Then and Now

Alastair

April 5th
2002

Dean was worried about his little brother. He hadn't heard him speak a word since, well, since that night. Dean missed their parents, he would do anything to hug his mummy again, or to play catch with his dad.

He had to look after Sam now, he knew that that was what his mummy would want him to do. This is what he was trying to do, but Sammy never talked now, and that made Dean feel like he had done something wrong.

The adults that were looking after them had made them go see a lady to talk about the attack. Sam didn't talk and Dean didn't want to either. The older lady was kind however, giving them hot chocolates and cookies. But Dean couldn't talk about that night without breaking down. Sam just sat there silently.

He had heard the older lady talk to the adults that looked after them, she told them that he and Sammy had something called PTSD, whatever that was. He decided to ask Amy and Jake about that later. Sam looked like he might start crying, which he always did when thinking about his mummy, and silently grabbed Dean's hand.

"Don't worry Sammy, I'll protect you," Dean would always repeat this vow, whenever it seemed like Sam needed to hear it.

The adults looking after them, Amy and Jake, were so kind. So when they said that he and Sammy were to move in with more nice people that looked after a lot of other kids like them, Dean felt a bit sad. Amy had smelt like his mummy and that made him feel better whenever he felt sad and missed his parents.

Sam didn't seem to care, as they packed up their few belongings and shuffled down to the waiting car. Dean was glad that he wasn't being separated from Sammy.

Their new home was 2 hours away, and while Sam spent most of the ride asleep, Dean watched the world go by. He imagined that they were on their way to their old home. He pictured walking up to the front door with Sammy, and seeing his parents run out to hug them tightly. Then his mummy would make him pie and tell him what a brave boy he was.

But when they pulled up outside the large, unfamiliar building, Dean felt his daydream slip away. He felt like crying, it was like this big ball of sadness in his chest that wouldn't leave. Sniffling, he blinked his tears away and held Sammy's small hand. He had to be brave, for Sam's sake, he had to be grown up now.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Dean didn't like his new room for several reasons. The biggest one was that it wasn't with Sam, who had been put in a different room with two other little kids. Dean didn't like this room because it was unfamiliar, he had to share with five other strange boys and Alastair was creepy.

Alastair was two years older than Dean, and had a weird smirk that made Dean shiver. He was the oldest boy in the shared room, Dean was pretty sure that he was the youngest. None of the other boys seemed to like Alastair much either, they all tried to avoid him when they could.

Dean wanted his old room back, with Sammy just across the room and toys scattered everywhere, his bat leaning against their colorfully painted wardrobe.

This new room was cold, boring colors and Dean couldn't sleep in the unfamiliar bed. Besides Alastair slept opposite him and he kept glaring at Dean.

Dean was glad that Sam didn't have anything to do with Alastair.

The two brother's soon settle into the routine of the house. Wake up at 7am, breakfast, then the kids that were of school age were dressed and sent off to the local school while the little ones got ready to do arts and crafts with the lady that ran the house.

Dean hated leaving his brother with strangers while he went off to school. He hated being the new kid even more. All the kids at the school knew they were from the orphans house, and stared at him curiously as he walked around the school. One kid was brave and decided to boldly ask what happened to his parents. Dean got detention for starting a fight.

Sam ran up to his older brother when he got home that day, he didn't speak a word of course, but did touch the bruise under Dean's eye with a worried expression.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

April 30th

It was the following week after his fight, and Sam's birthday was only a couple of days away. Dean wanted to get his little brother a good present but he didn't know how he was going to be able to, his mummy always used to take him out when it came time to buy Sammy a present.

Dean was thinking hard about this as he walked into school, so deep in thought that he didn't realize he was being followed. He turned towards the library, having no one to hang out with and time to kill before class, when a bigger kid grabbed him by the arm. Dean was pushed harshly into the gap between the arts and crafts room and the library, his arm hitting the bricks with force.

"Hey!"

"Shut up twerp," Alastair was standing over him, two other boys that Dean didn't know were close behind.

Dean squirmed under Alastair's grip, not liking the looks on their faces.

"What's wrong? Sad that mummy and daddy can't save you?" One of them said, grinning as Dean tried to escape.

"Aww, look at the little baby, he's gonna cry."

"Am not!" But Dean did feel like crying, his face growing hot.

"You know, I can't help but wonder, was your brother always a freaky mute?" Alastair shoves Dean against the wall. "Or was that because your mummy and daddy are gone and he's an even bigger baby than you?"

"Le-leave my brother alone!"

"Le-leave my brother alone!" The two boys behind Alastair laugh and mimic him. "What are you gonna do? Cry?"

Dean balled his fist up, his mummy always said fighting was bad, but no one picked on his little brother.

"Cry baby," the three bullies were laughing harder now, shoving Dean around. "Go and cry to mummy... oh wait, you can't."

Dean bit his lip, trying not to cry.

"Maybe, once we're done here, we can go home and find little Sammy-"

Dean couldn't stop his fist as it jabbed Alastair in the stomach, making the older boy double over.

"Okay, thats it," Alastair rolled his sleeves up. "You wanna fight? Lets fight."

Dean growled, letting his bag drop to the ground before shoving Alastair back. Alastair swung and punched Dean, hard. The smaller boy stumbles back, but quickly responds with a punch of his own. It isn't long before the two are wrestling roughly on the ground, punching and yelling at each other. Dean felt blood trickle from his nose, but he couldn't care less. He hadn't felt this alive since before his parent's died.

A teacher must have heard their shouting though, because one moment Dean was punching Alastair in the gut, and the next he was being dragged off the bully by the neck of his shirt.

"Winchester! Alastair! What is the meaning of this?"

///////\\\\\\\
A/N:

So for the first part of this book, I'll be following the boys early years, but dont worry, ships will come in later.

Now, who has watched the 300th episode? Holy crap I freaking loved it.

Anyway, peace out wayward readers 🖤💜🖤