, I have faith in you boys and I know you'll figure this thing out, but until you do. Sam Winchester, I need you to promise me you will stay safe in this car."

"Jody, I appreciate your concern, really I do but-"

"Have no fear," Dean spoke up. "I will make sure Sammy stays safe..."

"Thank you Dean." Sam said. His relief soon vanished.

"In his booster seat." Dean finished.

Sam shot a venomous look at his older brother.

"You heard the nice Sheriff." Dean opened the back door for Sam. "Buckle up."

"Jody, you can't be serious. I fight demons, monsters, ghosts, you name it. I'm not gonna die because I'm sitting the front seat of a car."

"You know how we can make sure of that?" Jody asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Sam sighed and climbed into the backseat. It physically pained him to think of how much joy Dean would experience as a result of seeing him ride in a booster seat. Sam situated himself in the seat and pulled at the seat belt.

"Need any help there Sammy?" Dean asked with a blinding smile.

"Shut up."

"Dean," Jody said in her mom voice. "Stop teasing your brother about this. If you care about his well-being you won't make an issue out of this. I can't count the number of kids I've seen taken to hospitals because their parents didn't think it was necessary to use one of these. "

Dean's smile turned into a tight line and he gave Jody a nod to let her know he understood how serious car accidents are.

"Ok, drive safe." Jody said as she tapped twice on the hood of the car.

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The first hour on the open road was a bit tense. Sam stewed in the backseat. His attention was focused on looking out the side windows and avoiding the eye contact Dean was trying to make through the rearview mirror.

Finally Dean decided to break the silence.

"This is probably the only time you'll ever even have to sit in that contraption. Once we get to the bunker I'm sure we'll figure this thing out and get back to normal."

Sam huffed.

"You have to admit," Dean tried again, "It was nice of Jody to even think about you and your safety. I'm sure she made her kid ride in one of those things too."

"Dad sure as hell never did." Sam mumbled.

"I don't think he even knew what a car seat was." Dean laughed a little at the thought. "I remember, you couldn't have been more than three, we were in the backseat one night and dad was driving like a bat out of hell. You were bouncing all over the place trying to eat the cereal that was stuck in the cracks of the seat, and dad just kept shouting, 'watch his head Dean, Dean watch his head or he won't grow up to be smart like you.' I think that was the only time he ever called me smart."

"Yeah, well dad could be a real ass sometimes." Sam said. His tone was much more civil now. "You always did a great job looking out for me, Dean."

"Yeah, I know. You turned out real smart… a real smart-ass. Maybe I should have let you hit your head on the window cranks every now and then." Dean teased.

The rest of the ride was uneventful and soon they were pulling into the garage at the bunker.

"Home, sweet home." Dean said switching off the ignition. "I'll take care of baby, round us up some grub, and then come join you. I'm guessing you'll be knee-deep in parchment."

"Sounds about right."

Sam proceeded to pull out every book, pamphlet, and scratch of paper that had anything to do witchcraft.

It wasn't too long before Dean entered the main hall with two bowls.

"Spaghettio's." Dean announced. "We'll have to make a grocery run later on. We're running low."

Sam nodded, but didn't bother looking up from his book.

"Any luck?" Dean asked. He set down Sam's bowl and settled in across the table from him.

"Nothing." Sam mumbled.

"Yeah, well don't get too discouraged just yet," Dean said. "We'll figure it out."

The hours passed slowly and without any excitement. Without windows it was hard to judge the passing of time, but both Sam and Dean knew they had worked deep into the night.

"We have any coffee left in the kitchen?" Sam asked and then quickly added, "And don't give me that 'stunts your growth' crap. You've seen me as an adult. I don't think I have anything to worry about."

"Good point," Dean said. "I should probably be feeding you coffee in a constant IV drip."

Sam smiled for the first time since he'd sat down to research.

"I can put on a pot if you want, but it may be better if we catch some z's and start fresh tomorrow." Dean looked down at his phone. "Or later today I guess. It's almost four in the morning."

"I'll just stick to the coffee and books." Sam rubbed his tired eyes. "I've got to be getting close."

"Suit yourself." Dean stood. "You mind if I do a little power napping?"

"Nah, you go ahead. You've been on that same page for the last thirty minutes anyways." Sam said with a mischievous little grin.

"Pft! You don't...turn pages." Dean shot back. Always the master of the witty retort.

