Scarlet was not the type of girl to blindly listen to orders. That was what got her into so much trouble on a regular basis. When dad said run, you ran, when he said jump, you jump, and when he said duck, you better duck. If you didn't follow his orders, you found it very uncomfortable. Sammy said it was because dad was a dictator but Scarlet understood her father's reasoning. All he wanted to do was keep them safe and she honestly couldn't blame him. She knew what was out there, lurking in the dark. Hell, she'd been hunting it since she was five. Well, she'd been training to hunt it since she was five. Dad still really didn't let her hunt with them all of the time. That was why she was sitting here now. In the crappy hotel room with her forehead pressed up against the window. She was so bored and the background noise wasn't helping her. One of the three crappy channels that the hotel room got was blaring from the corner while her two older brothers wrestled on one of the beds for the remote. She turned around to look at the commotion and saw that they now weren't even wrestling for the remote which lay forgotten beside them as they rolled around on the bed.
"Oh my God! How old are you? Could you at least try and act your age?" She demanded. Dean, her oldest brother passed an evil grin to Sammy, her other brother. They both pounced on her at the same time. Sammy held her down as Dean tickled her. She struggled to get free but couldn't no matter how hard she tried. She blamed the fact that they were older than her and had both jumped her at the same time.
"Stop! Stop!" Scarlet cried out. Dean laughed as he let her go after a few more tickles. She was not a helpless little girl. Lean muscles covered her entire body. That was mostly because of the rigorous training dad put them through. She could fight, shoot, run, survive, and hunt better than most grown-ups that she knew. Her brothers were the same though, and they had been doing it far longer than she had.
Dean, at eighteen years old would normally be out with dad hunting, but not this time. Dad was hunting a particularly nasty, something. He didn't normally tell them what he was doing, another thing that drove Sammy crazy. Dean was in charge of watching them whenever dad wasn't around. Scarlet loved her dad, but he wasn't around much. When he was home, all he seemed to do was yell, punish, research, train, and give orders. Dean was more like a father to her. Dean fed them, clothed them, took them shopping, comforted them when they had nightmares, hell, Dean had even been the one who took her out to buy her first bra. That was one very awkward day. Sure she loved her dad, but Dean was more of a dad than he was. He was her protector and she knew he would do anything for her. At six-foot-one and three fourths, Dean was an imposing man. He always emphasized the three fourths and that made Scarlet laugh every time she heard it. He had lost all of his lean muscles of boyhood and now had some build to him. He didn't have big, protruding muscles like some men had, but you could see his muscles without him flexing and every time he moved his muscles rippled.
Sammy was fourteen and very much the dark, brooding, rebellious teenager that most people thought of when they thought of teenagers. His long hair fell into his eyes and he had to keep pushing it out of his eyes. Sam was growing very fast. He was already at five-foot-eleven and didn't seem to be slowing down at all. At the rate he was going, he would be taller than both dad and Dean in a few year's time. Long, thin limbs and lean muscles characterized Sam's physique. His muscles subtly shifted under his skin when he moved. There was a promise of the man he would one day be but he was still a little way from it.
"Dean, I'm so bored!" Scarlet complained. "There's nothing to do around here!"
"I know honey, but dad will be back soon and then we can go," Dean replied with sympathy in his voice.
"How long is soon?" Scarlet scoffed.
"Sometime in the next two days," Dean told her. She sighed dramatically in boredom. "Look, maybe we can do something tomorrow," He tried to placate her.
"I don't know about you, but I don't want to get in trouble," Sam replied with a look on his face that Dean had dubbed Sammy's Bitch Face. He used it a lot.
"Dad isn't going to be home tomorrow, and he probably won't even be home the day after that. You know dad, he's always late to his deadlines." Dean reasoned with Sammy. "Maybe we can just go to the park really quickly, you know, the one down the street."
"Dad said don't leave this room, we even have to get takeout in order to eat Dean, dad won't want us to leave to go to the park," Sam said incredulously.
"He's right, forget it Dean, I don't want us to get into trouble either," Scarlet sighed.
"Wimps, come on, what can go wrong?" Dean asked.
He had to ask. The first thing that went wrong was that they left the hotel room three seconds before their dad called the room. The fact that nobody answered set their dad on edge because he told them not to leave the room. The reason he called was to tell them that he was coming home early and he would be there in about half an hour. The second thing that went wrong was that Dean hadn't brought his wallet. Sam always bitched at him that his habit of driving over the speed limit would one day bite him in the ass and that unlucky day was the day.
