Hey guys! This is a little early, but I wanted to be sure I got this up in time. Merry Christmas everyone!
Sam watched as Dean helped Alec onto the ice. Neither one was very steady on the skates, but Alec actually picked it up faster than Dean did. Alec slowly moved away from Dean, but his brother was telling Alec to come back. Alec started to turn, but lost his balance and fell on his butt. He chuckled as Dean wobbled over to Alec, and ended up falling too.
"Not really one of his strengths, is it?" Bobby asked with a smile. He held out a cup and he gladly took it. "Thought this would keep us warm until they decided they were done."
"Y'know, we've never ice skated before," Sam said. Luckily, his arm was still in a sling because of his shoulder, so he didn't have to fall on his butt over and over again like his brother did. He had an excuse to stay off of the ice and he gladly took it.
"And you think I have?" Bobby asked.
Sam laughed, "No, I can't really see you ice skating."
"Can't believe Alec talked him into this," Bobby said. They both laughed as Alec and Dean fell again. Alec had begged and begged for Dean to take him ice skating as soon as Dean felt better. And Dean had caved since he could never tell Alec no.
"Have you seen Alec's puppy-dog eyes?" Sam asked sarcastically. "I'm surprised he held out as long as he did."
Dean held Alec's hands as they both slowly skated around the rink. Alec was all bundled up with a scarf, stocking hat, and gloves, and Dean was dressed similarly. Their cheeks were red from the cold, but it didn't look like they were going to stop anytime soon.
"Bobby, I think something's after Alec," Sam said as he watched Dean and Alec's slow progress.
"What do you mean?" Bobby asked.
"At the store, before those guys came in, Alec saw someone and I couldn't see it," Sam said. "So, either the store was haunted or something's after Alec."
"What did he see?" Bobby asked calmly.
"He said he saw a woman with long red hair. He said she was really pretty," Sam said. "I couldn't see her at all, which is weird if it's a spirit."
"I'll look into it," Bobby said. "Just make sure either you or Dean are with him at all times, ya hear? We'll have to tell Dean what's goin' on."
He nodded in agreement, and then said, "I just want to make sure this is the best Christmas he's ever had."
"We will," Bobby said with a small smile.
"Uncle Sammy, look!" Alec yelled, waving at him. His nephew was giving him the biggest smile, and so was Dean. "Look! We're ice skating!"
"You're doin' great!" Sam yelled back. He loved times like this and he wanted it to last. He didn't want anything to hurt Alec.
"We'll figure it out," Bobby reassured, seeing his smile drop. "Let's just focus on giving Alec the best Christmas ever before we completely freak out."
"Uncle Sammy's the best," Dean said, carrying Alec over to Sam and Bobby. They still had their ice skates on, but he'd change out of them once they got to their shoes. For now, he wanted to get warmed up since they were both shivering. Alec's little cheeks were red and he was snuggled against his chest, trying to get warmer. Sam handed him a cup of hot chocolate and held it out for Alec. His little boy took the cup and sipped the chocolate. "Good, huh?"
Alec nodded, and leaned against him.
"What d'you say we go home, and then put up the Christmas tree?" Dean asked.
"Ok," Alec said.
"Let's get our real shoes on again," Dean said, walking over to the closest bench and sitting down with Alec in his lap. Sam handed him their shoes and he worked on getting Alec's tiny ice skates off.
"Daddy, that was fun," Alec said, starting to wiggle in his lap. Alec could only sit still for so long before he decided he needed to move. Even for a little kid, Alec had a lot of energy and he blamed it on his fast metabolism.
"That was fun," Dean agreed. "Sit still for just a few more minutes, ok?"
"Daddy, can we play in the snow when we get home?" Alec asked.
"Alec, we just played outside for almost three hours," Dean said. "I'm freezing and you are too. We can play in the snow tomorrow, ok?"
"But Daddy," Alec whined.
"No Alec. We're staying in the rest of the night," Dean said.
"Alec, we're gonna put up the Christmas tree when we get home," Sam said to try to cheer him up. "That'll be fun, won't it?"
"I guess…" Alec said, looking down.
Jeez, he just wanted to give his kid anything he ever wanted. But, Alec was cold even if he wouldn't admit it. He kissed the top of Alec's head once he got his shoes back on, and then changed his own. He hadn't let Alec out of his sight since what happened at the store, and he barely let him out of his arms. He'd never felt so scared in his life when Bobby said Sam and Alec were at the hospital. And he couldn't shake the feeling that something was still after Alec.
