CHAPTER 22

Adam came from the storeroom carrying a mop stick with him. He noticed Sam was in the kitchen rummaging through a drawer. 'Probably searching for the pamphlet of the Chinese restaurant that Dean had mentioned since I had successfully ruined everybody's dinner.'He thought and shook his head. He was angry at himself but more than that he was feeling guilty.

He crouched down and began the first part of his punishment which was cleaning the mess which he has made earlier off the floor. The second part was to clean the kitchen and wash the dishes but that had to wait until after they all had dinner.

"Adam, I wanna help." DJ said in his little voice crouching behind Adam.

Adam was just picking up the ruined chicken off the floor when he heard DJ. He smiled sadly at the small kid and said, "Sorry kiddo. I appreciate it but I don't think I am allowed to take anybody's help. This is my punishment to clean this mess so I have to do it alone."

DJ looked as if he was thinking about what Adam had said but he finally nodded his little head and said,

"Okay" And with that he made his way towards his father.

Sam had found the pamphlet of the restaurant and now he just had to order. Doesn't matter that Dean had said he didn't want to eat anything but he would still order for his brother. Dean had to be hungry since he only had breakfast today. It was just that his brother was angry and was taking it out on food which worried Sam as it was really unusual for Dean. This shows just how much angry Dean was.

"Daddy, I'm bored." DJ said jolting his father from his thoughts.

Sam looked at his son. Due to all the current tension in the house , it was anything but boring. But since DJ was a toddler so Sam couldn't blame him.

"Why don't you go in your room and play with your toys for a while ?. I will call you for dinner." Sam said.

"Okay , daddy. But I want dumpl-dumpl. I dunno how to say that." DJ said furrowing his eyebrows when he couldn't pronounce the word.

"You mean dumplings , son ?" Sam asked smiling. The expression on DJ's face was freaking adorable. DJ would try saying big words and then he would furrow his little eyebrows everytime he couldn't.

"Yes. Pweese daddy. I want them for dinner." DJ said with a puppy dog expression and Sam nodded. He would be in serious trouble if his son continues to use that expression on him everytime he wants something. Sam thought to himself.

DJ squealed happily and ran towards his room.

"Don't you run on the stairs, young man." Sam called after his son and nodded in satisfaction when he noticed DJ climbing each step carefully.

Sam's eyes then fell on Adam who was mostly done with the cleaning. The kid had a really sad expression on his face. Sam could tell just by looking at Adam that he was feeling incredibly guilty too. Adam was being punished for his own mistakes but he was still a kid. So Sam couldn't help when his heart broke a little seeing the dejected expression on Adam's face.

Adam let out a relieved sigh when he was done cleaning the floor. He stood up and then tensed when he noticed Sam staring at him.

"You can go put the cleaning supplies back in the storeroom , kiddo." Sam said with his tone a little softer than earlier.

Adam nodded and left. He was relieved that atleast Sam didn't sounded that angry with him as he had been earlier. But this doesn't mean that he don't have to apologise to Sam. But this does means that once he had managed to make Sam forgive him then he would have Sam's help in convincing Dean. Even thinking about going near Dean was enough to make his palms sweating. He didn't know how he would apologise to the man.

Adam made his way cautiously towards Sam who was sitting on the couch in the living room. It was time to apologise. He thought and with that he tried to straighten his shoulders. But that didn't gave him any confidence. He took a deep breath and with that he stood in front of Sam.

Sam was more than surprised when he found Adam suddenly standing in front of him. The kid was studying his shoes to avoid looking at him. He waited patiently for Adam to say something but when the kid didn't, he sighed silently.

"What is it kiddo ?" Sam asked softly. His voice no longer hard.

"I am sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to ruin everyone's evening. I really am sorry." Adam said still looking down. He looked like he could cry at any moment. It was more than Sam could handle.

"Ohh kid. Come here." Sam said and patted on the space besides him on the couch. And when Adam finally sat. He turned towards Adam and tilted his chin up to look in his eyes.

"I know you are, Adam. And I aslo think that you don't need me to tell you what you did wrong. Right ?" Sam asked in a gentle tone while rubbing Adam's back in a soothing manner to put the kid at ease.

Adam shook his head and he continued ,

"I know you didn't mean to ruin everyone's dinner. But more than that I am angry at you for swearing at Dean. The word you used was a really bad one."

