Author: The Wayward Angel
Story: Red
Word Count: 520
Chapter: 1/1
Pairings: None
Spoilers: None
Trigger Warnings: ficlet
Summary: John comes back from a hunt and has a mild panic attack.
Disclaimer: Not even close to mine.
AN: This honestly might just be some word vomit and I'm sorry, I just haven't been in the mood to write lately.
Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine. Please feel free to point out any grammatical or spelling errors.
Red
John's been gone since Monday, leaving twelve-year-old Dean and eight-year-old Sam in the motel by themselves. He'd stocked up on food for the boys before he'd left and made Dean promise to watch Sam and call him if anything happened, but he trusted Dean to watch Sam. Watching Sammy had been Dean's job since the youngest boy had been born. So John hadn't been worried.
He came back to the motel on Wednesday, remarkably free of blood and monster guts. No scratches, no bruises, an impossibly simple salt-and-burn once he'd figured out where the woman had been buried. He opened the door and looked around the room, heart stopping dead at splashes of red on the floor and beds.
'Ohgodohgodohgod' John dropped his duffle, "Dean! Sam!" He called.
Dean poked his head out from the bathroom, "Oh, hey Dad." He said, "Having to give Sammy a bath, he spilt the finger paints."
John sighed shakily, 'Just paint. They're okay.' He nodded, "Okay Dean," He said, "We're going to be leaving pretty soon, so get Sammy into some clothes and get your stuff packed."
"Yes, sir." Dean nodded and went back into the bathroom.
Now that the panic had receded John shut and locked the motel room door. He could hear the sounds of splashing coming from the bathroom as well as Sam's little giggles and Dean's soft voice.
"Getting water all over the floor, Sam." He heard his older son say.
"Sorry." Sam chimed back happily.
John felt a smile tug at his lips and he started packing his boys bags.
"All done Sammy." The water sloshed and began to drain.
"I can do it." Sam grumbled, annoyance plain in his voice.
"Sure ya can, Sammy."
A few minutes later the boys stepped out. Sam smiled at John, "Hi Dad."
"Hey Sammy." John said, ruffling his son's hair, "You and Dean have fun while I was gone?"
"Yeah," Sam grinned. John noted where Sam had just lost three of his baby teeth. "We watched movies and Dean let me paint and he read me a book and we-we built a fort with pillows!" He said excitedly.
John chuckled, "Glad you had fun." He said, "Now go get your books, wouldn't want to forget one like we did in Memphis."
Sam nodded quickly and went to collect his books.
"Where to now, Dad?" Dean asked, shoving his clothes into his bag.
"Lincolnville, Maine. Not sure what it is yet, but a lot of people are missing." John replied.
Dean nodded, "Can I help you with this one?" He asked.
John hesitated, "Tell you what, if it's just a salt-and-burn, I'll let you come."
Dean grinned, "Cool." He said.
John's mouth ticked upward, "Yeah, cool." He replied.