SPN AU: Caretaker 1/1
SUMMARY: The Winchester boys need a caretaker. So they get the best nanny that ever lived. (crossover -- of sorts -- with Mary Poppins.)
CARETAKER
1985
Daddy had said he would only be gone the day.
Daddy had said he would be back that night.
Night had come and Daddy wasn’t there.
Sammy hadn’t felt good all day, so they had turned on the TV and watched the movie playing that night. Dean noticed when Sammy fell asleep on him, blazing hot. He sat there and watched the magical nanny caring for the children and felt the tears fall.
He knew it was stupid, but he was alone. He was just a kid. And Sammy was so sick.
“Why?” he whispered, hot and thick and just so tired. “Why do other kids get to be taken care of? Why do me and Sammy gotta be alone? Where’s our nanny with special powers to help us without Daddy?”
The TV dissolved into static as the power flashed. When the picture came back, the children were frozen and the woman turned and looked right out of the screen. “It’s all right, little one. I’m on my way. Close your eyes and count to ten.”
Dean closed his eyes, sure he was dreaming. He closed his eyes and whispered, “One…. Two…. Five…”
“Three,” a gentle voice corrected.
“Three… four….five….six….sev-sev-seven...eight….”
“Good boy. Two more, you can do it.”
“Nine...t-ten.”
He felt warm fingers touch his cheek. His eyes flew open and he gasped aloud when he found himself smiling into warm blue eyes. She looked exactly like the woman in the movie! She smiled at him and said, “Hello, Dean. Your brother isn’t feeling so well, is he?”
“N-no, ma’am. Where did… how did….”
“You needed someone. I needed to be needed. We can help each other. You can let me help you and your brother, and you can be helped. You don’t need to be alone anymore. Now.” She sat beside him and felt Sammy’s cheek. “Oh, dear me.”
“We got no medicine.”
“I know. Give me a second to think.” She closed her eyes and a few seconds later, she smiled. “Let me get him some cold water for you to wipe his face with until the medicine arrives. It will help.”
Dean nodded and watched her return with not only the water and paper towels, but a small dish and a spoon. “What’s that?”
“Sugar. It will help him take the medicine easier. I promise.”
The doorbell rang and she opened it up. Dean briefly saw a larger man in weird orange clothes with rainbow suspenders before he handed over a bottle and she nodded. They exchanged words, then she closed the door and gave Dean the bottle. “How’s that?”
Dean looked at the bottle. He couldn’t read very well yet, but the color was right. He saw the word “COLD” and “FEVER” and “CHILDREN’S”. He had her open it and he sniffed it. It smelled right. “Okay, ma’am.”
“Mary, darling. Not ma’am.” At his wince, she tilted her head. “You don’t like my name?”
“It was my mother’s and my mother’s gone.”
“Aaah. So what would you call me, then?”
He studied her as she poured medicine into the spoon and helped her feed it to Sammy, followed by a small spoonful of sugar. He took the sippy cup and fed Sammy some water until his eyes started to close again.
The heat from his little brother started to go away and his color started to get better. Dean smiled and looked up at the woman, who was still kneeling beside the couch. “Nan. Like Nanny.”
“Nan.” She smiled. “I like it. Okay, for you? I’m Nan.”
Dean’s smile was blinding.
“Now, Dean, let’s get him to bed and go from there.”
“Okay, Nan.” He gathered Sammy into his arms and stood, trusting her to have his back the entire time. She’d proven herself trustworthy, after all.
He was so grateful for someone there to help him that he didn’t think of what would happen when Daddy inevitably did return home.
But the newly renamed Nan did. She was well aware that their father was a fledgling Hunter. She was well aware of what he did with creatures like her.
But these? They were children in need. And that was what her species specialised in. How could she have possibly refused their call?
~*~*~*~*~
Nan drew the thin motel coverlet up to Dean’s chin and tucked both him and Sammy securely into the bed. “There. Snug as twin bugs in rugs.”
Both boys chuckled and she bent over and kissed Sammy’s forehead, watching his eyes droop closed as he slid into a comfortable, healing sleep.
Dean chuckled softly as his little brother’s thumb crept into his mouth. “He’s happy now.”
