A/N: This is a story I've been working on for a while. This writing is outside my comfort zone and outside the box. I have not wrote a story like this before so I don't know how it will be taken. Some of you might not like it, and I am sorry, but this is something I had to put to paper. This will head down a darker road than I have traveled before. It will delve into the evils that man can inflict on others and of abandonment and separation. With this said, I hope you will give this story a chance and travel this road with me. Your thoughts are always welcomed and greatly appreciated as always. Please review.

NC

Chapter 1

"Daddy." the young boy said trying to keep the trembling out of his voice as he looked down at a crying baby being thrust into his arms.

"Take your brother outside as fast as you can and don't look back. Now Dean go!" John yelled.

Dean hurried to do his father's bidding turning and running down the hall away from the flames and heat. The only thoughts in his frightened mind were to get outside as he was told. The cold air hit him in the face taking his breath away but that didn't stop him from making his way down the last barrier to the yard.

"It's ok Sammy." Dean told the whimpering baby whispering into his ear.

The two brothers were suddenly jerked from the ground and into the arms of their father who ran from the burning house before a fireball exploded from the second floor sending flames and smoke skyward into the dark night sky. John shielded his boys from the blast and did his best not to stumble and send them all to the ground. He looked back over his shoulder toward the blown out windows as flames licked at the side of the house. Grief and sorrow cut deep into his soul as his one true love burned to ashes in their youngest son's bedroom. Sirens were heard in the distance as they drew closer to the house.

John sat on the hood of his car clutching his kids in his arms while the fire department worked on putting out the fire. The young one whimpered and his brother looked shell shocked at all that was going on around him. He clung to the side of his father shivering slightly as the cold seeped through his thin pajamas. The boy knew something bad had happened and it was about his Momma. She had not come out of the house with Daddy and was not with them now. Deep sadness settled around the three and hung in the air like fog that would not go away. Dean wanted to ask about Momma, but couldn't form the words to make sense and get it out of his overloaded mind. He didn't know how much their lives were going to change and the trials and tribulations they were going to go through in the future. All he knew was his Momma wasn't going to hug him or kiss him or tell him he was such a big boy or tuck him in any more.

spn

Dean sat in the back with Sammy waiting for their father to come out of the house the Impala was parked in front of. He had been in there for over an hour and Dean was getting hungry. He had fed Sammy his bottle and changed his diaper like Daddy showed him. His eyes were drawn back to the house as the door opened and his father stepped outside along with a short, cocoa skin colored middle aged woman. She looked directly at him as if reading his very thoughts. He ducked back into the seat afraid to look to see if she was still watching. He jumped when John opened the driver's door and slid behind the wheel.

"Dean, Missouri said give this to you." John said holding a bag over the seat.

Dean accepted the bag and looked inside to find two large cookies still warm from the oven. A huge smile broke out across his face and his eyes widened as he pulled one out and took a bite. The flavors exploded in his mouth and he chewed quickly and swallowed so he could take another bite. He looked toward the house and saw the woman still standing there staring his way as a small smile played across her lips.

"Don't choke yourself, here drink something." John fussed handing a half full bottle of water to him.

Dean opened the bottle and sipped on the water to wash the remaining cookie down. Crumbles fell from his mouth and decorated the front of his shirt. Carefully, he folded the bag closed and put the last cookie on the seat beside him deciding to save it for later.

The Impala cranked with a grumble and roar and John put the car in gear pulling away and heading back toward his friend's house. Mark and Jenna had offered their spare room to him and the boys until he decided what he was going to do. Mark and John were owners of a garage in town and had been friends since high school. They had been there over a week and John was learning the truth of what really killed his wife. He began to read lore, old tomes, anything he could get his hands on to help explain more of what he was learning.

"Dean, I'm going to be gone for a few days and Jenna and Mark are going to look after you and Sammy." John told his son. "I want you to take care of Sammy and mind them ok?"

Dean looked at the back of his Dad's head as a seed of fear crept into his mind. He had not been separated from him since the fire and wasn't looking forward to this one.

John sensed Dean's discomfort and looked at him in the mirror. "I'm counting on you to protect Sammy while I'm gone." He saw Dean nod his head but not look up; instead he looked over at Sammy who was still sleeping. Dean touched his hand letting him curl his fingers around one of his as he promised himself he would protect his brother.

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Six Weeks Later

"Dean you need to go with this nice woman, she's going to take care of you and Sammy." Jenna told him as she adjusted his jacket.

Dean looked distrustfully at the woman who was now holding Sammy in a car seat. He was not happy about that but couldn't stop her since he couldn't carry the car seat.

"When your Dad gets back we'll let him know where you are." Mark told him. "I've tried calling him and can't get in touch with him."

"They will be wards of the state until their father shows up and a hearing will be held to determine if he should get the children back." the social worker stated.

"Dean hasn't spoken since the fire and you need to keep them together." Jenna tried to explain as the social worker led Dean away. She settled the car seat in the back and strapped it down before turning to Dean and positioning the seat belt around him. Jenna looked on with concern wishing DSS would have let the boys stay with them, but they considered them abandoned by their father and had to go through the legal process.

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Dean looked at the cold, brick building and immediately didn't like this place he was being taken to.

"Come on, no lagging we need to get you settled for the night." the woman told him. "You will be on the second floor and the baby will be in the nursery downstairs."

