Home for Wayward Children

by PTBvisiongrrl

MILD Dean/Cas SLASH. At 39, Dean has taken more hits than a NFL quarterback, and his body has begun to feel it. His bones practically grate against each other when he gets up in the morning, and the rain makes him want to ball up into the fetal position until the Tylenol and Jack kick in. But if there isn't hunting, what is there? All there has ever been is hunting things...

6. Chapter 6

FIC TITLE: The Home for Wayward Children

Author- PTBvisiongrrl

Part- 6/? (I promise nothing else, which is why its marked complete, but ideas are a–brewing.)

Date- 8/6/16

Rating – PG-13/T (at least for now…I will clearly warn if it changes)

Pairings/Characters- Sam/Dean brother bond; Dean/Castiel romantic relationship

Word Count- 3,917

Genre- Angst, Family, Romance

Warnings- Spoilers- AU for Season 11. I had already written this before the finale.

Disclaimers- Unfortunately, I don't own any of these characters, and make absolutely no profit from taking them out to play…so please don't sue me. If I did own them, there would be a lot more shirtless Winchesters and Angels of the Lord getting some on the show!

Summary-

At 39, Dean has taken more hits than a NFL quarterback, and his body has begun to feel it. His bones practically grate against each other when he gets up in the morning, and the rain makes him want to ball up into the fetal position until the Tylenol and Jack kick in. But if there isn't hunting, what is there? All there has ever been is hunting things and helping people, the family business. Well, maybe it's time to help other people hunt things and expand the family.

Chapter 6

Dinner was less chaotic than Dean imagined, but obviously still at a level that Sam and Cas would have to adjust to over time. Between requests for more water from Jerry, trying to prevent Petie from dropping food on the floor, and trying to eat himself, Cas looked more frazzled than when he was fighting The Darkness.

For someone unused to children, Dean considered as he himself cleaned his plate, it was not a surprise. Dean himself preferred danger from physical harm over any other challenges; he couldn't blame his Angel, unused to his humanity entirely yet, for being thrown by the full-on family-with-kids dinner experience. Sam had been a handful for him, with just four years' seniority, but even at his worst, ONE Sam had not been equal to the bedlamic disarray of FIVE.

What had he been thinking? Dean berated himself in his internal dialogue. He had barely had a conscious moment alone with Cas, and had spent the day so busy that he had hardly even seen Jerry yet. Drinking his glass of water slowly—trying to set an example for kids by saving beer for later—Dean watched as food disappeared. He had checked the amounts Colton had made, and found that his grocery calculations had been pretty spot on. That meant three days before they would have to shop for food again.

Once every one had finished (and had seconds, if they wanted), Dean whistled to get everyone's attention from individual conversations (or staring wildly yet silently around the table in Sam's case). When he had it, Dean smiled. "Day One seemed to go okay. Everyone happy with their rooms?"

Petie simply played with his spaghetti, amusing himself, but the other children expressed contentment with the arrangements, especially Jerry. "You made me a play spot, 'ean!"

Dean smiled crookedly back at him. "Yep, little guy. And once we get y'all unpacked, and settled in, we can decorate your rooms." Dean had already thought that part through. As hunter's kids, moving around all the time, none of the kids had probably had a room of their own before, much less been able to decorate it. While budgeting was necessary, Dean was determined that the kids would be able to personalize their rooms as soon as possible. He wanted them to feel like the Bunker was a home, not just some way-station until they ended up elsewhere.

"Can my room be purple?" Rose asked, a light blush forming across her cheeks.

Dean chuckled. "Eventually, maybe a couple months, we'll paint. For now, how about some posters and rugs?"

Rose smiled. "Okay. Can my rug be purple?"

Smiling, Dean agreed. "Yes, we can find you a purple rug. What about you, Morgan? What color do you want?"

Morgan shrugged. "I'm not that particular. I actually kinda like the gray color going on right now."

"Jerry?" Dean asked. "What do you want for your room?"

Jerry's eyes got big. "Star Wars? Can we do Star Wars?"

Sam and Cas smiled wide at Jerry's enthusiasm. "Absolutely, little dude," Sam ruffled Jerry's hair, a geek-boy bond already evident.

