A Hiccup in Time Ch. 8
Disclaimer. Still don't own them and still not making a profit from my stories.
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Previously: "I'm telling ya that Sammy will have times when he thinks he really is a three year old. One minute you could be dealing with your twenty two year old brother and the next instant a three year old little kid."
"Holy Crap" whispered John as Bobby's words hit him with the force of being slammed into a brick wall. "What the hell have we done?"
Sam's face immediately paled upon hearing Bobby's words. "You have got to be kidding me Bobby. This has got to be some kind of practical joke right?"
"Sorry tiger, I wish it was" Bobby replied sincerely feeling sorry for the youngest Winchester. He hated adding more stress to the already obviously stressed out Winchesters, but they needed to know the truth.
"So what do we do Bobby? How do we get out of this mess we've gotten ourselves into?" John questioned as he placed his fingers to his temples trying to alleviate the headache that was quickly building to epic proportions inside his head.
"I wish I could tell you that it was going to be easy John. But once a Kupua demon exacts a time spell, it usually disappears for months on end to sit back and watch the outcome. The damn thing is probably kicking back right now with a beer and laughing its' ass off at the situation." Bobby replied honestly.
"You mean Sammy could be stuck like this for months?" Dean asked disbelievingly.
"That's exactly what I mean" Bobby replied as he noticed John who seemed to be deep in thought.
As John listened to Bobby's words, he wondered if Sammy had already been showing signs of reverting back to the three year old. Maybe the biting incident was more than just his youngest acting out. And the incident with jumping on the bed--could that mean that Sammy was beginning to show the signs of forgetting his true age? He immediately felt guilt consume him as he remembered spanking Sammy for the biting incident, maybe the kid couldn't have helped what he had done. "I'm such a dumbass." John said not realizing that he had said the words aloud.
"Well, I wouldn't disagree with you there." Bobby announced with a smirk. "But don't worry John, we'll figure something out. Until then, you and the boys can stay here with me where I can help you to protect and watch over the kid until we get Sam back to his normal self."
"Thanks Bobby, I appreciate it." John replied as he and Sammy followed Bobby into the house while Dean went to get their gear out of the car. By the time that Dean carried their duffle bags in, John and Bobby had already immersed themselves in researching some of Bobby's old tomes to see if they could find a way to break the demon's spell.
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Approximately an hour later, Sammy found himself bored as he contemplated what to do with himself. His dad and Bobby were still absorbed in their research and Dean had fallen asleep on the couch a few minutes after he had carried their duffle bags inside and placed them in their usual rooms. Walking into the kitchen, he pulled on the door of the refrigerator until he was able to get it open. He sighed in relief as he saw the cold beers sitting on the bottom shelf. "Ah, just what I need to help me relax after all this crap." he said as he removed one and carried it over to the table. He pushed one of the chairs over to the counter and climbed up in it to get the bottle opener off of the counter. After opening his beer, Sammy walked through the living room and out the screen door to sit on the porch and relax while he drank the nice cold brew.
Soon, he could hear the sounds of movement within the house and realized Dean had woken up as he heard the muffled sounds of his dad and Dean talking. He couldn't really hear what they were saying, but he was too content to care. He smiled as he watched Bobby's guard dog Rumsfeld coming up for his usual scratch behind the ears. At least the old dog still recognized him even though he was much smaller in stature now. "What a good boy" he said as he obliged the frisky dog with a hearty scratch before he gulped down a large swallow of his PBR. He was about to take another drink when he was suddenly startled by loud cursing coming from behind him. "What the hell Dean?" he questioned as the bottle slipped from his small fingers causing it to fall down the porch steps and shatter on the ground.
"You're gonna know what the hell." Dean seethed as he walked over and picked Sammy up carrying him back inside to where their father and Bobby was. He walked over and stood Sammy directly in front of his dad and said "I can't even rest for an hour without having to worry whether or not Sammy's being looked after. Do you two realize what he was doing out there on the porch while you had your noses buried in those damn books."
"First of all, you better lose the attitude" John warned as he turned glaring eyes on his oldest. "You will NOT disrespect me and Bobby that way. Do you understand me Dean?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be disrespectful sir. It's just that I walked outside and caught Sammy drinking a frigging beer." Dean replied to explain why he was upset. "He's too small for his body to handle a full bottle and he could have gotten alcohol poisoning."
"Don't be overly dramatic Dean" Sam said as he rolled his eyes at his brother's remarks. "I'm old enough to know when I feel a buzz coming on. It wasn't like I was trying to drink myself into a stupor or something."
"Shuddup Sammy" Dean retorted to his baby brother's outburst. "I am not…"
"Let me handle this Dean" John replied cutting his oldest son off mid rant. "Sammy, whether you like it or not, you are now too young to be drinking beer. If one of Bobby's customers had stopped by and seen you, CPS could have been called. The last thing we need right now is the feds butting into our business. So there's no more beers for you until I say so. Got it tiger?"
"But dad, I'm…"
"I know you're twenty two kiddo, but that's not the point. We have to be more careful now and that means thinking before you act. You don't want to be taken away from us do you kiddo?"
