We're not calling it Babe 6/?
Chapter 6
Over the next few days they settled into some kind of routine. Sam researched on the Mark, which had been fruitless so far and would stay that way, Dean was pretty sure but he didn't say anything. It kept Sam busy and gave him the feeling that he was actually doing something so Dean let him be.
Dean on the other hand spent most of his time with Mac. The pig liked Sam and sought him out once in a while for some cuddling and treats but it was Dean the pig had attached itself to.
Dean tried to not gloat about it but it was a good feeling that Mac wanted to be with him more than he wanted to be with Sam. Mac was his. Or he was Mac's, Dean wasn't really sure which way around.
However, during the day Dean did his best to teach Mac some basics. Armed with another box of dog biscuits Dean went to introduce Mac to some new games.
Turned out that Mac loved their little "games". Sometimes it took him a while to get the connection between a new command and an action - Dean had the suspicion that the pig played dumb to milk more biscuits out of him, though - but after three days Mac came when he was called and knew the basic commands sit, stay and heel. There were a few others on Dean's mind and the way Mac was taking this stuff in Dean was already thinking about more complex things like fetching something he was pointing at or even just saying what he wanted Mac to bring him. That could become rather useful in the future.
But for now he focused on making sure that Mac didn't leave his side or stayed where he was until Dean called for him. He couldn't risk having the pig under his feet in a fight. That would be a dumb way to die.
Another game Mac loved to play was "exploring" which he usually played alone. As long as Dean or Sam were looking Mac was a well behaved little piggy who just wanted someone to pet him or play with him. And when he got tired, he retreated to his bed in the corner for a nap.
However, when Dean checked on him the next time, chances were good that the bed was empty and Mac nowhere in sight.
"Sam." Dean raised his voice to startle his brother out of his research. "Mac with you?"
Five minutes. Dean had been in the kitchen for five damn minutes and before that Mac had been sleeping. Now Dean looked down at the empty bed. Again.
"No." Came Sam's answer with a delay and Dean knew without looking that Sam had made a quick search around his work place. "He gone again?"
"What do you think?" Dean rubbed his face with one hand. This was worse than watching a three year old Sammy. Back then they never had a place big enough to get lost in. Under the bed used to be the farthest a butt naked Sammy could go.
"Mac!" Dean yelled and went over to the bathroom. That was always the first place he looked and he was sure that one day he would find Mac there just having a potty break. So far, no such luck.
Dean and Sam had spent the first day back in the bunker making the place as safe as possible for little pigs but somehow Mac managed to get past closed doors and blocked doorways. Dean hadn't caught him doing it but he wouldn't put it beyond the little guy to just teleport wherever he wanted to go.
"Mac!" Dean yelled again but Mac didn't hear him or didn't want to hear him. Hide and seek was a nice addition to the exploring game, Dean guessed with a curse under his breath.
"I can still hear you laughing." He called out to his brother who didn't even bother to get his butt out of the chair to help him anymore. So far Dean had always found Mac before he could get hurt and the one time he didn't find him Mac had been back in the kitchen at dinner time.
It took Dean half an hour until he found Mac in one of the storage rooms, a box with files ripped open and the content spilled all over the floor. Mac looked at him with innocent eyes and a piece of paper in his mouth.
"Sam is going to kill you for this." Dean commented on that sight but Mac just kept chewing on the paper. "C'mon, let's get you back to your own toys."
Dean made a step farther into the room to pick him up but at the last second Mac dashed forward. His little feet skittered on the blank floor but he tunneled Dean's legs and was out of the room before Dean could even blink.
"I liked you better when you couldn't run." Dean muttered and went after the pig. At least his own leg felt fine by now, he'd been lucky there, so he could give Mac a chase. Which the little guy enjoyed way too much.
Ten minutes later and out of breath Dean was back in the library with Mac in his arms. The pig looked smug and Dean was glad that he couldn't actually tell Sam how often Dean had crashed into walls before he got his hands on him.
"Here." Dean dumped the pig in Sam's lap. "You keep an eye on him while I finish up in the kitchen. Dinner should be ready in half an hour."
Sam didn't protest but why should he? Worn out like he was, Mac settled in Sam's lap and as long as he had a hand free to pet him Mac would just lie there and let Sam work.
"Traitor." Dean muttered and went back to preparing dinner.