"One advantage of an underground bunker is that we don't need to worry about curtains," Cas chimed in.

Dean looked at Cas like he had three heads. Even Dean wouldn't have thought about curtains. "Very true, Cas," Dean agreed. Rising, he scraped his plate and put it on the counter, along with his glass. Leaning against the edge, arms crossed, Dean leveled a more serious look around the room. "Next thing on the agenda—chores. There is no maid here. Everybody will have to pitch in and help out. Cooking, dishes, laundry, cleaning—all of it. I would prefer to rotate the chores so no one is stuck with something they hate all the time."

There was a chorus of agreement from Sam, Cas, and the older children. Dean smiled. "Okay. Colton cooked, so he doesn't have to do dishes. Even if we get a dishwasher, its going to be a two-person job with this many people, plus pots and pans and such, after breakfast and dinner. Morgan already did breakfast cooking and dishes. So Rosie, you and Sam are doing dishes tonight."

Sam looked offended until Dean raised an eyebrow at him. "Problem with that, Sammy? Because there are other chores on offer for tonight. Like laundry. I was going to take care of it, but I'll switch with you."

Bitch Face #17 passed quickly over Sam's face, until he thought about it. He really hated laundry, so dishes with a helper was a good trade. "Okay."

"I thought so," Dean smirked. "I don't think we're going to be able to do much laundry until we get some more detergent and stuff, but I'll do what I can. Everyone is going to get a laundry basket for their room, and if you want your laundry done for you, you put it in the hall on laundry days, which will be…"

"Today is Wednesday," Colton stepped in. "And with this many of us, we're gonna have to do a helluva lot of sheets and towels and such. Maybe we should do some every day?"

Dean considered. "That might be a good idea. Especially since I have no idea how much clothes you guys have. Sam and I never had that many, living out of a duffle bag. We did wash pretty much every week. How many days can you go?"

Colton shrugged. "If you want clean clothes every day, a week max. If you want clothes without blood and tears? Four days."

Rosie agreed with a week, as did Morgan, who added, "But if you want clothes appropriate for school, clean every day and not torn or anything, four days or so. I could stretch it with leggings and sweatshirts, but only in the cold."

Looking at Rosie, Dean asked, "What about Jerry and Petie?"

Rosie laughed. "Petie? Baby has been through all his clean stuff, as well as some rewears, already. Jerry has about a week's worth, if he doesn't need to change more than once a day."

"So clothes shopping is added to our to-do list," Dean sighed. "Everyone needs one week of clean, presentable clothing. What about shoes?"

All the kids had a pair of good boots and a pair of sneakers, except for Petie, who didn't need any yet, and Jerry, who only had sneakers. Dean deemed that sufficient. The two little ones would also need jackets and hats, plus mittens, once true winter hit, but would be okay for now.

"Okay, so cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, and common areas…twice a week, given how much they will be used." Dean tried to think further ahead, but he was pretty much at his planning limit.

"We're going to need a chore chart," Cas chimed in.

Dean looked at him as if his three heads had sprouted babies. "Chore chart?"

Cas smiled at him. "Yes. We used one at the Gas N Sip to keep track of whose turn it was to complete each task. The days are listed across the top—"

Dean cut Cas off gently. "I got it. That sounds like a good idea. We'll get that done ASAP. We're also going to need to keep track of what supplies we used up and what we need to buy. And if anyone has a particular item preference—like shampoo," Dean glared at Sam, who glared back. "I want to try and build up some just-in-case stock, but we're going to have to do checklists or something. Like, if you use the last of the bread, check it off so we know we have to get some."

"If we are going to take turns cooking, we're going to need to know what we have to make, so we have enough and what we need for it," Morgan added. "I mean, I don't mind cooking, but I'd rather you told me what I was supposed to make instead of me trying to figure it out." Colton agreed, as did Cas.

"I will need to be instructed on cooking for a while, Dean," Cas added, seriously. "If it is not a burrito in a microwave, I will be in trouble."

