Fic Post: The Children's Hour (1/1): Happy Birthday, Musesfool!

[gwendolyngrace]

Happy birthday, musesfool!

I haven't quite missed it.

The Children's Hour
For: Musesfool
Wordcount: about 2,350
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen, set sometime Seasons 1-2ish

I wrote this a while ago, and she's seen this, but Happy Birthday - I'm posting!
This was a plot bunny of hers and it attacked me.



"Sammy."

"Dean...."

"But Sammy--"

"Dean, c'mon--"

"Serious, Sam. This is the dumbest idea ever."

"It'll be fine, Dean, jeez. They're what--two feet tall? Not even? How hard can it be?" He doesn't mention that this was Dean's hookup's idea to get them in during the day.

"I dunno, man," Dean insists. "You don't remember what you were like at four. And five." He sizes up Sam with a look of pain. "Heck, you're still a pain in the ass."

"Dude. They're preschoolers. Even you can handle going through the ABC's."

~*~

Sam chokes back a gag reflex at the overpowering smell of paste, Crayola, and Magic Marker. The primary colors on every surface don't help him keep breakfast down, either. There's not a single adult-sized chair in the room, except for the rocker over in "Story Corner."

"Kids!" Janine Ebersol, the teacher whom Dean found a couple nights ago, the only one willing to talk about the disturbances, announces from in between them. "We have two guest teachers today. Everyone say good morning to Mr. Dean and Mr., um...." Janine looks at Sam in an apologetic state.

"Sammy," he stammers. "I mean, Sam." On her other side, Dean snorts with glee.

"Guess you really can relive your childhood," Dean whispers around Janine's back, under the class's cheery, "Good morning, Mr. Sammy. Good morning, Mr. Dean!"

"That just sounds dirty," Dean continues under his breath. He winks at Janine.

"Dude, focus," Sam growls.

"Right. Okay." Janine sets up half of the class with an art project and the other half goes over to a rug with some toys on it. Dean cases the room while the toddlers run around them. "I'll stake out the playplace--you keep your eye on Story Corner. Books are your thing, after all."

They know that the ghost has a penchant for disturbing quiet times: throwing books while the teachers try to read to the kids; tipping over easels when no one is nearby; often even pulling the pillows out from children's tender heads in the middle of nap time. Ghosts in themselves were bad enough, but any restless spirit that targeted preschoolers deserved its bones burnt to a crisp, extra salty. Sam wants to get this over with before anyone really gets hurt.

Sam tries to fold his legs under one of the round tables to see what the kids are painting. His gets down to the floor, but as he scoots toward the table, his knee bangs into the table top.

"Ow! Jeez, ow!"

He straightens his leg by reflex, rubbing the knee. As he kicks, he hits the table from underneath and tips it up. The cups of water and paint fall over. "Oh...son of a--" he cuts himself off, springing forward to rescue the cups, but it's too late.

"Mr. Sammy!" Janine cries out, appalled. Several kids start crying because their laps are full of water, or because their paintings are now running with streaks of muddy brown and green.

"Sorry!" Sam says in general. "I'll get paper towels." He separates himself from the table. The kids cry harder once he towers above them.

He runs to the sink and pulls the roll of towels off the little stand. His knee really hurts. The table is hard, and he hit his knee right on the spot that would be his funny bone, if it had been his elbow.

He comes back with the towels and starts trying to mop up the mess. A little girl with snot crusted on her upper lip stares at him.

"You're big."

"Yeah," Sam says.

"Really big."

"Yeah." He tries to wipe her hands off. She flinches away.

"Are you a giant?"

"No." He reaches for her again.

She whips her hand away and shrieks. "No! No! I don't wanna! Miss Janine!"

Sam backs off, bewildered. Janine shifts her attention from the two boys she has been drying off.

"Katie, what on earth? What is it, sweetheart?"