“Are you?” she asked, sitting on the side of the bed.
He looked up at her, large green eyes slowly going liquid with unshed tears. “I miss my mommy a lot,” he admitted. “An’ Sammy got so sick an’ Daddy said he’d be back but he’s not back.”
“He’s close,” she assured him. “Dean -- your dad can’t know I helped you, okay? Not yet. When the time’s right, but not now. He doesn’t even really have to know Sammy got sick, does he?”
Dean’s head tilted slightly in that way children have of thinking deeply, then he shook his head firmly. “He’s much better now. Will you stay til he gets here?”
Nan smiled and ran her hand over his forehead, smoothing down the sandy hair. “I shall. And I’ll be here when he has to leave again for his --- work.”
Dean’s breath caught when he realised she understood the big secret of his dad’s unorthodox job. His eyes hardened a little and he said, “He’s a hero.”
“He is. He saves other families from what hurt yours so badly.”
Dean’s eyes widened in surprise, then softened with pure childlike joy. “You understand.”
“I do.”
He licked his lips. “You’re… not really from the TV, are you?”
She smiled and leaned forward, brushing her lips across his forehead. “You’re a smart boy. No, I’m not. I’m a caretaker of little boys who need someone when their parents aren’t around. You needed me. I’m here.”
“And you look like the lady on TV because that’s what I was watching?”
She nodded and reached to lower the motel room light, though she did not turn it completely off. “Rest now, Dean. I’ll stay until your father gets home. And when he leaves again, I’ll find you and stay till he gets home again.”
“How will you find us?” Dean yawned, eyes closing.
“I’m made of good magic,” she whispered, and he felt himself smile at it. “That’s how.”
Nan watched Dean slip into dreamland and join his brother. She set the salt lines and made certain the security chain was off the main door, though it was securely locked. That way John Winchester could come inside with no issues.
She waited for the half hour it took until the Impala rumbled into the parking lot. She became invisible and waited to see what the volatile hunter would do.
John opened the door and made sure it was securely locked behind him. He chained it and made certain the salt lines were intact. He then went right to the bed and a tender smile spread over his face as he saw his sons peacefully sleeping.
John leaned over and brushed a gentle kiss over each small forehead, making both boys smile in their sleep. He then gathered his things and headed for the shower and his own bed.
Nan faded out of the room, smiling broadly. She had one answer she had so desperately hoped was true.
John Winchester truly did love his sons.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The small family moved the next morning. Nan followed, keeping invisible. She waited until she saw them settled again and the father get restless. Soon enough, he left the boys alone again.
She watched Dean work at making Sammy comfortable and happy. When she saw that the boys were low on food and resources, she realised it was time.
Nan altered her clothing from that of the nanny in the movie to a more utilitarian and modern-looking plain blue dress with a white apron that she saw in Dean’s memories. She didn’t realise she was copying another caretaker’s uniform.
She saw Dean push a chair over to the counter to try to reach a cabinet that she knew was empty. She saw him wobble and the chair begin to tilt backward.
Dean fell with a shriek, and blinked his eyes hard when he only fell a matter of inches before being caught in warm, solid arms. He turned his head to see who had him and broke into a broad grin. “Nan!”
Nan smiled and hugged him close, pressing a finger against his freckled nose. “I told you I’d find you,” she said gently. “Now, what do you say we make dinner?”
Dean’s smile faded. “There ain’t much.”
“Isn’t much. And I can help, remember?” She stood with him in her arms and opened the cabinet. “Oh, dear,” she breathed out, seeing the meager offerings. “This isn’t much at all.”
Dean’s head bowed in shame. “Daddy tries. Sometimes he just….”
Nan turned from the cabinet and comforted her young charge. “I know. He loves you dearly, but the pressures of the immediate sometimes makes it hard for him to think beyond his nose.” She smiled into Dean’s eyes. “But he does love you dearly. Both of you.”
“I know,” Dean said with all the fierceness of his young years. “I’ve always knowed.”
“Known,” Nan said softly, and Dean repeated it with a chuckle. Nan nodded. “Remember I told you I was made of good magic?” When Dean nodded, she turned back to the cabinet. “That means I’m able to do this.” She waved her hand.