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Dean woke with a start when he heard the echoing sound of glass shattering. His heart started racing and he jumped out of bed. Not bothering to add to his outfit of boxers and socks, he raced out of his bedroom and down the hall to where he had left Sam.

Sam was still in the room, but he was no longer slumped over a pile of books. He was standing next to a bookshelf, surrounded by shards of glass and books on the floor.

"Sammy?" Dean asked. "You ok?"

"Yeah, great!" Sam responded, grabbing a bronze bookend from the shelf. He proceeded to use what little strength he had to throw the bookend as far across the room as he could.

"Yeah, I can see that." Dean said, trying to keep his voice low and calm. Trashing rooms in fits of anger was usually Dean's thing. Sam was more of an angsty brooder. "You want to tell me what's up?"

Sam's shoulders slumped and his breathing slowed a bit. He took a step away from the bookcase but flinched when he stepped on broken glass.

"Here, let me help-"

"I'm not a damn baby!" Sam said pushing Dean's arm away. To prove his point he continued to walk through the broken glass over to his seat at the table.

"Sam, what is it?"

"It's the spell." Sam sighed. "I found it."

"Sooo...this little act of destruction was a celebration?"

"I wish." Sam pulled a book off the table and handed it to Dean. "In order to make the hex bag that the witch and Hansel used to control the ages of our bodies, we need ingredients that we won't be able to get. Ever."

"Well maybe Cas or-"

"No," Sam cut him off. "It won't work."

"Why?" Dean asked. He looked down at the spellbook Sam had handed him but initially couldn't make sense of why Sam was freaking out.

"Look at that list of ingredients," Sam instructed. "Third item down."

"One vertebrae from the spines of six newborn babies, still wet with fresh blood when placed in the hex bag." Dean grimaced. "Oh."

"Yeah, I don't know about you but that struck me as a deal breaker."

"I'd have to agree with you there." Dean quickly stated.

"And if that wasn't enough to make you pump the breaks, look at the final step."

Dean skipped down to the bottom of the page.

"In order to kick the whole thing off, the one who wears the hex bag has to carve out the heart of a family member and let the blood drip down his chin and onto the hex bag and only then will the magic be active." Sam summarized.

"So that's why Hansel...huh...Well I mean come on Sammy, a few bites may not be that bad. I'm sure my heart is bacon flavored or at least beer battered."

"Hilarious." Sam deadpanned.

"Ok, so the spell is a bust. We can find another way. We always do."

"Maybe, but that's the problem. Our solutions have a habit of coming back to bite us in the butt, and sometimes not just us but the entire world." Sam said. "I mean you got me back after Cold Oak and what did that get us? You in Hell and me on the warpath for Lilith. Demon blood, Lucifer, Angels, the apocalypse, the cage, Leviathans, purgatory, trials, not closing the gates of hell, Gadreel, Abaddon, the mark of Cain… Sometimes I feel like for every one problem we try to solve we create five new ones. So what, we make a deal to get back to our normal selves and in return we set loose some new unholy evil? I don't see an upside to that."

Dean was silent. Trying to think of something, anything he could say that might give his little brother a shred of hope. But the longer he thought about it, he realized Sam may have a point. So instead of a motivation speech, Dean went for the first aid kit.

When he returned Sam was already pulling the glass out of his feet. Dean sat down in a chair near his brother and patted his knee. Sam obediently placed his feet on his brother. He winced as Dean wiped each cut clean. Band-aids were applied and Sam lowered his feet back down to the ground.

"So." Dean looked into Sam's red-rimmed eyes. "What are you saying Sam?"

"I don't know." Sam shook his head.

Sam's phone buzzed.

"It's Charlie" He said as he pulled up the text.

Hey Sam, taking the red eye to Tuscany tonight. Can I swing by the bunker and drop off a few items for safekeeping while I'm gone?

Sam read the text over a few times before his fingers started dancing around the screen, typing out a response.

Thanks Charlie, but the trip is no longer necessary. You're still welcome to visit if you want or if you need a place to crash.

"Is she...ok?" Dean asked with trepidation. He had yet to forgive himself for beating Charlie into a bloody pulp.

Instead of answering Dean, Sam silently read the new text that had popped up.

No longer necessary? Vague and ominous, Sam. What's up? Is Dean ok?

"She just asked the same thing about you." Sam said with a little smile.

Long story. Dean's fine. Sam texted.

Thanks for that detailed explanation. I'm not far, if you're sure it's ok I think I will crash with you guys. At least just for tonight.