"Don' wanna go be giant food!" She keeps babbling, but Sam can't understand her anymore. Sam knows his mouth and eyes are wide open, but he can't stop himself from gaping. Between the sobbing and the supersonic screech, she might as well be speaking dolphin.

Janine can somehow understand her, though. "Honey, he's not a giant," she assures her. She frowns at him anyway, as if it's his fault she's so upset.

"You know what?" Sam says quickly. "I'll just help these guys instead--"

But Katie's rant has alerted the rest of the art class and soon all the kids are pointing at him and screaming. "Giant!"

"He tried to kill Jack!"

"He eats little kids!"

"He's gonna take us to his giant wife and they'll grind us up for bread!"

"I'll just...see how Dean's doing," Sam says in defeat.

He wanders over to where Dean is lying flat on his stomach with an array of Legos. He doesn't want to get this group all upset, so he perches on a triangular table nearby.

"Jamie, here, gimme that fire truck," Dean says. A little boy hands him a new Lego set, one of the ones that comes practically already assembled. Dean places the fire truck carefully on a strip between a garage playset and a hospital. "Okay. So this is the city, right?" He reaches out for the Fisher-Price bus. "Hey, Charlotte, sweetie, don't eat the toy horses. They taste like crap. Tell you what," he continues, swinging his legs around to sit gracefully, "You can be Animal Control. See the little barn over there? I want you to find all the animals and put 'em over on the farm."

"Like Wilbur's barn?" Charlotte asks.

"Yeah, just like Wilbur's barn," Dean says, proud of her.

"Even Templeton?" The question's tentative, even fearful.

Dean hesitates. "Nah, you don't have to put Templeton in there," he tells her. "I don't like rats, either."

"Okay." She gives him a nod and crawls over to the barn.

"Now...we need a place for the people to take shelter when the dinosaurs attack...Ooh, Brady, that castle will do it. Bring that over here, man...."

"Mr. Dean? Will you read to us at storytime?"

For the first time since Sam came over, Dean's grin falters. "Uh...Mr. Sammy's your guy for reading," he smirks.

"No, we want you!" Charlotte says, rushing over to land on Dean's lap. He lets her bowl him over with an "Oof!" and tumbles her off to one side. She grabs his arm; he playfully tries to shake her off...but not too hard, Sam sees. Soon Brady grabs his other arm, and Jamie gets his leg, and a fourth kid hugs him around the chest. Combined, they wrestle him to the mat.

"Okay, okay...I'll read to you. Later," Dean agrees. They let him up. As he sits straight up, he winks at Sam.

"I see you've got everything under control, Mr. Dean," Sam teases.

"Mr. Sammy's going to...check the cubbyholes for EMF," Dean says pointedly. Sam nods; it's better than waiting around.

"What's EMF?" Brady asks as Sam rises.

On his way out of the room, Sam hears Dean tell his disciples that EMF stands for "Elephants, Monsters, and Fat-Bottomed Girls."

~*~

There's no EMF in the hallway, the cubbyholes, or even the bathrooms, but there's a cold spot near the door to the boiler room. The needle jumps. Sam follows the trail of his own frosted breath to a section of the basement with a paneled wall. Sam taps on the paneling; it's hollow, and built out like it's concealing something. He rips away the panels. Behind them is the body of a little boy. He must have been wedged in by someone who didn't want him to be found. Sam bites back the rise of bile in his throat. It's not from odor; the body has been here long enough that it doesn't even smell very bad anymore. Something altogether different is making his gorge rise. He salts the little corpse, but decides to call in an anonymous tip once they're safely away. The salt should contain the spirit; justice should enable it to move on, but catching human perverts is not their job. Even if Sam would like to find the guy and use him for target practice.

He returns to the classroom. Somehow, his amusement overcomes his surprise at the sight of Dean, cross-legged on the floor of the rug, reading to twenty little kids. Dean conscientiously turns the book around after reading each page to show them the picture. His face is as open and honest as the children's, and he shows the patience with them that Sam remembers from countless lessons, countless hours spent entertaining and educating him while they were alone or in the back of the car.

