Title: WBT- Adventures in Babysitting
Characters: The Winchesters. Jamie, River and The Banners OC, AU
Summary: The Winchester boys are watching the Banner boys. Add a Catahoula Cur Puppy and the possibility of something supernatural. What could possibly go wrong? Warning, there will be parental corporal punishment at some point.
Jamie was tired. Bone tired. Coach had tried to run his ass off at practice. Jamie hadn't been singled out though, all the boys had caught hell. They'd been goofing off during practice, acting like a bunch of monkeys. It was all in good fun, but they had a job to do and Coach didn't appreciate it.
At all.
Coach's appreciation had translated to a brutal practice. Jamie wasn't sure if it was that his legs were so wobbly that he could barely stand or that there were bruises in places their shouldn't be bruises.
It was worse than a hunt with a pack of Wendigos.
Then of course there was Jamie himself. A failed English test. Uncle Sam was gonna kill him. A piss poor attempt to go out with a pretty new girl in school.
She was unimpressed.
Coach hadn't been impressed either when Jamie had opened his mouth . Jamie knew better but sometimes his brain and his mouth just didn't connect. Or maybe they connected too quickly and his mouth started rattling off whatever thoughts hit his brain without really thinking about it. Which was kind of crazy because if you had a brain and didn't think with it than what good was your brain?
It had cost him another ten laps while the other boys hit the shower.
He didn't care anymore. He just wanted to get home. Take a shower so long that it ran out the hot water heater and then crawl into bed. He said silent thanks that it was Friday night and he had no homework.
He felt sure there would be some eating done at some point though because he was ravenous.
Could you eat and shower at the same time? It was smarter than sleeping and eating he figured.
He stumbles up the porch of the gray farmhouse to be greeted with a solemn "Woof," from Cooper, the old farm dog. Jamie absently scratches him behind his ears, bending down so that Cooper didn't have to drag his old bones up to meet him. The ruffling causing his mastiff/hound wrinkles and folds to move, giving him an expression of worry. The old dog's muzzle is gray and he was certainly long in the tooth but his eyes were still bright as a pup's.
As if he heard Dean's thoughts there is a sudden rumble from inside the farmhouse and Teague, Cooper's up and coming replacement – not replacement, Jamie thinks quickly, his apprentice. A padawan to Cooper's Jedi, comes barreling through the screen door of the house.
The puppy had been rescued from the side of the road by River. Apparently, Winchesters made a habit of picking up strays. He had no idea what Teague was. Part Catahoula Leopard Dog most certainly, he was covered in sleek black and gray merling that was typical of the breed. He had two glass eyes, which were a shocking ice blue and long floppy ears that gave him a perpetual look of silliness. At six months he was almost as large as Cooper and even the biggest Catahoulas were not that big. Maybe he was part Great Dane, Jamie mused.
And he was an idiot.
This was evidenced by the Teague sized hole in the screen door.
"River!" a male voice boomed from the living room, "Get that damn dog!" It was Gramps and he was none to happy. He could hear his cousin scrambling into the living room and skid to a stop at the ruined screen door.
"Jeesh," River said half to himself and then yelled to their grandfather, "He's just a puppy, Gramps!"
"That is not a puppy! That is a fucking horse! Keep that beast outside until he can learn some manners!"
"Yes, sir!" River answered promptly and then swung what was left of the screen door open.
"Jamie, you're home!" River said enthusiastically, "Ya wanna help me fix this door?"
Teague is now standing on his hind legs, slobbering on Jamie's book bag and humping him from behind.
Jamie sighs and shifts his weight to accommodate 70 pounds of amorous dog. "River your dog is just a little too happy to see me. And no, I don't wanna help you fix the screen door."
"Awe, poor Teague," River croons and grabs the puppy by his collar, dragging him off of Jamie. "Nobody likes my boy," Teague happily stops trying to sex up Jamie and turns to River lapping at his face like it had been covered in gravy.
River laughs and allows the dog to knock him over, landing hard on the weathered floorboards of the porch, "Watch his latest trick." River says, pride in every word.
"Other than breaking the house?" Jamie asks.
River ignors him, "Teague," he says in a firm voice, "Sit!"
The puppy sat.
On Cooper.
The old dog doesn't even growl, he snaps yellowed teeth catching Teague on shoulder. The puppy yelps and rolls over, baring his belly to Cooper. Kill me oh great and wonderful Alpha dog! I bow to the majesty that is you!
Gramps had made it to the front porch and was taking in the scene.