Sam responded, saying she would be more than welcome.

"She's gonna spend the night here." Sam told his brother. The information made Dean tense a bit.

"Right." Dean ran a hand over his chin and was surprised by the lack of stubble and the presence of baby soft skin and peach fuzz. That would take some getting used to.

"She knows you weren't trying to hurt her."

"Yeah," Dean stood. "Well I guess that supply run is on then. Can't be serving our guest left over Spaghettios and expired milk. You got any requests?"

"Uh," Sam thought for a minute. "Coffee, apples, and popcorn."

"You got it." Dean turned to leave, but then spun back around to ask, "Did you tell her about...this" Dean motioned to the two of them.

"She'll find out soon enough."

"True. Ok, I'll be back soon. Call if you need anything. Try and get some sleep. You look like crap."

"Thanks."

Dean smiled and went on his way.

Once Sam heard the roar of the Impala and the garage door closing, he decided to take Dean's advice and get some shut eye before Charlie came. He went straight for his bed but stopped in his tracks when he caught a whiff of his own body odor. He showered, put on fresh pajamas, took off the soggy Band-aids Dean had so lovingly applied not even an hour ago, and let out a sigh when his head finally hit his pillow. He wanted to knock out, but his mind was still swimming. He stretched out, and none of his extremities hung off of the ends of the bed. So, this was it? He was a ten year old boy again.

He couldn't deny the upside of their problem. It was only a few nights ago that Sam was in the same bed, awake and worried about Dean and the mark. Now, the mark was gone. Problem solved. He should be celebrating right? He tried to focus on the good. He even tried to think of other positive aspects of this curse.

Positive: He didn't have any of his old scars. (But that meant he didn't have any physical proof of any of the trials he had overcome.)

Positive: He had a hunters-lifetime worth of knowledge. (But he was too small and weak to apply any of that knowledge in the field.)

Positive: He didn't have any shred of angelic grace lingering in his body since he had been returned to his ten year old self and those possessions hadn't happened yet. (But that meant his blood also hadn't been purified by the trials meaning...Oh God. He had demon blood inside of him.)

Sam froze in horror at that last thought. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to do this. Again. His exhaustion hit him hard and mixed with frustration and despair causing him to let his emotional wall down enough to set a few tears free. He didn't want to cry, but he needed to. It wasn't long before he fell asleep to the sound of his own sobbing.

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Roughly an hour later, Sam woke to the sound of a continuous stream of knocking on the thick bunker door. Sam slid out of bed and made his way through the bunker and up to the door. He was surprised that Dean hadn't made an effort to answer it, but figured he might have dozed off as well.

Sam pulled the door open and was face to waist with a confused Charlie. Charlie stepped inside and Sam closed the door behind her.

"Uh, hi there." Charlie said in a friendly voice. Charlie looked down at the little boy in Superman pajama pants and a black t-shirt. "Are Sam and Dean around?" Charlie quickly noted the tear stains on the little boy's face. "Hey, are you ok? You don't need to be scared. I'm Charlie, Sam and Dean's friend. What's your name?"

"Charlie-" Sam started.

"Your name is Charlie too! Charlie, is there anything scary in the bunker? Are you alone in here?" Charlie pulled a gun out from the waistband of her jeans.

"Charlie!" Sam said. "It's me. Sam. I'm right here I'm just...smaller."

"Sam?" Charlie asked. "Like, Sam...Winchester?"

"Yeah, uh, like I said: long story." Sam led Charlie down the stairs and into the main hall. The books and glass were still decorating the floor. "Careful of the glass."

Charlie was staring at Sam in wonder and disbelief. The kid did remind her a bit of Sam. The shaggy hair that fell perfectly around his face, his warm ever-changing hazel eyes, and the cadence of his speech. But still...this was a lot to be asked to believe. Then again. It wasn't long ago that she was split in two, so she wasn't one to judge.

"Sam? Really?" Charlie questioned again. She set her backpack down on the table.

"Yes. Sam Winchester. Born May 2nd 1983. We met when you were working for Dick Roman. You have a tattoo of Princess Leia straddling a twenty-sided die, you were the Queen of Moondoor, you-"

"Ok, ok I believe you." Charlie gave Sam the once over from head to toe. "This is crazy Sam. You're like…"

"Ten."

"Really? I was going to say eight, maybe nine."