Dean jerked his hand out of hers and began shaking his head no and pulling at Sammy's car seat. He had to be with Sammy; it was his job to keep him safe but no one seemed to understand that. He had to do what their Daddy told him about watching out for Sammy no matter what any of these strangers said.

"Stop that and behave!" she scolded grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the front door.

Dean drug his feet grunting madly while trying to get away from her. He was led upstairs to the second floor and handed off to another person who showed him an empty bed on the ward with kids his age and a few years older and where the bathroom he would be using was. The woman led him downstairs to the dining area and showed him how to go through the line and get his food. Dean looked around at the other kids in the room as he took a seat at a table by himself. He looked down at his tray having no appetite at all. He wanted to see Sammy to be sure he was ok. He needed to be sure he ate and took his bottle and tucked him in. Sammy would be scared if he wasn't there. Dean ate a couple of bites of food and stuffed some cookies in his pocket as he devised a plan to get to Sammy.

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No one paid any attention to the four year old that blended into the shadows as he started searching the lower level for the nursery and his Sammy. He started down a long hall and began to look into each room searching for him. He was starting to get frightened when he finally found a room filled with cribs and slipped inside. Dean started looking into the cribs and near the back he found Sammy. He let the side down and pulled Sammy until he was able to get him out of the crib. He carried him to a corner and sat there rocking him and whispered into his ear. Sammy gurgled and cooed at Dean happy to be in his brother's arms once again. He settled down content laying his head on Dean's chest to hear his heartbeat. It always calmed Sammy when he listened to the steady beat and could feel his brother's touch.

The staff found them an hour later asleep in the corner. Sammy was put back in the crib and Dean was taken back upstairs and put in his bed. He tried to resist but was too small to fight with the staff. He let them tuck him in and waited patiently for everything to get quiet and all the others to fall asleep. The room was dark, only lit by night lights as Dean got out of bed and quietly made his way to the door and into the hall. His bare feet made no sound as he snuck down the stairs and made a bee line for the nursery and Sammy's crib. He climbed into the crib snuggled down next to Sammy wrapping his arms around him and went to sleep.

The staff found him the next morning and returned him to his ward to shower and change clothes before breakfast. The kids were allowed outside to play on the equipment and run around to release some of the energy that all kids have. After lunch there was story time and lessons and a free time. Any chance Dean had, he found Sammy and played with him or tried to take care of him.

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A different woman took Dean to an office and tried to talk to him about what happened to his mother and why he wasn't talking. Dean sat in a chair listening but not talking.

"Dean, my name is Zoe I'm a counselor for social services. I hope you will talk to me about what has happened to you." Zoe started speaking gently and kindly to him. "I know this must be very hard on you losing your Mom and then your father disappearing."

Dean kept staring at his hands not bothering to look up as she talked. This was the first time anyone had really told him anything about his father, only that they couldn't reach him and the boys couldn't stay with Mark and Jenna any longer.

"I want to be your friend Dean; I want to help you get through this. I'm going to be seeing you once a week for a while. Maybe next time we can talk some, you can tell me about your brother Sam isn't it?" she questioned.

With the mention of Sammy, he looked up with veiled eyes trying to determine if she meant him any harm. He clenched his jaw but didn't respond to her. He drew himself up as small as he could to shy away from her when she tried to touch his arm. He didn't like being touched by strangers after all that had happened.

"If you do want to talk before our next session, have one of the staff call me and I will come sooner. And Dean, it's ok to be sad. I'll see you next week."

He ran from the room when she told him he could leave. He didn't want to talk about what happened that night; it was still too painful for him. All that was happening was hard for his small mind to digest and he needed time to think. Dean headed for the nursery in hunt of Sammy so he could check on him.

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The days turned into weeks and the weeks into a month and then another and still there was no word from their father. A missing persons report had been filed but nothing had turned up so far. Dean would take Sammy and sit in the bay window looking out at the parking lot watching for their father, waiting for him to come for them. It became a daily routine for the boys and the staff could set their watches by them.

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Dean turned five and still had not spoken to anyone but to whisper to Sammy. The staff gave up trying to keep him away from his brother when all their attempts had failed. Not even locking him in the bedroom worked since he figured out how to get the vent open and crawl down it to another room so he could get to his brother. None of the staff had ever seen such devotion that Dean had for his little brother. Sammy was becoming a handful and seemed to only respond to Dean. He fussed when anyone else tried to feed him or change him. He would finally give in if Dean didn't show up and when he became too hungry.

No one realized how closely Dean was listening to all that was said around him. He was a smart kid and caught on quickly with reading and his numbers thought he never read out loud to anyone. He would take the books with him and showed Sammy the pictures. Dean knew he needed to be able to read so he could survive outside these walls.

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Dean was passing one office when he heard the words Samuel Winchester and adoption. Dean froze and eased to the door to see if he could hear more but was disappointed that nothing else was said. His mind began to race as he tried to start working out a plan to get him and Sammy out of here. The problem was he didn't know when anything might happen. The biggest obstacle was going to be money and a way to carry Sammy. He knew he wouldn't make it far trying to carry him in his arms. They had strollers for the kids and he was sure he could take one of those and he had to feed Sammy, but the biggest question was where would they go? There was so much rolling around in his head it began to hurt and made him feel sick. He pulled himself into the bay window and curled up in a corner not wanting any contact with anyone. He wanted his Daddy to come and get them and take them away from this place. A single tear trickled down his cheek as he looked out the window with such longing and sorrow for one so young.