"Now that's how an old man cleans the clock of a wet behind the ears pup." Gramps says approvingly.
He turns to River, "Keep that in mind, River, if this door isn't fixed by dinner." Gramps growls low and stalks back into the house.
River shrugs good-naturedly and turns to Jamie, still fending off Teague's fat, slobbery tongue.
"So how was your day?" River asked.
"A hot cupa suck." Jamie answers.
"That's a new one," River states, his tone one of admiration. "Did you just come up with that?"
Jamie sighs, "I guess, it's just how I feel."
"So you really won't help me fix the door?"
Jamie sighs again, "Yeah, I'll help. You get the stuff though and we can knock it out in a half hour."
So much for his long, hot shower.
Jamie plops himself down on one of the Adirondack chairs with a groan. He would just sit here, breathing, 'till River came back.
It took all of ten minutes.
Screens were always getting broken with Winchester boys around and all the necessary equipment was in the barn.
Fifteen minutes later the new screen was installed and Teague was gleefully running with what was left of the old screen across the front lawn, shaking it like a terrier with a rat and leaping up in the air.
"That dog is not right," Jamie says.
"He's just…." River starts.
"A puppy, " Jamie finishes, "I know."
Jamie grabs his book bag and opens the screen door, followed closely by River.
"Well, we can take him with us tonight," River says, "The Banners won't care."
"Huh?" Jamie stops in his tracks.
"Yeah, don't you remember? You, me and JR are watching the twins."
"What?"
"Yeah, Mrs. Banner has a book club meeting and Mr. Jeff has some kind of Sheriff convention or something he has to go to tonight."
"What about Travis? He's their older brother!"
"Travis is working the graveyard shift CluckBucket's."
"Well, how in the hell did we get nominated?"
"JR asked, you said yes, and I agreed. Don't you remember anything?"
Jamie had only moved from the front porch to the living room, but he sat down heavily on the old sofa, "I can't Riv. I can barely move."
River sits down next to his cousin, "We need you, Jamie. JR won't be home till after nine, he has a basketball game. I can't handle those twins by myself. They don't even like me. Remember the last time I watched them?"
Jamie did remember. He hadn't realized that bubblegum was that hard to get out of someone's hair.
"Sorry Riv, you are on your own."
Dad comes into the living room, carrying Teague. The dog is covered in mud to his chest and he whines as he dangles from Dad's arms, back paws shifting from side to side as Dad's hips move with his weight.
"On your own with what?" He asks, still holding the puppy easily. Teague doesn't squirm or try to get down, he just hangs there drool dripping off his lips and a puppy grin on his face.
"How did he get back inside?" River ignores his uncle's question.
"Dunno, but he's your mess and if Gramps sees him tracking mud all over the house he will kick your ass into next week," he gives River a rueful look, "I know, he's just a puppy."
Dad hip bumps the recently repaired screen door and drops the Teague outside. They hear his huge puppy paws gallop down the porch in search of more trouble.
He turns to both boys, "So what's going on?"
River doesn't want to get Jamie in trouble, but Jamie knows he has to answer the question so Jamie does it instead.
"I'm supposed to help babysit the twins tonight." His father's face grimaces. He's a grown man but the Banner twins are hell on wheels.
"Sucks to be you," he says and then folds his arms over his chest to lean his hip against the door jam into the kitchen.
"But I'm not going." Jamie announces. It sounds pitiful.
His father arches a brow at him, "Why? Did you say you would?"
"Yes, but…"
"Then you are," his father says without heat.
"Dad, I can't. I'm too tired. Broken. Lookatme! I'm …I'm sick."
Suddenly concerned Dad steps toward Jamie and touches a hand to his forehead. He knots his brows together, "Don't feel sick."
"Not sick sick but sick."
Dad offers him a quizzical look, "Not sick sick but sick? That makes no sense at all."
River interjects, "He's just tired, Uncle Dean. And cranky." River looks meaningfully at Jamie. "But he has to come! You know how things go with the Banner twins!"
His father looks over at his nephew, "Well, your hair did grow out."
"Uncle DEAN!"
"Look, Jamie." Dad says, his voice just a bit deeper although still sympathetic. "If you promised Jeff you'd watch the boys then you will watch the boys. Case closed."
He ruffles Jamie's hair, "Dinner's in ten boys. And Jamie, take a damn shower will ya? You reek."
Jamie lets his tacky, matted with sweat head fall back against the couch in defeat.
So, a five minute shower. Dinner. And two little demon spawn.
Yup, A hot cupa suck.