Title: The Anger In His Eyes
Author: Capricorn1986
Characters: John, Dean (26) Sam (22)
Summary: My take on the confrontation between Sam and John in Dead Man`s Blood from season 1
Warning: Contains spanking
"What the hell was that?"
Sam is standing next to the Impala, breathing heavily as he watches me approach him. He doesn`t answer my question as to why the hell he decided to ignore my order to pull off at the next exit and instead drive up in front of my truck, nearly causing our two cars to collide. His eyes are glowing green flames as he meets my gaze.
"Where are we going, Dad? Why won`t you tell us what`s going on?"
Dean tries to pull Sam away, tries to persuade him to follow his example and accept that my orders are meant to be obeyed. He`s always been the better soldier of the two.
"Your brother is right," I tell Sam. "We don`t have time for this."
Sam carries on as if neither I nor his brother had said anything. "The last time we saw you, you said it was too dangerous for us to be together. And now, out of the blue, you need our help! Obviously something big is going on, and we want to know what!"
Sam`s nostrils are flaring, his body is tense with anger and defiance. He`s obviously set on disobedience. Well, I will have none of that.
"Get back in the car," I order him.
"No," comes the stubborn reply from my youngest.
I take a step closer to him. "I said get in the damn car. Now."
"Yeah. And I said no."
Dean cuts in between us before Sam or I can make a move. He tells Sam to take it easy and knock it off as he shoves his brother towards the car. I barely catch the mumble from my youngest as he turns around. "This is why I left in the first place."
"What did you say?"
"You heard me," Sam snaps as he spins around to face me.
I walk up to him. "Yeah, you left. Your brother and me, we needed you. You walked away, Sam!" I put emphasis on my words by prodding him in the chest. "You walked away!" I repeat, my voice rising.
"Stop it! Both of you!" Dean`s voice is merely background noise to my ears.
Sam`s voice is shaky with anger. "You were the one who said don`t come back, Dad. You`re the one who closed that door, not me. You were just pissed off that you couldn`t control me anymore!" Sam roars to my face.
I grab two fistfuls of Sam`s shirt, tugging so his face is merely inches from my own. "It had nothing to do with me controlling you. It was all about me keeping you safe." My words seem to have no effect on my youngest. His face is a mask of anger. I decide to give him a final warning. A last chance to do as he`s told. "Now get your ass in the car. That is an order."
I release my grip on Sam`s shirt so he can do as he`s told. I`m not too surprised when he remains unmoving. The kids' stubborn nature often outweighs his common sense. "Sam." Dean once more tries to convince his brother to make the smartest choice. "Come on, man, just get in the car. You`ve already pushed it too far."
Sam ignores him again, focusing all his attention on me. "Stop telling me what to do. Stop treating me like a child!"
I have had enough. I will not tolerate disrespect or disobedience like this from either of my sons, regardless of their age. I grab Sam by the collar of his jacket, pin his arm behind his back and forcefully bend him over the Impala. His large upper body connects heavily with the hood. It all happens in a split second, too fast for Sam or Dean to even react. But the instant Sam is bent over, they realize what`s about to happen, and they both find their voices.
"Dad! You can`t do this!" my sons exclaim, almost in unison.
Sam is squirming hard, but I have him pinned down firmly. I have no intention of letting him go until he has learned his lesson.
"You can`t do this to Sam. Dad, please!" Dean begs.
I turn to face him as he motions to approach me. "Dean, this is between me and your brother. Get in the way, and it`ll be your ass getting hauled over the hood next." My eldest stops dead in his tracks. He knows I`ve never made in idle threat in his life. "Go sit in the truck," I tell him. It is an order made from kindness, both to Dean and Sam. It saves Dean from the pain of watching his brother get punished, and Sam from the humiliation of having Dean look on.
As Dean turns around and walks towards the truck, Sam continues to struggle, attempting to get up. "This is stupid!" he complains. "You can`t spank me, I am an adult!"
As I start laying down blazing swats to my sons jean-clad butt, I calmly reply: "You complain that I treat you and Dean like children, but that`s exactly what you are. My children. As your father, I demand respect, and you sure as hell haven`t been giving me a lot of that today, Samuel."
Sam struggles hard, yet he remains fairly quiet. As I continue to bring my hand down, my mind is suddenly flooded with memories from past times I`ve had to spank my youngest due to disobedience or disrespect. This is certainly the most quiet of those times.
I have no intention for this to be a harsh punishment, just an unpleasant reminder that Sam had better follow my orders and not try to pick fights with me. He is a grown man, and as such he has no excuse to act like a disrespectful, bratty teenager. I`ve had more than enough of that from Sam over the years, although somehow I think the spanking I am currently delivering to my youngest won`t be the last.
The palm of my hand is stinging pretty bad, though I suspect the sting in Sam`s backside is way worse. He`s taken his punishment fairly quietly, though his struggling and kicking has not halted at all. Nevertheless, I decide it`s time to wrap things up. I remain a firm grip on Sam`s arm, but allow my right arm a well earned pause.
"Are you going to treat me with respect from now on?" I ask the squirming young man.
"Yes."
I immediately land another round of thunderous swats to Sam`s backside. "Yes, what, Samuel?"
"Oww! Yes, sir!" Sam replies with tears in his voice.
I stop swatting. "Good. I hope we won`t have to have a talk like this again anytime soon." I release Sam`s arm and take a step away from the Impala. "You may get up."
Straight away, Sam lifts his upper body off the hood of the car and stands up straight, rubbing at his sore posterior with one hand, wiping away treacherous tears with the other.
I feel uncertain if he wants me to hug him. When he was younger, he used to crave my comfort and closeness after a spanking. But he`s not a kid anymore.
"Sammy.." I say softly, my heart aching as he turns his teary eyes towards me, "I know you never wanted this life. I was the one who thrust it upon you. And when you went away to college.." I pause for a moment, clearing my throat. "Well, the reason I got so angry when you left, it was… it was just a way to mask my fear. Nothing`s ever scared me so bad as the thought of you being away from me, away from my protection."
Sam gives me a long look, and he nods. "You`re right. This was never the life I wanted."
I take a step closer to my son, feeling like I`m begging for comfort from Sam, instead of me offering it to him, as was the case when he was a little boy. "But it`s the life you got now. I don`t want us to fight, Sammy. I don`t want us to be angry with each other."
"Me neither, Dad." Sam sniffs, and he looks at the ground. "I`m sorry about earlier. I lost control, and I went too far. I`ll follow orders from now on."
"I`m glad to hear that son. And it`s all forgiven," I assure my youngest, giving him a smile. My heart swells with affection as Sam finally meets my gaze, and he`s smiling. I take another step closer to him and give the side of his face a quick, gentle caress. "You look just like your mother when you smile." I swallow hard, feeling tears burning in my eyes, but I quickly blink them away.