"And that comes down to, what will everybody eat?" Dean sighed. Sam had been a picky eater, mouthing-off-wise (he would complain, loudly, about his choices), but he would eat whatever was put in front of him because he knew there wouldn't be anything else in its place. But that had been with ONE kid….if they were all like that, Dean would be pulling his hair out.

Sam rose from his seat and went to rifle through the junk drawer, pulling out paper and a pen. "Let's make this easy and write it down as we go. If you really have objections to a food, say so, but for the most part—"

"We're on a budget, and if you don't want Ramen noodles and frozen peas every day, we all might have to be flexible," Dean interrupted.

"So that means you'll eat broccoli when I make it, Dean?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Sam, I will eat vegetables," Dean grudgingly agreed. Sam was slightly taken aback. The old Dean would have refused. Daddy-Dean obviously wanted to get the kids to eat veggies, and knew he had to do it, too. "Pasta is cheap, hence tonight and tomorrow night's dinner," Dean added. "Meatloaf with mashed potatoes is good. Mexican, like enchiladas, are easy and can make a lot at once. Pot pie is easy and can feed a big group."

"Lasagna is easy and makes a ton," Morgan added. "I like making lasagna."

"Added to the list," Sam said. "That's five meals."

Colton looked a little green, but added, "Tuna casserole? Cheap, easy, can be made in a big batch…" he let his voice trail off.

"True," Dean agreed. "And we have a couple crock pots, so we can make soups and stews, too."

"Firecracker chicken!" Rosie shouted. "My mom used to make it when we had an oven in our room. Its like real Chinese food, spicy and with rice."

"We'll look that recipe up," Sam wrote. "That's eight meals so far. Good enough start, Dean?"

"Yup," Dean pushed off the counter. "Cas and I'll take Jerry for bathtime—and Petie, too," he added after looking at the baby with spaghetti hanging off his ear. "After dishes, everybody put your wash outside your door and I'll get it sorted and started." Picking up Petie and holding him out at arms-length, Dean nodded to Jerry and Cas to follow him, leaving the others to their chores.

The Men of Letters were 1950s men, not women and not girly-men, so there wasn't a real tub to be had in the Bunker. There was a big, deep, metal tub that just allowed Sam to sit in it with his legs extended, the kind used in football locker rooms and training facilities to ice down muscle tears and joint injuries. There was no way Petie could be comfortably bathed in it (even Sam's gorilla long arms would struggle to hold him safely due to the high sides), and it could only be filled up with a couple inches of water for Jerry.

Cas, having taken the food-covered baby from Dean to allow Dean to run the bath, looked around the room. "Where do we put Petie?" he asked plaintively, trying to keep spaghetti bits and sauce away from his clothing.

Dean bit his lip. There were sinks in here, but they weren't close to the tub. "Gonna have to use the sink for him until he's bigger. I'm scared to put him into that thing," he nodded at the tub. "Let me take him, and you keep an eye on Jerry."

The speed with which Dean found himself in possession of a squirmy baby reinforced the wisdom of that choice. "Jer?" Dean looked the little boy in the eye. "You can play in the tub a little while I bath Petie over here, but then we are going to wash you with soap. I got baby soap that won't sting your eyes, okay?"

"Not a baby," Jerry pouted.

"No, you aren't. But the only soap that won't sting you is baby soap. Can you keep your eyes closed so I can use regular soap, or do you want to use baby soap? We'll have to wash your hair, too, with it." Dean began to undress Petie on the counter, letting the water run until he was happy with the temperature before placing the plug in the sink.

Jerry looked darkly rebellious, but didn't say a word.

"Jerry?" Dean asked, his tone mild but warning. He fully expected a major meltdown, and was prepared when Jerry shook his head and stomped his foot, yelling, "No!"

Cas covered his ears at the high-pitched echo coming from the tiled walls, and looked desperately at Dean as if to say, What now?

"If you won't let me use soap, I'm going to have to wash you off in the shower," Dean stated, voice calm and patient. "So you have three choices—tub with real soap, tub with baby soap, or shower with me with real soap."

"Not a choice," Jerry whined. "Its all soap!"