He hadn't told Sam or Bobby yet that Alec had seen a spirit of some sort, but he didn't know how to tell them. They hadn't been hunting since before Alec had been turned into a kid and he liked having a break. He hoped maybe the spirit was just at the hospital, but he'd caught Alec looking at something that wasn't there more than once in the past week. Whatever it was, it wasn't getting his little boy.
"Alright kiddo, time to get warm," Dean said once he had his shoes on. He stood up and tossed Alec up a little ways before he caught him again. Alec giggled and told him to do it again, so he did, making Alec laugh even more. Alec put his hands on his face when he didn't immediately toss him again. "Jeez Alec, you're freezing! Where did your gloves go?"
"I don't know…" Alec mumbled.
He held Alec with one arm and held both of his tiny hands in one of his and held them to try to get them warm again. "Put your hands in your pockets, ok? You don't want your fingers falling off."
"Daddy, my fingers won't fall off," Alec argued.
"Yes they will," Dean said. "That's what happens when you don't wear your gloves."
"I dropped them," Alec said, wrapping his arms around his neck and snuggling against him.
"You're not getting outta this with your cute act," Dean warned. "Gloves cost money, and when you lose something, then we have to replace it. But we don't have a lot of money, so it's important to keep track of our things."
"I'm sorry," Alec whispered.
"It's ok. Now you know to be more careful," Dean said.
"C'mon boys," Bobby called out from the car. Thankfully, he'd gone ahead and started the car so it would be warm when they got there. "We're wastin' daylight."
"Grandpa's impatient today, huh?" Dean asked, looking at Alec. He giggled and nodded, knowing he wasn't in trouble anymore.
He sat in the back with Alec and let Bobby drive back to the house. He didn't even want to leave Alec's side to drive anymore…
He and Alec played with his toys on the way back, but he went on alert as soon as they pulled into the driveway. He could tell Sam and Bobby were tense too, so he craned his neck to see what was wrong.
"Looks like we've got company…" Bobby muttered, slowing down to park.
"You recognize the car?" Dean asked.
"No, but that don't mean anything," Bobby said. "Hunters have to switch it up sometimes…could be anybody…" He looked back at them and said, "I'll go in first and see who it is. If it's nobody good, then I'll let you know so you can head back to town until I get rid of 'em."
Dean nodded, so Bobby shut off the car, leaving the keys in the ignition, and got out. Sam started to move to get out, but Bobby leaned down and said, "Not you. Stay put until I give you boys the all clear."
"Bobby-" Sam started, but was cut off by Bobby shutting the door and walking away. Sam huffed and sat back in his seat, but he didn't say anything. Dean was glad Bobby didn't let Sam go too. Sam was still hurting from the attack in the store, and he shouldn't be barging in on whoever was at Bobby's now.
"Who d'you think's here?" Dean asked.
"I don't know…" Sam muttered. "Could be someone from the Valley for all we know."
"Daddy?" Alec asked softly.
"Everything's ok, baby," Dean reassured, holding Alec's little hand. "We just weren't expecting anyone…"
"Dean, there's Bobby," Sam said. "Looks like he's giving us the all clear."
"Must be someone we know," Dean said to Alec. He smiled to try to help reassure him, but Alec didn't smile back. "I'm not goin' anywhere, ok?" He said, carefully unbuckling his little boy from his car seat. Alec reached for him once he was free, and he picked him up and held him close.
He slid out of the car and followed behind Sam, even though he felt like he should go in first. He wanted to protect Sam, but protecting Alec came first.
"Now don't freak out," he could hear Bobby saying. "He's a shy kid, and you yellin' ain't gonna help anything."
"I don't yell, Bobby."
Dean almost groaned; he recognized the voice as Rufus Turner. Alec did great around Mole, but he was different with everyone. He didn't now if Alec would be scared of Rufus or if he'd immediately like him. "Alec, this guy in here, he's not scary, ok?" Dean whispered to his little boy. "He's loud and he sounds scary, kinda like Grandpa, but he's not."
"Ok…" Alec said, still sounding uncertain.
He walked into the kitchen and saw Rufus and Bobby standing by the counter, still arguing over if Rufus yelled or not. Sam cleared his throat and said, "Hey Rufus, long time no see…"
Rufus grunted and turned to look at Sam. His eyebrows rose and he asked, "I thought there was supposed to be a kid around here?"
Dean took a deep breath and took a step out from behind Sam. "There is," Dean said.
"Holy shit," Rufus breathed out.
