Dean's Dixon

Dad?

The Winchesters hadn't known how long their family would be gone, but three days felt a little too long. Dean was worried that something terrible had happened to Maggie and the baby, wishing he'd gone with them but trying not to second guess himself too much. June had Maggie and there had been plenty to take care of in Alexandria. Gabriel was doing his best to help out, especially with Judith but today Dean was on baby duty. She was a little over a year old and while he'd been unsure of watching a baby in the beginning, he was pretty much a pro when it came to Judith.

He'd volunteered for a patrol as well, nothing crazy, just walking the fence when Sam found his brother with Judith on his shoulders. The toddler was babbling away, a fistful of Dean's hair in her little hands, and Dean was nodding along as though he understood everything she was saying.

"I know it. They should plant more flowers."

*babbling*

"I agree, roses would look nice by your porch."

*happy squeal*

"Exactly. I'll talk to Auntie June when she gets back."

"Da-da-da-da"

"We've talked about this Judith. It's Dean not Dad. Dean"

"Dee!"

"That's my girl."

Sam let out a small cough to get his brother's attention, the smile on his face giving away just how amused by this little interaction he was. Dean had gone from being afraid to hold Judith to having conversations only she and him could understand. Sam didn't know if it was June stepping into the Auntie position that pushed his brother into this roll or if it was just a natural progression, but he loved seeing his brother with the baby.

"You guys plotting world domination?"

"Flowers... thought she should start small."

"I'm sure Rick will appreciate that."

"To be honest Sammy, I'm more scared of what my wife would have to say about that than Rick."

"Fair enough... speaking of your wife..."

"Sam, don't. We made the decision to stay back and we promised June we'd keep an eye on things... and this little princess" he grinned, bringing Judith from his shoulders into his arms.

The sweet toddler reached up for her uncle Sammy, giggling when he took her and threw her gently up in the air and caught her safely in his arms. One thing was for sure, Judith Grimes was a very loved and protected little girl. As much as she had her uncle's wrapped around her tiny finger, Sam was still incredibly concerned about the length of time everyone had been gone.

"No, I know but it's been 3 days. Shouldn't they be back by now?"

"Not if something's seriously wrong with Maggie and the baby."

"What about Daryl? Glenn, Michonne and Rosita went after him and they're not back either. Maybe we should go look for them."

"I'm sure everything's ok Sammy. Chances are they met up with the RV and are at Hilltop with the others."

"OK... who are you and what have you done with my brother?" Dean laughed but Sam was being very serious. "I'm not kidding, since when do you just not care."

"Woah! Who said I didn't care?" Sam gave him an indignant look but his big brother wasn't about to let this slide. "My wife is out there Sammy. You understand that? My wife. My choosing to believe that everything is fine does not mean I don't care, it means that I know who I married and what she's capable of. Aside from you, Maggie is June's best friend. She's not going to leave her side until she is 100% sure both her and the baby are ok. I wouldn't be surprised if they're gone a week."