A collection of boxes appeared in the cabinet. “There you go,” she said with a smile. “We have enough for several days now, and enough for when he comes back. So, let’s make dinner.”
Dean chirped happy agreement, and they set to work.
~*~*~*~*~
It was a week later when John limped back in, his arm in a cast and one side of his face interesting colors. He seemed to time it for when the boys were in bed, so they didn’t see the state he was in.
Nan watched the grief and love war for supremacy on his face, and left the room invisibly and silently. She restored her original appearance, shimmered into view, and sat primly on the couch in the living area. After a second, she gestured and an object appeared in her lap. She placed a hand on it and sat quietly.
Waiting.
John walked out of the bedroom and sighed, running a hand down his face. He stepped forward and turned toward the kitchen -- and froze, whirling to face the couch while his hand shot to the waistband to search for a gun that was no longer there.
Nan smiled and lifted the gun from her lap, taking great care to point the barrel at the floor. “This is what you seek. I took pains to make certain you would not harm me until we talk.”
“I’ve gone insane,” John growled, leaning against the wall. “I’ve gone completely round the bend.”
“I assure you, Mister Winchester, you are as sane now as you were this morning.”
“Then why is Mary freakin’ Poppins sitting on my couch?”
“My name is Nan. I chose this form to best aid your children. I am here to care for them, after all.”
John could not believe his ears. "You are WHAT?"
"There is nothing wrong with your hearing, sir." She crossed her arms and fixed him with a look to freeze a sun.
"You can NOT just waltz in here and look like -- like --" He waved his arm to indicate her whole body. "And say you are here for my boys!"
"I can and I have. To be specific, sir, I said I am here to CARE for your boys. My specialty is children with special needs--"
He seethed, "Special-- my children do NOT have special needs!" Rather than give in and hit her like he wanted to, he spun on his heel and started to stalk across the room.
Her voice did not raise at all. "Yes, sir, they do. Their most specific of special needs is the simple fact that they are being PURSUED."
John froze in his tracks. Slowly, he turned to face her.
Seeing she had his attention at last, she went on, "They require caring for, Mister Winchester. They are but children. I have the ability to give them the kind of specialised care they require. I am breaking all kinds of rules just talking to you, but your extraordinary circumstances necessitate outside the box thinking. Which is something I am quite good at."
"Who the hell are you?"
Her chin raised. "I believe you know exactly who I am."
"Then let me rephrase that. WHAT the hell are you?"
"Ah, now." She smiled. "THAT would be telling. Just know that I will never harm your children and I exist to protect them and ensure their well being. Their welfare is my first priority, sir -- just as it is yours."
John took a deep breath. "Who sent you here?"
"I was not sent, sir. I was called for."
"CALLED f-- who in the--" He froze, his eyes closing. ".....Dean."
Her head tilted in mute acknowledgment.
John shook his head. "So -- where do we go from here?"
“Since you are here now, I am not needed. I will go until your children are left alone again. I felt it necessary to show you that your children are going to be cared for, so you will not worry for them when your work takes you away.” Her face hardened and she stood, setting the gun on the couch. “But know this, sir. Your children need YOU. I am merely a poor substitute for a parent.”
John’s mouth opened to retort, then lowered mutely as he found himself talking to thin air. He walked over and picked up the gun, checking the area.
No cold spots. No dent in the couch from her weight. There was nothing there to indicate that the strange conversation had taken place at all.
Shaking his head, John dismissed it as being overly tired and headed to the kitchen, where he found a covered dish waiting for him in the fridge.
He thought no more about the weirdness of that night.
But over time, Dean and Sam noticed that their father was present more in their lives. He even made the effort to get to know their teachers when they started school. The Hunt came first, but never at the cost of his children.
And during those inevitable times when the job took him away, John knew that Dean could care for Sammy well. He saw proof of that every time he returned and saw both his sons thriving and happy.
He would sometimes wonder if the mysterious ‘Nan’ that had showed up that one night was responsible. Then he would remember the ridiculousness of that and dismiss the thought outright.
Nan was, indeed, responsible. She taught Dean how to care for both boys and when Sam grew old enough, how he could help take care of Dean as well as himself. She helped them make friends and connect with the world outside their strange little family, no matter where they were. Nan was caretaker, protector, best friend and problem solver.