"Did the little duck really turn into a swan?" one of the kids asks.

"No," Dean says with a smile and a wink. "See, he was really a swan baby the whole time, so when he grew up--" Dean looks up and sees Sam where he's leaning on a bookcase. Sam feels his cheeks redden. He's not sure if he's embarrassed that Dean caught him watching such a tender scene, or if he's embarrassed for Dean being observed in a position he would surely characterize as "vulnerable." Maybe both.

Sam tilts his head toward the hallway, turns the awkward moment into a signal: We're done; we need to talk. Whatever. Dean nods.

"He grew up into what he always was, right from the beginning," Dean finishes. Then he smiles right at Sam. Sam looks away. That's the smile of Dean's that cuts Sam the deepest, the smile with a little sadness mixed into it. It makes Sam want to turn back the clock. It makes him want to repay Dean for all the ways he managed to make Sam's youth as normal as Dean's was FUBAR. Not for the first time, Sam wonders what Dean would have been like--what he would have done with his life--if he hadn't had to raise his little brother and look after their father too, half the time.

Dean puts the book down and slaps his thighs to change the mood. "Well, kids, I gotta go now--"

He can't say any more because the kids start to cry and scream. It's the opposite of the scene they made when Sam bumped the table (and yeah, he's gonna need to pop a couple tabs of Ranger Candy later). It's the crying that says, "Don't leave," that names Dean one of their tribe. Sam can't help laughing. Trust Dean to fit in with five-year-olds.

"Please, Miss Janine," one of the kids begs. "Please let Mr. Dean stay."

Janine comes over to mediate. "That's really up to Mr. Dean, I guess," she concludes. She looks at Sam with a couple questions written on her face, including, Where have you been? and probably, judging by the dust on his clothes, What have you been doing?

Sam smiles sheepishly and says, "Sorry, but we really do have to get going."

Dean gets to his knees, but a bunch of kids dogpile on him for hugs and he can't get up any further. He gives in graciously and lets them embrace him.

"Wait!" one little boy calls after he's hugged everyone (some twice) and is back on his feet at the edge of the Story Corner, in line with Sam. "Before you go, will you say the alphabet the cool way, one more time?"

Dean grins. Janine cocks an eyebrow at him. "The cool way?" she queries.

Sam can't blame her. She knows Dean just well enough for her suspicions to be well-placed. For anyone who only gets to see the superficial Dean, "the cool way" could mean burped out, or done in underarm fart noises, or even "A is for Asshole, B is for Boobs...." But Sam remembers afternoons spent practicing their codes and signals, Morse and Semaphore and the cyphers Dad taught them, as well as the ones they made up to communicate secretly. He remembers the spelling unit Dean failed because he spelled everything with radio calls instead of plain letters. He's pretty sure "the cool way" means only one thing.

So he's not surprised when Dean rattles off every phoneme from Alpha to Zulu. By Charlie, Sam's reciting them too.

It really does impress the kids, too. Even the ones who'd been afraid of the "Giant" are now looking up at him in awe because of the stereo effect.

"Okay, now we really gotta go," Dean says to them. With a reassuring nod at Janine, he disentangles himself from the rugrats one last time.

"Kids, let's say goodbye, now."

"Goodbye, Mr. Dean!" one of the kids says, then they're all saying it. A few of them add, "Goodbye, Mr. Sammy," so Sam doesn't feel too left out. As soon as they've all said their goodbyes, Janine takes the wheel again.

"Okay, now, it's time for music!" she supplies brightly to distract the kids and let Sam and Dean make their exit. "Who wants to play the xylophone today?"

"X-ray, Yankee, Lima, Oscar...." Dean mutters as they walk out of the room. A few of the kids wave anyway, watching them retreat. Dean waves back.