Sam raised his eyebrows and gave Charlie a bitchface he usually reserved for Dean.

"I'm ten."

"Like mentally? Or just physically."

"Just physically." Sam sat down and Charlie copied the movement.

"Dean too?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, well he's not ten, but he's also back in a younger version of himself. He's like fourteen."

"Wow. This is...wow." Charlie's eyes lit up. "So that's it then! The mark is gone because he didn't have it on his old body. That's why you don't need the book from Tuscany. The curse is gone!"

"Right. He doesn't have the mark or any of the accompanying rage or bloodlust."

"Huh, I mean it's extreme. Bold move. That was really big of you to take the fountain of youth trip with him."

"It wasn't exactly a choice."

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked.

Sam proceeded to rehash the story all over again for Charlie's benefit. When he was finished Charlie was bursting with questions and Sam patiently answered each and every one.

"Again...wow."

"Yeah, so I guess this is it." Sam said, defeat evident in the tone of his voice.

"Is that why…" Charlie cleared her throat.

"What?"

"You have, a little," Charlie touched her own cheek. "It just looked like you had been. I don't know. Upset."

"Oh." Sam's soft cheeks immediately turned pink with embarrassment. "No, uh, that's nothing. It's- I'm fine."

"Right." Hearing an adult Sam try to play off his pain was sad, but hearing this kid do the same thing was heartbreaking. "So when do I get to meet teenage dream Dean?"

"Ha!" Sam laughed, happy for the change in subject. "I'd like to see his face when you call him that. I honestly don't know where he is. He went out to pick up some food and supplies but he should have been back by now."

"He's driving?" Charlie asked.

"Printed out a new license."

"Naturally."

As if on cue, the garage door opened and closed announcing Dean's return. Moments later Dean's teenage voice range through the bunker.

"Sammy, come grab some bags." Dean shouted.

Charlie snickered at the high pitched voice that somehow belonged to Dean Winchester. She followed Sam out to the garage and smiled big when she saw Dean.

"Charlie." Dean said. He dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Dean, it's ok. We're good." Charlie said.

The silence was overwhelming.

"You pick up any gummy bears?" Charlie asked.

"Knew you were coming so, of course." Dean smiled a little. The three of them gathered all of the bags in their arms and moved the party into the kitchen. Sam got to work putting all the food away while Charlie examined the new Dean.

"So you really looked like this?" Charlie asked. "Baby faced and all...soft?"

"Soft?!" Dean scoffed. "Punch me in the abs. Right here."

Charlie laughed.

"I'm serious!" Dean exclaimed, his voice cracking in the process.

"I believe you," Charlie said. "It's just crazy. I mean I knew you guys were kids once, obviously, and there's tons of de-aged fanfic but-"

"Wo, wo, wo, slow your roll sister." Dean said. "None of that Supernatural crap talk ok?"

"Right, sorry." Charlie smiled, remembering how much Dean hated those books.

"How would people even know what we were like as kids?" Sam asked.

Dean threw his hands in the air and distracted himself by tidying up the kitchen.

"Well, there are a few flashbacks in some of the books, Very Supernatural Christmas, has a great one. John is on a hunting trip and doesn't come home for Christmas so Sam and, well you guys, have Christmas without him. The stolen Barbie scene was hilarious, and Sam when you gave Dean that amulet...the feels were strong."

Sam blushed a little and Dean just scoffed again.

"So, yeah there aren't like whole books where you're kids but the readers kind of see it in pieces. Usually really sad pieces so it makes for great fanfic….but probably a really crappy childhood so...sorry about that." Charlie nervously tapped her fingers on the kitchen counter. "Not that I read it. I mean I read a little. When I first found the series."

"It's fine, Charlie." Sam said.

"Yeah, no big deal. Just our most personal experiences written in great detail and available in paperback." Dean said only half-jokingly.

"I know! You're full frontal in at least one of those books." Charlie added and then immediately regretted the words.

Dean turned red and Sam laughed so hard his eyes started to water. Dean reached over and slapped the back of Sam's head.

"Ow!" Sam whined in-between bursts of laughter. Sam's childish giggle was infectious and soon the laughter of all three hunters was bouncing off the kitchen walls. It was always nice when Charlie came to visit.

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If you have a minute please let me know what you thought of this chapter! If you have any thoughts for future chapters too feel free to let me know.

Souless666 mentioned the Sam/demon blood thing so I thought I'd throw that in there for fun (much to Sam's dismay).