A/N: Holy smokes, it's only now cluing in to me how much I fricken write... this is my fifty-third story! 5-3! That's rediculous man! Haha... but I'm glad you're enjoying them! Today's one shot is another drabble. Though not a challenge one, it was just one that I wrote up today that ended up being a drabble because I didn't want to make it too long (it would have spoiled it). I'm not going to say much about it, because it's kinda of self explainitory, but please, do enjoy!
Title: Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight
Genre: bitter-sweet...
Summary: Dean's four and a half... and his Mom tucks him in for the last time...
"Mommy?" the voice was small and quiet, "…Mommy?"
Mary smiled and turned from her position on the couch to see the stairs. Four and a half year old Dean stood, his head peaking above the banister at his parents. John, too, glanced over to see his oldest boy taking up stance.
"Dean," John spoke up, "Didn't I put you to bed half an hour ago?"
"Uh huh."
"Then why are you up Buddy?" John questioned.
"Mommy didn't say g'night," Dean responded simply as he took another slow step down.
John looked over at Mary with a smile on his face, "Do you want me to put him back in bed?"
Mary shook her head, "No, I got him," she kissed John on the cheek, "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Mary got up and walked to Dean on the step, taking his hand in hers.
"Goodnight Dean!" John called from the couch.
"'Night Daddy!"
Mary lead Dean back into his room, and turned on the small bedside lamp. With a triumphant grin, Dean leapt into his bed and grabbed a stuffed animal from beside him.
"Are you sleepy?" Mary asked sitting beside her son.
Dean shook his head, "Nope. Can you read me a story?"
"Ok," Mary agreed, "Once upon a time there was a little boy who went straight to sleep when he was supposed to…"
"Mommy!" Dean cried out loudly.
"Shh," Mary laughed, "You don't want to wake Sammy." she paused, "Ok, if I read you one story, will you go to sleep?"
Dean nodded.
Mary walked over to a small bookshelf and grabbed a book. It was from the series of Mercer Mayer books that both John and Mary loved to read the boys as they were quick reads and would satisfy Dean's needs for a tale.
"How does this look?" Mary showed him the cover with a small critter on it.
"Yeah!" Dean snuggled into the blanket some more.
Mary smiled and laid down beside Dean on his bed. The youngster curled up into his Mom as she read every page of the story which both Winchester's had memorized by that point. It was halfway through the story that Mary noticed Dean's breathing going into a relaxed rate, and his eyes closing to his mother's soft voice. Mary knew she could sneak away now without him noticing, but decided to finish the story anyways before creeping off the bed.
"Goodnight Sweetheart," Mary leaned down and kissed Dean's soft forehead as she pulled his blanket up, "And remember… the angels are always watching over you."
Quietly Mary turned off the light and left the room; Dean's partially conscious mind opening his eyes briefly at the movement before falling back into a peaceful slumber. It would be just a few short hours later that Dean would be awoken from his Dad's shouts and Sammy's cry. Just a few short hours later that Dean would carry his baby brother out of the burning house and to the safety of the front yard. Just a few short hours until Dean Winchester was forced to grow up into a world with demons and monsters; into a world where a boy could feel the pain of a lifetime before he was five.
"I'll tell you who else had faith like that. Mom. She used to tell me when she tucked me in that angels were watching over us. In fact, that was the last thing she ever said to me."