They stand in the hallway. Dean eventually wipes the grin off his face. "Man, kids are great, aren't they? Hey, did you get it?"

Sam nods. "We'll finish up tonight when the school's empty."

Dean slaps him on the shoulder. "Didn't want to burn the place down with little ankle-biters inside, huh? Good thinking, Sammy." He starts down the corridor, still buoyant. "C'mon, let's get lunch. I'm starving. For some reason I'm craving grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup." He shakes his head. "Wow. Kids are really great, huh?"

Sam stretches his legs to catch up. He'll tell Dean about the murdered child later.

Comments

[courtberger.livejournal.com]

This is perfect! I love it!

I can totally see Dean getting along with the kids and teaching them the alphabet the "cool way" lol! I can also see the kids being freaked out by Sam and his height, lol! This is awesome!

And on a side note, I really like your layout :D

Court

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think Dean is more of a kid at heart than Sam, even though Sam got to have a childhood and Dean didn't (or perhaps because Sam got to have more of a childhood than Dean did). He derives more joy from small things, which is a kidlike way to be, while Sam tends to look at what he lacks. And I loved playing with Sam's awkwardness and how everything kid-sized would be even more uncomfortable for him and his long legs.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks on the layout - I can't take credit for the background. It was made for me last Halloween as part of fic'or'treat.

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

I think I already told you this is adorable, and exactly what I wanted. Thank you so much! I love Dean with little kids, and Sam getting to see that side of him. *hearts*

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

It was fun to write, and I'm glad you still love it!

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Hee! So cute! :)

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[ever-faithful.livejournal.com]

This was so completely adorable and awesome !
I have a male friend who is almost six foot seven and kids either love him and use him as their personal jungle gym or they flee in hysterics.
And I want Dean to open up a day care center. I would totally send my kid there.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

LOL, Dean's Day Care.

"And today, class, we're going to learn the proper way to handle and clean a .38... Jimmy here can do it with a blindfold, can't you, Jimmy?"

"Okay, kids, it's time to play Obstacle Course!"

"Rachel, I don't accept that excuse. Just because he took your doll, that's no reason to tell on him. What you do is give him a swift kick in the--"

"Justin, you're not listening. Twenty push-ups, kiddo. Now. Count'em out loud. And clap your hands in between."

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

You is awesome and made me smile. Also? I'm so glad Sam is sitting on the *real* root of their ghost trouble. Dean deserves to be that carelessly happy just a little while longer.

Oh, Dean...

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Yeah, in my head this is somewhere in Seasons 1 or 2, because there's no "Dean's Death" looming in Sam's little internal monologue. But still. Dean's so jazzed by the kids, I can't see Sam wanting to bring him down with the resolution of the case.

Or possibly it's sometime in the sunny future where they're both alive and back and just...hunting. No major bad guys; no vendettas; no deals. Just brothers and out in the world being Big Damn Heroes.

But I'm glad you liked it. Just a little fluff.

[iamstealthyone.livejournal.com]

Nicely done. Great look at the different way in which Dean and Sam relate to kids. Dean has more experience with them, given he had such a large part in raising Sam, so it makes sense that he’d be more at ease with them while Sam would be utterly out of his element.

Favorite lines:

Mr., um...." Janine looks at Sam in an apologetic state.

"Sammy," he stammers. "I mean, Sam."

*snickers*

"Don' wanna go be giant food!"

LOL! Poor Sam.

On his way out of the room, Sam hears Dean tell his disciples that EMF stands for "Elephants, Monsters, and Fat-Bottomed Girls."

*snickers* Naughty Dean!

Sam stretches his legs to catch up. He'll tell Dean about the murdered child later.

I really like that Sam doesn’t bring Dean’s mood down here and saves the news for later.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

Yeah, in my head this is Seasons 1-2, but it could really just as easily be some sunny future when they've got out from under all their deals, all their destinies, and all the vendettas, and they're just...brothers who hunt. But even without Dean's impending death angst, he deserves to hang on to his cheerful mood a little while longer.