After all -- that was what Zannas did.
END
CARETAKER
1985
Daddy had said he would only be gone the day.
Daddy had said he would be back that night.
Night had come and Daddy wasn’t there.
Sammy hadn’t felt good all day, so they had turned on the TV and watched the movie playing that night. Dean noticed when Sammy fell asleep on him, blazing hot. He sat there and watched the magical nanny caring for the children and felt the tears fall.
He knew it was stupid, but he was alone. He was just a kid. And Sammy was so sick.
“Why?” he whispered, hot and thick and just so tired. “Why do other kids get to be taken care of? Why do me and Sammy gotta be alone? Where’s our nanny with special powers to help us without Daddy?”
The TV dissolved into static as the power flashed. When the picture came back, the children were frozen and the woman turned and looked right out of the screen. “It’s all right, little one. I’m on my way. Close your eyes and count to ten.”
Dean closed his eyes, sure he was dreaming. He closed his eyes and whispered, “One…. Two…. Five…”
“Three,” a gentle voice corrected.
“Three… four….five….six….sev-sev-seven...eight….”
“Good boy. Two more, you can do it.”
“Nine...t-ten.”
He felt warm fingers touch his cheek. His eyes flew open and he gasped aloud when he found himself smiling into warm blue eyes. She looked exactly like the woman in the movie! She smiled at him and said, “Hello, Dean. Your brother isn’t feeling so well, is he?”
“N-no, ma’am. Where did… how did….”
“You needed someone. I needed to be needed. We can help each other. You can let me help you and your brother, and you can be helped. You don’t need to be alone anymore. Now.” She sat beside him and felt Sammy’s cheek. “Oh, dear me.”
“We got no medicine.”
“I know. Give me a second to think.” She closed her eyes and a few seconds later, she smiled. “Let me get him some cold water for you to wipe his face with until the medicine arrives. It will help.”
Dean nodded and watched her return with not only the water and paper towels, but a small dish and a spoon. “What’s that?”
“Sugar. It will help him take the medicine easier. I promise.”
The doorbell rang and she opened it up. Dean briefly saw a larger man in weird orange clothes with rainbow suspenders before he handed over a bottle and she nodded. They exchanged words, then she closed the door and gave Dean the bottle. “How’s that?”
Dean looked at the bottle. He couldn’t read very well yet, but the color was right. He saw the word “COLD” and “FEVER” and “CHILDREN’S”. He had her open it and he sniffed it. It smelled right. “Okay, ma’am.”
“Mary, darling. Not ma’am.” At his wince, she tilted her head. “You don’t like my name?”
“It was my mother’s and my mother’s gone.”
“Aaah. So what would you call me, then?”
He studied her as she poured medicine into the spoon and helped her feed it to Sammy, followed by a small spoonful of sugar. He took the sippy cup and fed Sammy some water until his eyes started to close again.
The heat from his little brother started to go away and his color started to get better. Dean smiled and looked up at the woman, who was still kneeling beside the couch. “Nan. Like Nanny.”
“Nan.” She smiled. “I like it. Okay, for you? I’m Nan.”
Dean’s smile was blinding.
“Now, Dean, let’s get him to bed and go from there.”
“Okay, Nan.” He gathered Sammy into his arms and stood, trusting her to have his back the entire time. She’d proven herself trustworthy, after all.
He was so grateful for someone there to help him that he didn’t think of what would happen when Daddy inevitably did return home.
But the newly renamed Nan did. She was well aware that their father was a fledgling Hunter. She was well aware of what he did with creatures like her.
But these? They were children in need. And that was what her species specialised in. How could she have possibly refused their call?
~*~*~*~*~
Nan drew the thin motel coverlet up to Dean’s chin and tucked both him and Sammy securely into the bed. “There. Snug as twin bugs in rugs.”
Both boys chuckled and she bent over and kissed Sammy’s forehead, watching his eyes droop closed as he slid into a comfortable, healing sleep.
Dean chuckled softly as his little brother’s thumb crept into his mouth. “He’s happy now.”
“Are you?” she asked, sitting on the side of the bed.