Adam nodded his head with his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"I didn't mean to say that. It just slipped out. I promise." Adam said and this time with the tears rolling down his cheeks.

Sam wiped them gently with his thumb and said,

"Its okay. You have been punished for that. I just need you to control your temper from now. You have got one just like Dean. You need to watch your mouth too. Take your time to think before you say anything. Can you promise me to do that ?" Sam asked. He figured that there was no use of lecturing Adam. The kid was already feeling miserable. He knew what he did wrong. What Adam needed most at the moment was to talk to Dean.

"Yes sir. I promise you to keep my temper in check and also to take time to think before speaking." Adam said sincerely in a little voice that made him look even younger than twelve.

"And I trust you to keep that promise, kiddo. Now why don't you tell me what you wanna eat so that I can order, huh ?" Sam asked draping his arm around Adam's shoulder and pulling the kid in a one-arm hug.

Adam leaned into Sam for a moment and it felt really good. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand and looked at Dean's room and said,

"Dean is not eating because of me. I don't want to eat either." Adam said in a tearful voice.

"You need to eat something. I know you are hungry. And I know he is hungry too. Since he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. I am gonna order something for him and for you too. Nobody's going to bed hungry." Sam said.

"You think if I apologise to him then he will forgive me and eat something ?. I really feel bad that he is not eating because of me." Adam said nervously.

Sam looked at the kid's tear strained face and said , "I am sure. He will forgive you if you apologise sincerely. And as for food , you know he is a foodie. He is just a little angry and is taking it out on food. If you talk to him , he will definitely eat something."

"Okay." Adam said. And then he gave a big hug to Sam. Sam had forgiven him and he was grateful for that.

Sam was a bit surprised at first but then he returned the hug.

"Thank you , Sam." Adam said smiling a little.

"Its okay. Now lets order." Sam said with his own dimpled grin.

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"Please Sam come with me." Adam said holding Sam's arm and looking at him pleadingly.

Sam gently pried his arm from Adam and said , "I am sorry but I think you need to do this alone, Adam." Sam knew that Adam was scared of talking to Dean but this was something that he had to do alone. Dean can be a hardass but he is a big softie at heart. He would never do anything to hurt Adam. And besides Dean and Adam needs to talk somethings out. And it would be better if they do it alone.

"But what if he didn't want to talk to me ? Please if you come then you can convince him." Adam said to Sam. He was afraid of talking to Dean alone. Dean was still angry at him. And Dean can be really scary when he is angry. If Sam is there with him then he can convince Dean to forgive him.

"No Adam. You made some mistakes, kiddo. And now you need to apologise for your mistakes. You need to do it alone. Trust me Dean can be stern and tough but he is a big ol' softie at heart. Me and DJ would be both waiting for outside for you and Dean." Sam said gently steering Adam towards Dean's room.

Adam tried once more to convince Sam to go with him. But Sam just shook his head. And when he figured that Sam would not budge , he nodded sadly. He knew he must look like a man about to be hanged because that was exactly how he was feeling. He took a deep breath when he came near Dean's room. He looked back at Sam who was smiling at him and giving him a thumbs up. He tried to smile but it looked more as a grimace. He shook his head and then with another deep breath , he knocked.

Dean was sitting on his bed with his back to the door. He was angry at Adam. And he was tired too. He had woken up early to repair two cars which needed to be delivered tomorrow morning urgently. He was already tired from that. And then his afternoon was spent punishing Adam when all he wanted to do was drink a cold beer and watch some TV. This whole mess was about the freaking TV. And after he had punished Adam by spanking him , he had felt so bad even though he knew that he had done nothing wrong that he had run to the market to pick up the kid's favourite icecream and spent his whole evening preparing a hearty dinner of roasted chicken. And look how that turned out. So yeah he was pissed.

He wondered if he was even capable of taking care of a twelve year old. He knew he had raised Sam. But he had known Sam ever since Sam was a baby. On the other hand , he knew next to nothing about Adam. Was it really a nice choice to grant the legal custody of your son to a practical stranger ? He didn't know what Adam's mom and his dad were thinking when they chose him to be the legal guardian. The problem was that Adam had a temper just like him. He had promised Sam to be patient with Adam and he had never broken a single promise in his life. But he didn't know if he could keep this promise especially when Adam continues to push his limits like that. He wasn't a fool. He knew that Adam was a grieving little kid who had lost his mother and now had to live with two strangers and it wasn't easy for the kid at all. But he also can't overlook the kid's mistakes.