As for the ways they relate, Dean is way more child-like in general, in the way he can be so pleased by little, minor things. Sam, ever the intellectual, is constantly looking at a broader scope and seeing what he didn't have. Dean has always been more in the moment, and that's very much the same way a four-year-old behaves. I'm not sure it's even a question of experience, so much as attitude. Sam and his "Name three kids you even know" in Dead in the Water is true for *himself* as well as Dean, but Dean is willing to get down on kids' levels, a skill that Sam has to cultivate in Playthings.

[embroiderama]

Eeee, I love Dean here with the kids! And Sam giving him a little break from the ugly side of their job is a really nice reversal. This line:

"Elephants, Monsters, and Fat-Bottomed Girls."

made me absolutely wheeze with laughter.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks!

He can't be completely appropriate - he is Dean, after all!

Sam will gravitate to whatever makes him feel more comfortable. The idea that the case was more within his comfort zone than a class of four-year-olds? It makes me wonder how things would have changed if he *had* married Jess. That's not entirely fair...but it occurs to me that when he accuses Dean of not knowing any kids in Dead in the Water, that's also true of himself. But they react so differently to childlike things. Dean's so in the moment, and Sam's not. And a four-year-old is entirely all about NOW - and that's Dean to a tee.

[nightowlv.livejournal.com]

Dean surrounded by all the kids is so easy to imagine. But I can just imagine the devastation when Sam tells him what he found. So sad.

There was so much funny, too! Sam the giant, EMF standing for "Elephants, Monsters, and Fat-Bottomed Girls." That's hilarious, especially because I just rewatched "Hell House" and got to hear Ed and Harry's definition of it.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well, I think Sam will break it to him gently. If at all. He might just briefly say that "he handled it" and let it go.

Thanks!

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful! Both Dean and Sam are just lovely, and it does not surprise me in the least that Dean will get on the floor and play Lego while Sam cracks his knee on the table.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

Yeah, I agree: they are so different when it comes to kids. It occurs to me that Sam's whole, "Name three kids you even know" in Dead in the Water applies to himself as much as Dean--maybe more. But whereas Sam is ever the intellectual, Dean's able to let go and exist very much in the moment. And that's EXACTLY how a four-year-old relates to the world. It's all about NOW. Dean groks that and he's able to just play in a way that Sam isn't comfortable doing. Poor Sam.

Anyway. There I go being all meta again. Glad you liked it!

[saberivojo.livejournal.com]

I love watching Dean with kids, you did a great job with that.

Poor Giant Mr. Sammy. It is a wonder he doesn't get a complex!

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Oh, I think Sam will get over it. Though it would be interesting to see what he would have been like with the kids if he had married Jess....

[patita-fea.livejournal.com]

Dean getting tackled by a pile of preschoolers has put a goofy smile on my face. I can easily see him being a big hit with that crowd, because he knows how to talk to kids like they're people. And his uncomplicated joy over, say, the magic fingers, is not unlike a little kid's shiny enthusiasm for puppies and horsies and super soakers.

I love what you did with Sam, too. I had a perfect mental image of him pulling off the kind of physical comedy Jared did so well in BDaBR. Because Gigantor Sam in a room full of miniature furniture? Hilarious. Almost as hilarious as munchkins running in fear of the giant. Bwahaha!

Happy Dean is such a pleasure to see. I wouldn't have told him about the dead child either, Sammy.

Really good job, gwendolyngrace. Thanks for brightening my morning!

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome!

I agree that Dean is much more child-like in his ability to live in the moment, whereas it's much harder for Sam to let go and be. For all that his was the more "normal" childhood, I wonder the extent to which he got to enjoy it, to which he ever learned how to play. But Dean gets that, and he does it and it's not beneath him to play like that with kids when he has the excuse.