It had turned out that Mac devoured the dog food but Dean always made sure to give him something real, too. So Mac had half a can of that dog stuff and a piece of lasagna for dessert while the brothers had their lasagna with a side of salad. The salad was for Sam's benefit and it was bad enough that Dean had to eat it so there was no reason to punish Mac with it as well. Secretly Dean feared that the pig would love the salad so he didn't want to push his luck there. Bad enough that Mac dug into the smelly mess they called dog food with so much gusto.
When it was time to turn in Mac followed Dean to his bedroom. Nobody commented on that anymore. The first nights Dean had put Mac to bed in his own bed with the shirts and the blanket and Mac had gone to sleep there but somehow he always ended up in Dean's bed anyway. Most of the time Dean didn't even notice when his little bed fellow joined him, he just woke up in the morning, spooning the pig.
One time Mac woke him up from a nightmare, though. Dean jolted awake, bathed in cold sweat and chest heaving, but there was a cold snout nuzzling along his throat, bringing him back to the here and now. He caught Mac in a trembling embrace and just clung to him until he could breathe again. After that he didn't try to make Mac sleep in his dog bed anymore and just took him to bed with him.
The first time Sam saw it he raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word. After that it was just a thing Dean did. He slept better with Mac at his side. So what?
When Dean was sure that Mac would listen to him when it counted, somehow the little guy seemed to know when it was safe to not listen and let Dean run around in circles in the bunker, he decided to take their training to the next level.
"'I'm going out to get some groceries." Dean announced over breakfast. "You need anything?"
Sam shook his head and put his dishes in the sink.
"I'll take Mac with me."
Now Sam turned around, eyes on the pig still busy with his own breakfast who perked up when he heard his name.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sam asked.
"I want to test the glamor thing." Dean said into his mug of coffee. "If we screw up here it doesn't matter. You know, people do have pigs as pets."
Sam thought about it but didn't come up with a reason not to do it. Because Dean was right, they had to test it under controlled circumstances and not in the middle of a hunt.
And he just new that Margret would love Mac, no matter if he came in as a piglet or a puppy.
"Hey, Mac." Dean called not much later, harness in hand. "We're going out."
The pig bolted out of nowhere, ran a circle around Dean and then head butted the harness to get Dean going.
"Easy there, little fellow." Dean laughed and buckled him into the harness. "This is not just for fun."
He crouched down so that they could look each other in the eye. Sensing that this was serious Mac went still and watched him intensely. Not for the first time Dean got the feeling that there was more going on behind those eyes than he would expect from a pig. But Mac wasn't just an ordinary pig.
"I want you to be this." He held up the box with the Golden Retriever puppy on the front. "Make everybody we meet think you look like this."
Mac held his gaze for a moment longer before his eyes shifted over to the box. Dean let him study the picture for a moment before he reached into the box and took out a handful of biscuits.
"You play puppy for me and you get these when we get back." He showed him the biscuits but placed them out of reach on a shelf. Mac followed them with his eyes and then his attention snapped back to the box.
Dean had no idea if Mac even understood what the deal was but he was willing to take his chances.
"Okay, let's go."
During the ride Dean glanced at Mac in his usual place in the foot room but so far he looked like a pig. Which meant nothing. When he'd done the glamor thing earlier Sam and Dean hadn't noticed anything amiss.
Dean parked in front of the grocery store and peered inside. This was his usual time to do the groceries and more often than not he was the only customer. Aside from Margret behind the counter he couldn't see anybody in the store so maybe he was lucky today. He didn't want too many people cooing over Mac.
"C'mere, little puppy." Dean clicked the leash in the harness and together they entered the store.
Margret had probably seen his car outside because she had already a warm smile on her lips when Dean stepped through the door. It grew even wider when she noticed he wasn't alone.
"Who is this adorable fellow?" She asked, already half-way around the counter.
"Dean." He answered with a grin. "And this is Mac."
She rolled her eyes at him and slapped in his general direction.
"You didn't tell me you got a dog." She said and crouched down in front of Mac. "When did you get a dog? You didn't have one last time you were here, did you? I would be very disappointed if you had him and didn't tell me, young man."
"Only got him a few days ago." Dean admitted. "He's a bit shy around people."
Margret nodded in understanding and kept her distance. She didn't loom over Mac or force herself on him which Dean really appreciated. Margret was the best.
When she slowly extended her hand, Mac sniffed at her fingers and then inched closer until she could scratch him behind the ear. Mac closed his eyes and hummed in pleasure.
"There you go." She said with a happy smile.
To Dean nothing had changed, there was still a pig at the end of the leash but to Margret he clearly was a dog.
"Good boy." Dean muttered with a grin.
Chapter 7
Masterpost