Dean broke from his thoughts when he heard a knock. He knew it must be Sam coming to check on him like he was some little kid which made him more angry. As he was about to open his mouth to yell at his brother to leave him alone. He heard his door open. He turned and was surprised to find Adam.

Adam had knocked on the door but when he had heard nothing from Dean. He had just entered. He knew he was the last person that Dean wanted to see but he needed to say sorry. When Dean turned to look at him, he looked so angry that Adam had quickly averted his gaze from Dean's face to the ground. 'God please give me strength to get through this.' He thought.

Dean hadn't expected Adam to come to his room. He stood from the bed and made his way towards the kid who was studying the ground below him with great interest. He waited for Adam to say something as he had no idea what the kid wanted. He wasn't known to be a patient man and like he said that he was not only angry but he was tired too so he couldn't help when he sounded harsh when he asked the kid,

"What are you doing here ?"

Adam jumped at Dean's harsh tone. But he replied, "I wanted to apologise, sir. I know I made many mistakes today. But I am really sorry, sir."

The kid could be really respectful when he wanted to be. Dean shook his head and said with his voice still hard, "Okay." And with that he sat down on his bed. This means an end of the conversation from his side. He wasn't in the mood to talk.

Adam looked at Dean who was now sitting on the bed and not at all looking at him. 'Okay' doesn't mean anything. He didn't know if 'okay' means he is forgiven because Dean is still looking pretty angry. He had a feeling that he was again pushing Dean's limits but he took a deep breath and made his way towards the man.

Dean was again surprised that instead of leaving, Adam was now crouching on the floor in front of him. But before he could say anything the kid continued in a small voice that melted his heart a little,

"I know you are really angry. But please listen to me, sir. I didn't mean to swear at you it just slipped out. I am sorry. I was angry because my butt was hurting. And I didn't like to be spanked but now I understand that punishments are supposed to be something that you hate. My mom never spanked me , she used to just ground me and I didn't mind being grounded. It wasn't even a punishment for me. Since she was out all day so most of the time I didn't take my grounding seriously. And when she was home, I get to spend my time in my room and I had no problem with that. So I was kinda hoping that you would do the same but your right hand is really big and strong and it hurt. But now I understand that I deserved it. I lied and blamed DJ for something that I did and when you punished me instead of apologizing I showed attitude. I am sorry for that." Adam said and took a deep breath.

Dean could see that this time the kid was really sorry. And he was proud of Adam for being honest too. Dean wanted to say something to comfort the kid but he could see that Adam wasn't done so he kept his mouth shut. He wanted Adam to let all out. He didn't miss the fact that the kid had difficulty talking about his mother.

"I know you spent time in making dinner and you brought my favourite icecream too. But please trust me that I didn't want to ruin everyone's dinner like that. I am really sorry, sir. You can punish me all you want. I don't mind if you spank me again but please forgive me and don't take it out on food." Adam said in a pleading tone. He was trying desperately for Dean to forgive him. He meant every word of it too. And this time , he was unable to stop the tears rolling down his cheeks. Talking about his mother made him miss his mom too and also he was feeling really bad.

Dean was angry but he wasn't that strong to ignore the cries of a little kid. He didn't say anything , he just opened his arms and a moment later he had his arms full of Adam. He picked the kid gently from his crouching position on the floor and placed him on his lap. Adam was burying his face in his chest. He could feel the wetness in front of his tshirt. His tshirt would be covered in snot but in that moment , he didn't give a damn.

Adam knew he must look like a little kid sitting on Dean's lap and crying while trying to bury his face in Dean's tshirt but he didn't care. He could feel Dean whispering soothingly to him but he couldn't understand what the man was saying because he was crying so hard. He felt Dean's hands rubbing his back and he relaxed a little. He stopped crying a moment later but he didn't want to get up. As much as he was afraid of Dean, he now felt safe , loved and protected lying in the man's strong arms.

Dean noticed that Adam had stopped crying and he also noticed that the kid made no attempt to get up from his lap. Adam's hands were fisted in his tshirt with his head resting on his shoulder. He couldn't help himself from dropping a kiss on the kid's forehead.

"Please don't send me away." Adam said. His voice was rough from crying.