And yeah, I really enjoyed giving Sam and his long, long legs a bunch of furniture that would hit him at shin-height. Heh.

Glad you enjoyed it!

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

"elephants, monsters, and fat-bottomed girls". HEEE. and dean doing the alphabet with call signs, and playing legos (dinosaur invasion! :D ) with the kids. i don't honestly know if he'd be a great father or not - altho god knows he had a lot of practice - but he really does get along with little kids. and of course sam is too big and awkward with the furniture, and i love that he scares the crap out of the kids for doing nothing more than just being huge. because he can easily make adults open up to him, but small children? not so much. it's a nice switch.

i also love the little touch of seriousness, with the dead kid in the boiler room, and that sam waits to tell dean about him.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

I think Dean's parenting would be great, once he got used to the 24/7 responsibility factor of it. When he raised Sam, he was still a child himself, so there were bound to be lapses in judgment (Of course it's okay to stay up watching monster movies until 2! Who cares if there's a test the next day?), but if he suddenly found himself as a parent now, I think he'd adjust and basically be the kind of Dad John was before the fire.

But yeah, I love Sam when he's awkward. He's both socially awkward and physically so, and I loved playing BDABR with him in this.

So glad you liked it!

[riverbella.livejournal.com]

What a perfectly delightful story--with a soupcon of gentle melancholy for seasoning. I have always thought it was simply canon that Dean is great with kids, both because he pretty much raised one and because he somehow managed to hold on to the ability to be pleased by simple things. Around kids is the one place he feels free not to wear the mask and just to put all the horrors in his life aside and play. As you say, living in the moment.

And I can see Sam going all BDABR in that environment. Bless him for giving Dean a while to hold on to the buzz before bringing him back to the ugly reality.

I'd love to see them do something along these lines on the show.

BTW, I love that Daddy's Boys icon. On a lot of levels.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's exactly it - in the moment, living for NOW in a way that Sam never has been able to do well. That's what being 4 is all about. I think it's also more like Dean to let go, even when there's a case to be addressed. He is, after all, the one who wants to take the night off and party even after they've put together a gameplan (Benders, Provenance, etc.) and the one who gets distracted by scenery (Hookman, Hollywood Babylon, etc.), while still keeping one tiny part of his brain trained on any sign of what they're looking for.

I always got the sense from the things they say in the show that Sam was never quite as naturally graceful as Dean, so, yeah, I thought that presenting him with shin-high furniture would be fun. Ginormous Sasquatch that he is!

The icon is by the inestimable erinrua, whom I love and adore, and who let me use it. Because she rocks. And because IT's SO TRUE.

[serena64.livejournal.com]

Adorable Dean!

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

He agrees with you!

[redrikki.livejournal.com]

Dolphin-speaking girl thinks giant Mr. Sammy is going to eat her. Could that be any funnier/cuter? I think not. And then there was Dean with little kids which is never not heartwarming.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks!

I had fun with Sam scaring the children through no particular fault of his own.

[dotfic.livejournal.com]

Oh I love this. It's adorable and also so very Winchester, with the way you worked in how they grew up, and I really like how you show Sam's moments of insight about Dean. That's the smile of Dean's that cuts Sam the deepest, the smile with a little sadness mixed into it. It makes Sam want to turn back the clock. That broke my heart.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

I think they both love and respect each other so deeply that there are times they both wish to "turn back the clock" and give each other the things they never had. We've seen Dean say similar things (like in "Something Wicked") so I wanted to show it from Sam's perspective too, give him a chance to acknowledge what Dean gave up for him.

Glad you liked!

[ewanspotter.livejournal.com]

HEHEHE!

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Yeah - just a bit of fluff! Glad you enjoyed.

[july-july-july.livejournal.com]

AHHHH! Dean/kid's books! You've answered my beta prayers! *smishes*

Oh my God, he knows about Templeton. AHHHH!