He looked up at her, large green eyes slowly going liquid with unshed tears. “I miss my mommy a lot,” he admitted. “An’ Sammy got so sick an’ Daddy said he’d be back but he’s not back.”
“He’s close,” she assured him. “Dean -- your dad can’t know I helped you, okay? Not yet. When the time’s right, but not now. He doesn’t even really have to know Sammy got sick, does he?”
Dean’s head tilted slightly in that way children have of thinking deeply, then he shook his head firmly. “He’s much better now. Will you stay til he gets here?”
Nan smiled and ran her hand over his forehead, smoothing down the sandy hair. “I shall. And I’ll be here when he has to leave again for his --- work.”
Dean’s breath caught when he realised she understood the big secret of his dad’s unorthodox job. His eyes hardened a little and he said, “He’s a hero.”
“He is. He saves other families from what hurt yours so badly.”
Dean’s eyes widened in surprise, then softened with pure childlike joy. “You understand.”
“I do.”
He licked his lips. “You’re… not really from the TV, are you?”
She smiled and leaned forward, brushing her lips across his forehead. “You’re a smart boy. No, I’m not. I’m a caretaker of little boys who need someone when their parents aren’t around. You needed me. I’m here.”
“And you look like the lady on TV because that’s what I was watching?”
She nodded and reached to lower the motel room light, though she did not turn it completely off. “Rest now, Dean. I’ll stay until your father gets home. And when he leaves again, I’ll find you and stay till he gets home again.”
“How will you find us?” Dean yawned, eyes closing.
“I’m made of good magic,” she whispered, and he felt himself smile at it. “That’s how.”
Nan watched Dean slip into dreamland and join his brother. She set the salt lines and made certain the security chain was off the main door, though it was securely locked. That way John Winchester could come inside with no issues.
She waited for the half hour it took until the Impala rumbled into the parking lot. She became invisible and waited to see what the volatile hunter would do.
John opened the door and made sure it was securely locked behind him. He chained it and made certain the salt lines were intact. He then went right to the bed and a tender smile spread over his face as he saw his sons peacefully sleeping.
John leaned over and brushed a gentle kiss over each small forehead, making both boys smile in their sleep. He then gathered his things and headed for the shower and his own bed.
Nan faded out of the room, smiling broadly. She had one answer she had so desperately hoped was true.
John Winchester truly did love his sons.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The small family moved the next morning. Nan followed, keeping invisible. She waited until she saw them settled again and the father get restless. Soon enough, he left the boys alone again.
She watched Dean work at making Sammy comfortable and happy. When she saw that the boys were low on food and resources, she realised it was time.
Nan altered her clothing from that of the nanny in the movie to a more utilitarian and modern-looking plain blue dress with a white apron that she saw in Dean’s memories. She didn’t realise she was copying another caretaker’s uniform.
She saw Dean push a chair over to the counter to try to reach a cabinet that she knew was empty. She saw him wobble and the chair begin to tilt backward.
Dean fell with a shriek, and blinked his eyes hard when he only fell a matter of inches before being caught in warm, solid arms. He turned his head to see who had him and broke into a broad grin. “Nan!”
Nan smiled and hugged him close, pressing a finger against his freckled nose. “I told you I’d find you,” she said gently. “Now, what do you say we make dinner?”
Dean’s smile faded. “There ain’t much.”
“Isn’t much. And I can help, remember?” She stood with him in her arms and opened the cabinet. “Oh, dear,” she breathed out, seeing the meager offerings. “This isn’t much at all.”
Dean’s head bowed in shame. “Daddy tries. Sometimes he just….”
Nan turned from the cabinet and comforted her young charge. “I know. He loves you dearly, but the pressures of the immediate sometimes makes it hard for him to think beyond his nose.” She smiled into Dean’s eyes. “But he does love you dearly. Both of you.”
“I know,” Dean said with all the fierceness of his young years. “I’ve always knowed.”
“Known,” Nan said softly, and Dean repeated it with a chuckle. Nan nodded. “Remember I told you I was made of good magic?” When Dean nodded, she turned back to the cabinet. “That means I’m able to do this.” She waved her hand.
A collection of boxes appeared in the cabinet. “There you go,” she said with a smile. “We have enough for several days now, and enough for when he comes back. So, let’s make dinner.”