Dean didn't understand what Adam had meant by that. So he gently lifted Adam's chin to look in his eyes. He also brushed Adam's sweaty hair away from his face and wiped a few tears with his thumb. And this time Dean's voice was really soft when he asked Adam,

"What do you mean , son ?"

Adam looked at Dean. He didn't know what was happening , no matter how hard he tried but he couldn't stop his tears. But he cleared his throat enough to say,

"I am being ungrateful and bad. You are giving me a place to stay and food to eat. You didn't know me but you still agreed to be my guardian. I don't want to leave in a foster home. Please don't send me away. Please , sir." Adam said pleading. His greatest fear was that that Dean would send him back and then he would have to live in a foster care. Since he don't have any other relatives. It was always him and his mom. His mom used to say that her parents died when she was a kid. He didn't like it in the beginning but now he likes living here. He loves Sam , DJ and Dean. He didn't wanna go.

Dean took a deep breath. He hated seeing that fear in Adam's eyes. But he could understand the reason of Adam's fear. Now it was his turn to talk to the kid,

"You aren't being ungrateful or bad. You are being a kid. Kids make mistakes and for that they are punished and it goes on like that. We didn't know you a month ago. But this doesn't change the fact that you are still mine and Sam's little brother. You are a Winchester. And we Winchesters stick together. So don't you worry about going anywhere because you are stuck with us buddy. And as for taking care of you , I am your big brother its in my job description to look after my pain in the ass little brother. I ain't doing anyone any favour. So don't you dare worry about these stupid things. Clear ?" Dean asked in a calm yet firm tone. Adam needs to understand that it had taken him sometime but he had accepted Adam as a part of his family. He doesn't want Adam to fear about being sent away everytime the kid makes a mistake.

"Yes sir." Adam replied. A wave of relief washed over him when he realised that Dean wouldn't send him away. And he is ridiculously happy hearing that Dean has accepted him as his little brother. It was the first time Dean had called him that. Though Dean had called him 'pain in the ass little brother' , he couldn't complain.

"Now that we have that out of the way. I want to say that I am proud of you for being honest with me about your feelings. I also forgive you and I am no longer angry at you. You know that I didn't like spanking you either. But if you make a mistake in the future and I feel that you deserve getting your butt beaten I would do exactly that. It brings me no joy but it will help you learn your lesson. I would never hurt you, kid. But I want to raise you right. Understand ?" Dean said hoping to make the kid understand that he didn't enjoy punishing Adam. But punishments are what help you remember to not make a mistake twice in the future.

"Yes sir." Adam said and nodded. He understand that. He would never admit it loud. But he would think twice before lying in the future because of his sore bottom.

Dean realised that he was finally getting through Adam. He patted Adam's back gently and said in a teasing voice to lighten the situation.

"Anyways, I don't think my hand is that big and hard. You are being a little girl." Dean pretended to examine his hand in a serious manner.

Adam finally allowed himself to relax at Dean's teasing tone by again laying down his head on Dean's shoulder. He was still sitting on Dean's lap with his one arm wrapped around Dean's waist and the other fisted at the front of his tshirt. He was twelve and normally he would be embarrassed. But he wanted Dean to comfort him. So he let it go this once. Besides it felt nice and cozy.

"I am not. Besides I don't think any little girl could survive it. It is hard. You just don't know." Adam replied in a teasing voice of his own.

Dean rolled his eyes good naturedly and said, "Now have you boys order something for me ? Or I have to go to bed hungry."

"Well, you were the one to say that you weren't hungry. But since we all have a big heart and we didn't want you to feel left out while we all eat tasty Chinese , we ordered food for you too." Adam said smirking and shrugging. All was good now so he couldn't pass this opportunity to tease Dean a little.

"Well , thank you for your kindness , my good sir. Now can we go out and eat ?" Dean asked and stood up throwing Adam on his shoulders and making his way out. Once again just like that everything was right in the Winchester family.

Adam let out a girly squeal which he would definitely deny later when Dean threw him on his shoulder and made his way out. He was laughing uncontrollably and kicking his legs. Because Dean wasn't just carrying him but also tickling his sides and stomach mercilessly.

Sam is right when he says that 'Dean maybe a hardass but inside he is a big ol' softie.' Thought Adam.

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It was a long long chapter. So please leave a lot of reviews. And let me know what you think.

And also a hearty thank you to everyone who takes their time reviewing my story.