AN: This OneShot is set five to ten years after the final war between heaven and hell, and Sam didn't make it. Please note that this is an AU, and considering that I haven't seen past After School Special, this doesn't have any spoilers.

You may like to have some tissues at the ready.

Disclaimer: I would LOVE to own Dean. And young Sammy. Older Sammy is a bit too angsty, but I love young Sam. But I don't own them.

Enjoy.

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As the Wheel of Time Spins

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A wailing sound rent the air, slicing through the previous quiet like a knife, and Dean was awake and up and at the door within seconds.

His head still slightly muddled from sleep, he staggered slightly as he quietly made his way down the hall towards the last room on the left, where the sound - which had reduced to a mere whimper now - was coming from.

"Shh, it's alright, I've got you."

Dean paused as the young voice reached his ears, and he slowed his pace so that he could approach without making any noise and disturbing the speaker.

"What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Uh huh," came the response, quiet and scared and younger than the first voice.

Dean reached the last door on the left and silently peered into the room beyond, taking in the two single beds placed either side of a small dresser, one of which was empty. Two boys sat on the second bed, the younger curled into the protective embrace of the older.

"What was it about?" the older one murmured, wrapping his arms tighter around his little brother and resting his chin on the kid's dark, curly-haired head.

"There... there was a monster, and it was green and b-blue and yellow, and it tried to eat me! It... it came out of the lake, and it had big teeth and it was r-really mean." The curly haired youngster buried his face into his brother's chest as he talked, his little hands clutching the elder's shirt in fright.

"That does sound scary," the older replied, before smirking confidently. "But you know what?"

"...What?"

"I bet it never would have caught you. Chased you, maybe, but it never would have caught you."

"How... how do you know that?"

"Well, because I would have gotten it before it got you, of course! That monster would have a hard time eating you with no teeth!"

"But... but what if you didn't get it? What if it got you instead? And then got me?"

"'What if it gets you.' Ha! Like any lake monster could get me! Come on, dude, have a little faith in your brother!"

"So... it wouldn't get me?"

"Nope. Certainly not. Not while I'm around."

"Kay," the youngest said, snuggling into his older brother again.

The two stayed like that for a while, and Dean continued to watch from the door, unnoticed still by the two boys, and for a long time none of them moved. Then the older stirred and looked down at his brother, who was nearly asleep against him.

"You ready to go back to bed then?"

Immediately, the younger was wide awake, and he grabbed his brother's t-shirt to make sure he didn't go anywhere. "No!" he half yelled, looking up at his brother with wide, imploring eyes. "I don' wanna."

The oldest sighed. "Is it because of the lake monster?"

The youngest nodded jerkily. "Cause if I go back asleep it might be back, and you might not be there."

"What are you talking about? 'Course I'll be there! I'm your brother aren't I?"

The younger one buried his face in his brother's chest again. "I'm scared, Bobby," he whispered, and Dean – still listening at the door – barely heard the mumbled words.

The older one sighed again. "Don't be scared, Sammy, I'm not going anywhere. Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight?"

Sammy looked up, relief and delight shining in his young, innocent eyes. "Yes," he whispered.

Bobby rolled his eyes fondly and climbed over the edge of the bed, then turned and waited patiently while Sammy crawled over and clambered into Bobby's arms, resting his forehead in the hollow spot between Bobby's neck and shoulder.

Bobby grunted quietly as he lifted his brother and made his way back over to his own bed. "Dude, you're gettin' big," he grumbled, and Dean saw the grin that tugged at Bobby's face when Sam giggled into his shoulder.

There was a bit of confusion when it came to getting into the bed – Bobby couldn't quite clamber up while he was holding Sam, but Sam clearly didn't want to relinquish his hold on his brother, and the two of them ended up falling onto the bed in an undignified heap, and somewhere in the confusion, Bobby copped a mouthful of Sammy-elbow and Sam ended up with his face squashed against the pillow.

In the end though, they sorted it out, and Dean smiled quietly to himself as he watched them get comfortable. Sam snuggled down into the pillow and into his brother and grumbled contentedly to himself, already half asleep. Bobby rolled his eyes again, but Dean could see the smile as he wrapped his arms around his little brother.

"Dude," Bobby said, suddenly serious. "You tell anyone about this... and I swear I'll kick your butt."

Sam giggled. "Don' worry. I won' tell no one."

"Not even Mom!" Bobby warned.

"Not even Mom," Sam agreed.

"And especially not Dad."

Sam frowned. "Why especially not Dad?"

Dean, still in the hallway, was wondering the same thing.

"Come on, man," Bobby explained exasperatedly. "Dad's dad. Do you really want Dad to know we shared a bed? He'll think we're sissies for sure!"

"Why?"

"Because boys aren't meant to share beds. Come on – can you see Dad sharing his bed with another dude? Even if that dude was his brother?"

"Dad doesn't have a brother."

"If he did though. Can you see this happening?"

Sammy giggled. "No," he said.

"Exactly. So we don't tell anyone. Especially not Dad."

"Especially not Dad. Kay. G'night Bobby."

Bobby smiled again as his brother settled down to sleep, content and safe in the protective embrace of Bobby's arms. "G'night Sammy."

Dean continued to watch his sons from the hallway, smiling quietly as first Sam, then Bobby dropped back off to sleep.

And as he watched, he remembered a night from long ago, when he'd woken up to find his own little Sammy crawling into his bed, face still pale and scared after the nightmare. And he remembered moving over to make room and grumbling good-naturedly and threatening the nightmare-monster and warning that if a single word of this was breathed to Dad...

He smiled again at the memories and wiped at his eyes, turning and heading back up the hall to the room he and his wife shared.

"G'night Sammy," he whispered as he went.

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AN: DUDE!! I made MYSELF cry! Oh.

Do you get it? Dean named his first son Bobby and his second Sam, after two of the most important people in his life, and Bobby takes as good care of this Sammy as Dean did of his.

I was going to call Bobby John, but it didn't work. And if you're wondering why Dean didn't call his first son Sam, it's because Sammy's got to be the youngest. =D

Hope you liked, please review. =)

Oh, and please don't mention anything about what's happening in Season 4. I haven't seen anything further than After School Special, and it would totally, TOTALLY suck if anything was ruined for me. So please keep any post ASS thoughts to yourself. =) Thanks!

Bundi