"Seriously?" Sam asked, giving Rufus his famous bitch-face. "We're trying to teach him not to curse."
Rufus glared back at Sam, "What did you expect?! I'm guessin' that's Alec, 'cause he looks just like Dean, and his six foot, transgenic ass ain't standing behind you two, so that's gotta be him. So yeah. Holy shit."
Alec giggled hearing the bad word again. Sam was trying really hard to get him and Bobby to stop cursing in front of Alec, but sometimes he couldn't help it. And Bobby could say whatever he wanted, but Sam was still trying. He told Alec most of the time not to say whatever he'd let slip, but sometimes he forgot that they needed to set a good example for Alec.
Rufus smiled hearing Alec giggle and took a step towards them. "Can I hold him?" Rufus asked, looking up at him.
He rolled his eyes; he didn't know why seeing a cute little kid turned the grumpiest old men into real softies, but Alec just had that effect on people. He looked down at Alec, who smiled back and reached for Rufus.
"You're definitely still my favorite Winchester," Rufus said, bouncing Alec slightly to make him giggle again. "You're not a butthead like those other two…"
"You said butt," Alec said with a laugh. The word butt could always make Alec laugh. He didn't know why he thought it was so funny, but most kids thought that word was funny.
Rufus laughed and nodded, "I guess that's part of Sam's approved vocabulary, huh?"
"Rufus," Sam sighed.
Rufus rolled his eyes and turned away from Sam. "How would you like to go down the road with me? Huh?"
"Rufus, I don't think that's a good idea," Bobby said before he could completely panic.
"Oh, c'mon Bobby. I saw a sign that your neighbor had some puppies," Rufus said. "Don't you wanna see some puppies?"
"Yeah!" Alec yelled.
"Sounds like Alec's on board," Rufus said. "We'll be back."
"Rufus," Dean said, trying to control the panic that was tightening his chest. Rufus turned to look at him and saw the panic in his eyes.
"Well Hell, you guys can come too," Rufus said. "Maybe we can pick out a puppy for the little guy."
"Rufus, he ain't getting a puppy," Bobby said. "Don't get the kid's hopes up."
"I'll get him a puppy," Rufus muttered under his breath. "I'm goin'. If you guys wanna come, then get your asses in gear."
Dean sighed, but followed Rufus back out of the house. He wouldn't be able to let Alec just go without him. He felt ridiculous, but he couldn't ignore this feeling that if Alec got too far away from him, he'd lose him.
He and Sam walked side-by-side, walking a few steps behind Rufus and Bobby. Alec was telling Rufus some kind of story, but they couldn't hear what he was saying.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets to try to keep his hands warm as they walked. "Don't know why we had to walk…" Dean grumbled to break the silence.
"I guess it's just right down the road," Sam muttered. "Are you really going to let him have a puppy?"
He shrugged, "I don't know…maybe. He's hard to say no to…"
"Aren't you allergic to dogs?" Sam asked.
"I'm allergic to cats, not dogs," Dean said.
They walked in silence for a moment, but then Sam asked, "You wanna talk about whatever's bugging you?"
"No."
"Dean, c'mon man, I know something's wrong and I know it's somethin' to do with Alec," Sam said. "I know it freaked you out when I got hurt and you weren't around, but he's ok."
"Sam…something's after him," Dean finally admitted. "He's seeing something that I can't see…"
"You know about that?" Sam asked, surprised.
"Wait, you know?!" Dean asked back. He couldn't help sounding a little mad. Sam knew something was after Alec and he didn't tell him. That pissed him off.
"I was going to tell you," Sam instantly tried to explain. "I just didn't know how."
"I don't know," Dean said sarcastically. "How 'bout, dude, somethin's after your kid. We should find a way to stop it!"
"Dean, calm down," Sam hissed, shooting a worried look to where Bobby, Rufus, and Alec were walking. Alec was still telling the two older men a story, so he didn't notice their argument. "I just wanted things to calm down a little bit before I told you. I wanted Alec to have a Christmas."
He took a deep breath and let it out, "You're right…I just don't want anything to happen to him."
"We'll figure out what Alec's seeing and we'll take care of it," Sam said. "We're not letting anything get to him."
He nodded, "Yeah…I know."
"We better catch up," Sam said, seeing that Bobby, Rufus, and Alec had reached a driveway. "Otherwise, we'll have a two-year-old and a puppy to take care of."
"Sounds like a bad idea when you put it like that," Dean muttered.