"Because in order for you to be clean, and after that spaghetti you have to get clean, you have to use soap," Dean restated, turning his attention to washing the baby in the sink, realizing that one child at a time might be the bath-time max for a bit.

Cas raised his eyebrow. "I could-" he angel-motioned a snap of his fingers. While he was on Earth now, and would eventually lose his Grace and become human, he was not yet human and there were alternatives.

Dean shook his head no, meeting Cas's eyes. No reason to use up his limited Grace on baths, and Jerry was going to have to learn this anyway. "There are three choices. Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they aren't choices, Jer."

The little boy plopped himself down on his butt in the water, arms crossed. "Baby soap," he pouted. "But I NOT a baby."

"No, Jerry, you are NOT a baby," Cas agreed. "But baby soap is gentle and will not sting. When I was human before, that is the soap I used until I was used to hygiene standards." Cas looked to Dean for approval at his words.

Dean wasn't sure it was the truth, but as he well knew, sometimes a little white lie was needed to convince a kid of what was good for him. Dean had certainly told his fair share to Sam in trying to save him from the horrors of hunting. "So baby soap is adult-angel approved. Does that make you feel better about it, Jerry?"

Jerry was busy staring at Cas as if to evaluate the truth of the statement. "Said okay already."

Dean deftly rinsed the soap off of the baby, and leaned Petie back to cup water over his hair. Dean impressed himself when he managed not to get any in Petie's eyes, until he say Petie had managed to grab the soapy washcloth and put it in his mouth. The soap taste didn't seem to bother him, but Dean carefully removed it anyway. Petie was less than thrilled and made it verbally known. Cas startled at the echoing wail, the tiled room making it sound much louder than it actually was. Dean smiled and reassured his angel that Petie was just fine. Wiping the soapy cloth over Petie's peach fuzz, Dean quickly rinsed him and wrapped him up in a thick towel. "Here, Cas, just hold him and keep him covered for now."

Looking like he was handed a time-bomb, Cas took the baby reluctantly but immediately began rocking Petie and cooing to him in some sing-song foreign language that Dean didn't know. Or at least that's what Dean assumed the strange sounds coming from Cas were.

"Okay, Jerry—first thing is you gotta get all wet. So can you lay down in the water and splash around some?" Dean asked, trying to put the tense toddler more at ease.

Jerry quickly complied with the splashing, getting Dean's face full on. Jerry laughed, and after a moment, so did Dean. "Okay. Can we try the laying down? Get your hair wet?"

Again, Jerry quickly complied, but did it so quickly that his hair barely got dampened. "Once more, little dude, okay?" Dean prodded. A second dunk was more successful, although that was where help ended. As soon as a washcloth and baby soap appeared over the edge of the tub, Jerry turned into a stiff action figure. Dean had to bend and turn him to wash him, and Jerry sulked. Deciding that Jerry not fighting him was more important than Jerry being less sulky, Dean quickly had him clean and the plug pulled. Once the water drained, Jerry stood up to accept a towel and a lift out of the tub onto the cool floor.

Toweling as much water off Jerry as he could, Dean wrapped the damp towel around him and led Jerry back to his room, Cas following. "Jerry, can you put on some pjs while we get Petie dressed?" Dean put a pull up on the bed and picked out a clean set of pajamas to put next to it. Gathering up the dirty clothes he could find, he stopped to drop them outside the door.

Jerry had already stepped into the Pull-Up, beginning the process, by the time Dean had turned back to him. "Yes, 'ean."

Dean smiled. "Thank you, buddy. Come into Petie's room when you're finished and we'll read a couple books there before bed, okay?"

At the mention of books, Jerry's good nature and smile were back. "Yeah! Story time!"

"Okay, Jer." Dean left the little boy with the door not quite closed and motioned Cas towards the baby's room. Once inside, Dean took Petie from Cas and laid him down on the top of the dresser while reaching for a diaper.

Cas peeked closely over Dean's shoulder, studying Dean's experienced effort. Dean didn't need to be told to cover up the boy's penis while changing him (it had taken Cas getting peed on twice before he learned), and he did not have to resituate the tabs looser or tighter once finished. Cas marveled at Dean's easy acceptance of the parenting role, and his skill at the thousand and one little things Cas had never really thought about before dealing with a baby.