"No sir, I'm sorry" Sam replied with a kicked puppy dog expression upon his face.
"S'okay, just be more careful the next time." John replied as he patted Sammy on the head.
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A few hours later as evening descended over Singer Salvage, Bobby started to prepare a dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits while John and Dean took care of cleaning their weapons. He knew it was Sam's favorite meal and wanted to cheer the kid up since he had been down in the dumps over being scolded about the beer. He couldn't stand seeing him mope around the house like he had lost his best friend. He had just started peeling potatoes when he glanced over to see Sam walking towards him nervously. "Hey champ, you wanna help me peel these potatoes?" Bobby questioned with a smile.
"Daddy said I's not awoud to touch knives Uncle Bobby" Sammy replied as he chewed his bottom lip while peering up at Bobby through the hair that was dangling in his expressive eyes.
Bobby's eyes grew huge as he suddenly realized that he was talking to Sammy instead of Sam. "Damn, I didn't think things would move along this fast" Bobby thought to himself as he placed the knife on the table while Sammy fidgeted before him. Knowing that he had to tread easy with the child before him, Bobby asked "Is something wrong tiger?" as he reached out to pull the squirming toddler into his lap.
Sammy shook his head no as he twirled his hair with his finger and leaned in towards Bobby's shoulder. "I was just finking. I can't find Deanie. Where he goes Uncle Bobby."
"He's out back with your daddy cleaning the guns. You want me to take you out there kiddo?"
"Uh huh" Sammy replied as he gazed up at Bobby. "I wants Deanie to read me a story. I's getting sweepy."
Bobby picked Sammy up and cradled him to his chest as Sammy rested his head on his shoulder. He rubbed Sammy's back as he carried him outside and over towards the wooden shed where the Winchester's were currently cleaning their weapons. Pulling open the door, he walked inside just as Dean and John were finishing up.
"Something wrong Bobby?" John questioned as he nodded towards Sammy with his eyes.
"Well, that depends on how you look at things." Bobby replied with a tight smile. "Sammy's getting sleepy and wants his Deanie to read him a story." He saw John look up at him in shock. He didn't have to be a mind reader to know that John was questioning whether or not Sammy thought he was truly three years old. He nodded his head as he carded his fingers through Sammy's curls.
"I'll take him Bobby." Dean said easily slipping into big brother mode as he reached over and plucked Sammy from Bobby's arms and clutched the weary toddler to his chest. Taking care of a toddler was nothing new to him since he had taken care of Sammy for years. Glancing towards his dad he said "I'm gonna give him a bath and then read him his story. Let me know when dinner's ready."
As Dean carried Sammy towards the house, Sammy lifted his head off of Dean's shoulder and looked at him kind of funny. "Deanie, how you gets so big?" he questioned innocently as he tried to figure things out.
"Cause I eat all my spinach" Dean fibbed as he ruffled Sammy's hair.
"But you don't wike spinach." Sammy stated innocently as he scrunched up his little face at the thought of eating such nasty food. "I don't wike it either."
"Yeah, well that's why you're still a squirt" Dean said as he placed Sammy on his shoulders and "flew" his little brother into the house much to the delight of Sammy. He carried his baby brother up the stairs and then started his bath water as he carried Sammy with him to their room to get his pajamas.
"Deanie, can I have bubbles p'ease?" Sammy inquired remembering that Bobby usually let him take bubble baths when they stayed with him.
"Sure tiger" Dean replied as he placed Sammy's pajamas in the bathroom before walking to the kitchen to get the dish washing liquid. Carrying it up the stairs, he squirted some into the running water he had just turned on and then helped Sammy out of his clothing as the tub started to fill with lukewarm water.
"In you go kiddo." Dean said as he lifted a naked little Sammy and placed him carefully into the tub. He watched as his baby brother began to play with the soap suds by sculpting them into a beard on his little face. Picking up a wash cloth and putting soap on it, he said "Looks like I'm going to have to get you a razor for that new beard you're growing huh sport." He then started bathing Sammy as his brother continued to play. He had just stared washing his feet when Sammy gave him a funny look.
"Sammy, is something wrong?" he asked in concern as he watched his brother shake his head as if dizzy or something. He noticed Sammy's eyes get huge just before a look of indignation crossed his face.
"Dean what the…get out of here you big pervert" Sam stated as he grabbed the wash cloth from his brother's hands suddenly realizing that he was naked in the tub and that Dean was bathing him. He couldn't remember what had led up to Dean being in there with him, but he was sure as hell going to make him leave.
"Sammy, I uh…."
"It's Sam" Sam growled as he thrust his finger towards the door. "Out. Now."
Dean hurried from the bathroom and walked down the stairs as he ran his fingers through his hair trying to figure out what in the hell had just happened. He walked into the kitchen to find his dad peeling potatoes as Bobby was putting on some chicken to fry. Sitting down in the chair opposite of his dad, he said "Sam's back" as he reached over to pick up the other knife on the table to help his dad. "The brat just called me a big pervert."
TBC