They sped up a little so they could catch up with the rest of them. He and Sam got there just in time to see Alec fall over, having been tackled by a pack of puppies. They were fluffy with black and white fur, pointy ears, and a long tail.
"Daddy!" Alec yelled, laughing. He was being attacked by puppies. They were licking him all over his face and trying to get on top of him. Dean laughed as he watched his little boy get up, only to be knocked over again. One managed to get on top of Alec and licked all over his face.
"There's no way we're leaving here without one," Sam said with a small smile.
Dean rolled his eyes, but made his way over to Alec to try and save him. He got Alec out of the dog pile and help him up to a safe height. "Daddy, can I have one?" Alec asked as sweetly as he could.
"Alec, puppies are a lot of work," Dean said, trying one more time to convince Alec he didn't need a puppy. He looked at his little boy who was giving him his puppy-dog eyes. Maybe Alec did need a puppy. It wasn't even because his little boy was so cute and he couldn't say no to him, but it was more about Manticore. Alec never got to have anything to call his own and he knew he had PTSD. Maybe this would be a kind of therapy for him.
"Please Daddy?" Alec begged.
He sighed, "Alright, pick one out." Maybe it would make a good watch dog. Alec threw his arms around his neck and gave him a big, sloppy kiss. He hugged Alec back, knowing he made the right choice. "Which one do you want, kiddo?" Dean asked.
He set Alec down again and he turned to watch the puppies as they ran around him. Most of the puppies ran off to check on what Rufus, Sam, and Bobby were doing, but one puppy ran over to Alec and looked up at him, wagging its tail. Alec dropped down to his knees and hugged the little puppy. This one's ears and tail were black, but the rest of it was completely white. It licked Alec's face as soon as he hugged him, and he knew that was going to be the one.
He picked up his little boy and the little puppy and carried them both over to where Bobby, Sam, and Rufus were talking to an older woman. She smiled at them when they walked up and said, "Looks like you found one."
Dean nodded, "Yeah, this is the one he wants. How much is it?"
"That's the runt, so you've got him for free," the woman said.
"Seriously?" Dean asked in surprise.
The woman smiled and nodded, "Can't usually get rid of the runt, so you're doin' me a favor."
"Thank you," Dean said. He looked at Alec and asked, "Do you think you can hold him?"
"Yeah," Alec said, holding his hands out to take the puppy. He passed the little guy over, but kept his hand over there just in case Alec dropped him. But Alec held him close and the puppy licked him, wagging his tail the whole time.
"What're you gonna name him?" Dean asked.
Alec thought for a minute, and then said, "Mushu!"
Dean laughed and nodded, "Mushu it is." Mulan was Alec's new favorite Disney movie, so they'd watched it just about every day the past two weeks.
"You ready to take the rugrat home?" Bobby asked.
"Yeah, I think we're ready," Dean said. He looked to Rufus and grumbled, "Thanks a lot, Rufus."
"Hey, you wanted him to have a good Christmas," Rufus said with a shrug.
Dean sat down and let out a tired huff of air. The tree was up and the presents were wrapped and they were finally ready for Christmas. They were a little late with everything since tomorrow was Christmas, but better late than never.
He looked over at Alec, who was curled up on the sofa, holding his sleeping puppy against him. He chuckled; his puppy name Mushu. He was glad Alec had a friend now. He'd probably never have a little brother or sister, but a puppy would be a pretty good friend. It wouldn't be the same, but it was close.
"He finally fell asleep, huh?" Rufus asked, walking in and sitting down in the recliner.
"Yeah, they wore out at the same time," Dean said. He reached over and petted the puppy's soft fur before he ruffled Alec's hair.
"So, how'd this happen?" Rufus asked. He was surprised the older man hadn't asked sooner, but Alec had been pretty distracting most of the day.
He shrugged, "Don't know. We were hunting…we went into this house and we found him like this."
"How long's he been like this?" Rufus asked.
"Since June," Dean answered. It hardly felt like any time at all, even though they'd already been through so much.
"You lookin' for a way to change him back, or is this it?" Rufus asked. He glared at Rufus, just daring the man to question his decision for his little boy. Rufus held his hands up in surrender and said, "I'm not tellin' ya either way on what to do, I just wanna know."
"I wanna keep him like this," Dean said.
Rufus nodded in understanding. "Haven't been around a kid in a long time…"
"He's the best thing that's ever happened to me," Dean admitted.
Alec started to wake, and looked over at him, "Daddy, is it Christmas yet?"