Dean talked gently to the baby while snapping up his onesie, which had seen better days but was the cleanest that he could currently find. "Cas, can you gather all of Petie's clothes and toss it out next to the door? Everything needs to be washed," Dean asked as he picked the baby up and settled on the bed with him.

As Cas leaned out to deposit the wash, Jerry made his adorable way in. Thumb was yet again firmly in his mouth, a book clasped in his other hand, and he had indeed dressed himself. His bottoms were inside-out, and the top backwards. Cas started to open his mouth but closed it. If the little boy didn't see uncomfortable, he wasn't going to embarrass or shame him by mentioning it. Dean seemed to like that tactic, as he didn't correct the boy either.

"Hey there, Jerry," Dean motioned to the side of the bed empty next to him. "Do you want me or Cas to read to you?"

Jerry looked back and forth between both men, seeing Petie on Dean's chest with his eyes almost closed, and pointed to Cas with the book.

Cas looked overjoyed that the little boy picked him. Smiling widely, he took the book from Jerry, sat next to Dean, and motioned for Jerry to climb up into his lap. Once Jerry was settled, Cas studied the cover of the book. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This sounds like a very good book. Caterpillars are very cute and turn into beautiful—"

Dean coughed to cut Cas off. "Just read the book, Cas."

Looking a little disconcerted, but following Dean's directions, Cas cracked the book open and began reading. Jerry liked reciting the list of food the caterpillar had eaten, and clapped his hands with joy when he turned into a butterfly. Cas read animatedly, and with close attention, as he had not read this book before and found it delightful. It helped teach basic facts of one of his Father's most beautiful creations (after bees, of course) in a fun and entertaining way—and Cas now understood why Dean had told him to stop talking and read. "I liked that story very much, Jerry. Thank you for choosing such a good book."

Jerry smiled at Cas around his thumb. "I like it, too, Cas. Specially the eating pages. You read good."

"Thank you for the compliment, Jerry," Cas was thrilled at this little bonding experience. "Do you have other books by this author?"

Jerry looked at Cas with big eyes, and Cas realized that his question confused the boy. "What other books do you have, Jerry?" Cas rephrased.

Sliding off of Cas's lap, Jerry tugged Cas up off the bed and led him wordlessly to his room and the very small pile of books on the shelf. Dean stayed behind, making sure Petie would lay down and sleep.

Jerry pulled another book, this one thick cardboard, entitled, Good Night, Moon, and handed it to Cas. "Like this one, too."

Cas took the book. "Would you like me to read you this one, too?"

Jerry nodded enthusiastically, clambering onto his bed and under his blanket. Cas sat beside the little boy, and began reading. The simple charm of the book, with its cute illustrations, again enchanted Cas. The book was just finished, and Jerry's eyes fighting to stay open, when Dean peeked in from the doorway.

Dean's heart felt full, and his pulse quickened at the picture Cas made, reading to the little boy all tucked in. Dean didn't think the moment could be more perfect, until Cas carefully rose, closed and placed the book on the nightstand, and then—brushed a gentle kiss on Jerry's forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams."

Cas caught the look on Dean's face as he made his way out of the room, turning off the light switch as he exited. Dean locked the bottom half of the door, leaving the top open to allow light from the hallway until they got him a nightlight. Catching Cas in his arms, Dean pulled him tight and buried his face into the angel's neck. "You are so adorable," he muttered into Cas's skin.

Cas hugged him back tightly, reluctant to let go, but very much wanting to retreat for the night with Dean to their room. "We need to get wash started before bed."

Dean sighed a moment later and released Cas. "Yeah, yeah we do. Let's get this done as quickly as possible."

Cas raised an eyebrow and fingers poised to snap. Dean wrapped his own hand around to prevent Cas from completing the motion. "The regular way. Gotta work out a system for this much wash."

Cas sighed back at Dean. "Very well. But I want extra cuddling."

Dean smiled widely, scooping up clothing from the floor and heading towards the washer. "You got it."