*brain overload*

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Figure he probably read Charlotte's Web to Sam so much it was imprinted indelibly on his memory.

(But I also have a sekrit love of the idea that Dean is way more familiar with animated films and kids' stuff than he lets on....)

[labseraph.livejournal.com]

Oh, man ... Dean and little kids ... just the cutest thing once he got over the awkwardness. The poor, murdered child was a nice touch; children spirits are pretty freaky stuff.

Lovely.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Yup - someone was pointing out that while we've seen plenty of dead kid spirits, the show has never actually killed a child. Yet.

I think it's one of those lines you're not supposed to cross on TV. Or something. At least, maybe not at 9:00 PM.

But creepy kids are the creepiest.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Mwahahahah. Oh Sammy. He really is a giant. And Dean really is good with kids. Nice job.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Better be careful or I'll think I'm converting you to a fanfic reader....

[vesuvianite.livejournal.com]

This is such a keeper!! =)))

It was adorable, from Giant!Sammy to the kids bringing out Dean's innerchild. The part where he was lying on his stomach, on the floor, playing with the legos was priceless.

Great job!

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

I really do think that it's much easier for Dean to behave in a childlike manner. He is very "in the moment" where Sam tends to focus on the intellectual and he dwells on what he doesn't have. Plus, I figure he's so big that kids would either love him or fear him...and in this case, fear is just funnier!

[callmesandy.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this! :)

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[(Anonymous)]

Okay besides the murdered kid bit, which was just depressing, I loved this because Dean really IS just so great with kids. I always wondered in that one with Lucas how Sam could've missed this when Dean spent his life taking care of his four years younger brother when most kids are trying to ditch their younger siblings first chance they get. When Sam said "we're just starting to be brothers again" what he meant I think was I'm just starting to see my brother through the eyes of an adult instead of a self-absorbed teenager and find out what an incredible guy he really is.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Thanks, first off!

Second, I think it's important to note that Sam's, "Name three kids that you even know" in that episode applies equally to Sam as well. I'm certain that Sam is projecting a little of his own discomfort with kids there - not that he dislikes children, but it's harder for Sam to get into the mindspace of a child.

As for Dean's attitude with Sam when they were young, I think that varied. I like to think that Dean made it his mission to be as passive-aggressive with Sam as he could get away with, especially when John wasn't around. He did what needed doing to take care of Sam, but he wasn't necessarily happy about it. I think we get glimpses of that all through the series, especially in BDaBR and the more comedic turns. They had a typical sibling relationship in that Dean was such an instigator and makes it his mission so often to wind Sam up.

What is also typical is that Dean, like most older siblings, would pretty much have done anything necessary to take care of Sam when it counted. And they clearly would have closed ranks with each other against any outside source of tension.

The difference is that where "normal" kids don't get those other two things tested often, Dean and Sam were tested on those counts on a disturbingly regular basis. Dean was constantly put in a situation where he had to look after Sam's material needs as well as his physical well-being (and often under life-threatening situations). The two of them constantly had to close themselves off to others so that authorities would not discover that John was an absentee parent.

So the relationship has always been solidly sibling-like, as you say, but for the first time in Season 1, they treat each other as adults as well as parent/child.

Sorry. I have this tendency to meta.

Um...glad you liked it!

[writingpathways.livejournal.com]

I wanna a Dean.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Me, too!

Get in line, babe. ;^D

[lorax.livejournal.com]

So unbearably cute. Sam watching and thinking about his own childhood with Dean made me a little sniffly. And I couldn't help but giggle over Dean knowing who Templeton was.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I figure he probably read certain books to Sam so often growing up that there have to be some kids' cultural references he gets....

And yeah, I personally am very happy with Dean's moment of pride at looking up and seeing Sam the ugly duckling hunter, and Sam getting cut by how happy Dean is, because he doesn't quite get it.

Thanks for reviewing.