"Not yet, kiddo," Dean said with a smile, rubbing Alec's back. "Go back to sleep, ok?"
"Ok…" Alec started to go back to sleep, but then woke up again. "Daddy, can Mushu sleep with us tonight."
"Yeah, Mushu can sleep with us," Dean said. Alec picked Mushu up and moved so they could snuggle against him. He grabbed Alec and his puppy and pulled them both into his lap. He stretched out on the sofa, keeping Alec and the puppy against his chest. "You better get some sleep. Alec's gonna be up at the crack of dawn," Dean told Rufus. He would just take Alec and Mushu upstairs, but it was only a few more hours until dawn anyway and he knew Alec's excitement would have him up early.
He was right; Alec was up at the crack of dawn with an overexcited puppy. He took the puppy outside while Alec went around and woke everyone else up. He made Alec sit on the sofa though, so the grownups could get coffee.
"Daddy! Is it time for Christmas now?" Alec yelled from the living room.
"Not yet, kiddo," Dean said. "We've gotta wait for Jody to get here."
"Ok," Alec said.
"She is on her way, right?" Dean asked Bobby. He didn't know how much longer he could keep Alec from ripping into his presents. He, Sam, and Bobby hadn't been able to get him much, but he had a few presents under the tree and one big surprise that he couldn't wait to show him.
"Should be here in just a few," Bobby said, pouring coffee into five mugs, one for each of them plus one for when Jody got there.
Thankfully, the doorbell rang just a few minutes later, and Jody walked into the room. Alec plowed into her, giving her a huge hug. Mushu was right behind him, jumping up to Jody's legs to get some attention.
"I see Christmas came early," Jody said with a smile. She picked Alec up and asked, "Who's your new friend?"
"Mushu! Daddy let me have him," Alec said.
"I think it was your Uncle Rufus, kid," Rufus said from the doorway to the kitchen. "I'm the one that gave your Daddy the idea."
Alec nodded, "Uncle Rufus got me Mushu."
Jody chuckled and hugged Alec close. "You ready to open some presents?"
"Yes!"
Jody let Alec down so he and Mushu could run over to the tree. Alec sat in front of the presents and waited for the rest of them to come over. Dean held out a mug of Coffee for Jody, which she took, but she also handed him a present. "It's for Alec…I didn't know what he'd like, but maybe he'll like this."
"Jody, you didn't have to get him anything," Dean said.
"I wanted to," Jody said, patting his arm. "So, a two-year-old and a puppy?"
"I don't know what I was thinking," Dean said with a smile.
"He's happy, that's all that matters," Jody said knowingly.
"Dean, I can't hold him off for much longer," Sam teased, drawing their attention. He and Jody walked over and sat on the sofa. Alec looked to him to see if it was ok, and he nodded back.
Alec carefully picked up the first present and ran over to him. He handed him the gift and asked, "Is it mine?"
Dean smiled, "Yeah Alec, this one's yours. See…" He pointed to the tag and showed Alec where his name was. "That's what you have to look for, ok?"
Alec nodded, but then asked, "Can I open it?"
"Yes, you can open it," Dean said. Alec gave him a huge smile, but instead of just ripping into it, he carefully pulled the tape off of the wrapping paper so he didn't rip it. "Alec, you can tear the paper."
"But it's pretty," Alec said.
"Ok, you can open it however you want," Dean said.
Alec finally got the rest of the paper off and his eyes lit up when he saw the hot wheels set. "This is for me?" Alec asked.
"Yeah kiddo, that's for you," Dean said.
They went through the same process for the six other presents Alec got. His little boy couldn't believe all the toys he was getting. He'd never had a Christmas before, so this was probably one of the best days ever for him.
"Alec, I've got one more present for you," Dean said, once Alec had opened all of his presents. Alec looked up at him, so he said, "Close your eyes." Alec did what he was told, so he ran out of the room and rolled in the child sized car they had gotten for him. "Ok, open your eyes," Dean said.
Alec gasped when he saw the car, and immediately ran over to him. "This is for me?"
"Yeah Alec, this is for you," Dean said, ruffling Alec's hair. "You wanna go for a ride?"
"Yes!"
He picked Alec up and sat him in the driver's seat before he pushed him all around the room. Alec laughed and waved at the others as they moved around. He knew this had been a great Christmas for Alec, but it had been the best Christmas for him too.
"Again Daddy! Again!" Alec yelled.
He smiled as he drove Alec around the house again and again, with Mushu chasing after them. This had been the perfect Christmas.
Hope you guys liked it!