Dean chirped happy agreement, and they set to work.
~*~*~*~*~
It was a week later when John limped back in, his arm in a cast and one side of his face interesting colors. He seemed to time it for when the boys were in bed, so they didn’t see the state he was in.
Nan watched the grief and love war for supremacy on his face, and left the room invisibly and silently. She restored her original appearance, shimmered into view, and sat primly on the couch in the living area. After a second, she gestured and an object appeared in her lap. She placed a hand on it and sat quietly.
Waiting.
John walked out of the bedroom and sighed, running a hand down his face. He stepped forward and turned toward the kitchen -- and froze, whirling to face the couch while his hand shot to the waistband to search for a gun that was no longer there.
Nan smiled and lifted the gun from her lap, taking great care to point the barrel at the floor. “This is what you seek. I took pains to make certain you would not harm me until we talk.”
“I’ve gone insane,” John growled, leaning against the wall. “I’ve gone completely round the bend.”
“I assure you, Mister Winchester, you are as sane now as you were this morning.”
“Then why is Mary freakin’ Poppins sitting on my couch?”
“My name is Nan. I chose this form to best aid your children. I am here to care for them, after all.”
John could not believe his ears. "You are WHAT?"
"There is nothing wrong with your hearing, sir." She crossed her arms and fixed him with a look to freeze a sun.
"You can NOT just waltz in here and look like -- like --" He waved his arm to indicate her whole body. "And say you are here for my boys!"
"I can and I have. To be specific, sir, I said I am here to CARE for your boys. My specialty is children with special needs--"
He seethed, "Special-- my children do NOT have special needs!" Rather than give in and hit her like he wanted to, he spun on his heel and started to stalk across the room.
Her voice did not raise at all. "Yes, sir, they do. Their most specific of special needs is the simple fact that they are being PURSUED."
John froze in his tracks. Slowly, he turned to face her.
Seeing she had his attention at last, she went on, "They require caring for, Mister Winchester. They are but children. I have the ability to give them the kind of specialised care they require. I am breaking all kinds of rules just talking to you, but your extraordinary circumstances necessitate outside the box thinking. Which is something I am quite good at."
"Who the hell are you?"
Her chin raised. "I believe you know exactly who I am."
"Then let me rephrase that. WHAT the hell are you?"
"Ah, now." She smiled. "THAT would be telling. Just know that I will never harm your children and I exist to protect them and ensure their well being. Their welfare is my first priority, sir -- just as it is yours."
John took a deep breath. "Who sent you here?"
"I was not sent, sir. I was called for."
"CALLED f-- who in the--" He froze, his eyes closing. ".....Dean."
Her head tilted in mute acknowledgment.
John shook his head. "So -- where do we go from here?"
“Since you are here now, I am not needed. I will go until your children are left alone again. I felt it necessary to show you that your children are going to be cared for, so you will not worry for them when your work takes you away.” Her face hardened and she stood, setting the gun on the couch. “But know this, sir. Your children need YOU. I am merely a poor substitute for a parent.”
John’s mouth opened to retort, then lowered mutely as he found himself talking to thin air. He walked over and picked up the gun, checking the area.
No cold spots. No dent in the couch from her weight. There was nothing there to indicate that the strange conversation had taken place at all.
Shaking his head, John dismissed it as being overly tired and headed to the kitchen, where he found a covered dish waiting for him in the fridge.
He thought no more about the weirdness of that night.
But over time, Dean and Sam noticed that their father was present more in their lives. He even made the effort to get to know their teachers when they started school. The Hunt came first, but never at the cost of his children.
And during those inevitable times when the job took him away, John knew that Dean could care for Sammy well. He saw proof of that every time he returned and saw both his sons thriving and happy.
He would sometimes wonder if the mysterious ‘Nan’ that had showed up that one night was responsible. Then he would remember the ridiculousness of that and dismiss the thought outright.
Nan was, indeed, responsible. She taught Dean how to care for both boys and when Sam grew old enough, how he could help take care of Dean as well as himself. She helped them make friends and connect with the world outside their strange little family, no matter where they were. Nan was caretaker, protector, best friend and problem solver.
After all -- that was what Zannas did.
END