"Fuck!" Dean said as he saw the flashing lights in his rearview mirror. "Friggin small-town Podunk..." He tapered his curses as the cop came and tapped on his window. He plastered his best charming smile on his face and rolled his window down.
"Son, do you know why I pulled you over?" The older man asked him. Scarlet could tell that every fiber of Dean's being was trying to hold in the sarcastic reply.
"I know I was driving over the speed limit, I'm so sorry officer, I didn't realize," Dean smiled apologetically.
"License and registration son," The cop replied. Dean leaned over Sam in the front seat to dig out the registration from the glove box and then felt his pocket for the license.
"Shit!" Dean exclaimed.
"Problem son?" The cop asked disapprovingly. It seemed these small-town people didn't care much for cussing.
"I left my wallet back at the hotel room," Dean explained.
"Shit Dean!" Scarlet exclaimed taking the officer off guard.
"I know, I know, leave me alone," Dean growled.
"If you don't have your license, I will need a name, address, and phone number of a parent or guardian," The cop told him.
"Fuck!" Scarlet whispered sharply.
"Dude, I told you this was a bad idea!" Sammy said smugly.
"Shut the fuck up, both of you!" Dean demanded. "My name is Dean Winchester, we are living temporarily at the hotel on Second Street, and our father is out of town on a business trip sir," Dean explained.
"How long would it take your father to get here?" The officer asked. He seemed tired and the situation just got worse. If they pulled dad away from a hunt because they got arrested, dad was going to skin them alive.
"I don't know sir," Dean replied. He took a deep breath. If Scarlet didn't know any better, she would say that her oldest brother was almost in tears.
"Why don't you try calling him to ask, we'll see what we can do from there." The cop said kindly. He seemed almost sorry for them. Dean dug out his cell phone and hit speed dial 1.
"Dean where the fuck are you!?" was the first thing that his dad growled out when he picked up the phone.
"Where are you?" Dean asked confused.
"I'm at the fucking hotel where your ass is supposed to be now I will only repeat myself one more time, where the fuck are you?" Dad growled.
"Do you see my wallet on the nightstand?" Dean asked.
"Yeah," His dad answered.
"Do you think you could bring it to us?" Dean asked hopefully.
"Dean, where are you?" His dad's voice was passed pissed off and into the scary calm before the storm.
"We're along the side of Ninth Street," Dean replied. Scarlet could see him physically gulp.
"And who is with you Dean?" Dad asked.
"His name tag says Officer Archer," Dean replied. Dad sighed deeply trying to calm himself down.
"Boy you better not say one disrespectful word or so help me, I'll beat your ass in front of him," Dad warned before hanging up.
"Our dad is on his way sir, he just got back to the hotel that we are staying at. He's going to bring my driver's license." Dean told the officer. Scarlet cringed in the back seat. Dad was home and all of their asses were toast. Two minutes later their dad pulled up behind the officer's vehicle in his old truck.
"John Winchester," Dad introduced himself to the officer while glaring daggers at the three children in the car. "I brought Dean's license if you need to see it," Dad told him.
"Yes, I need to see it," Officer Archer replied. He took the card and the registration that Dean had given him earlier and he took them to his squad car to run. John didn't say anything to his kids, he just stood there looking off to the skyline. The kids did the same, not daring to say anything. The officer returned with Dean's license and registration and handed them to Dean.
"This is your first time being pulled over so I can not cite you for going over the speed limit but driving without a license is a very serious offence. Since your father was kind enough to bring it with him, I will let you off with a warning," The officer explained. Dean let out a sigh of relief. Dad would've killed him then brought him back to life to kill him again if he had to pay money.
"Thank you sir," Dean replied.
"Thank you officer," John reiterated his son's gratitude. "Was he respectful to you?" John asked.
"He was respectful of me, but he did have a few choice words. They were not however directed at me," Archer explained. John nodded.
"Thank you again officer, we appreciate it," John said as he shook the man's hand. After Officer Archer left, John turned on the three of them. "Follow me back to the hotel." He said shortly. He didn't wait for a reply as he left the window and stalked to his car. He was furious. No, he was livid. The ride there was silent except for the Impala's engine. Nobody dared to say a word. They pulled into the parking spot next to their dad's and waited.
"Out of the car," dad ordered. All three of them obeyed instantly. When John used that voice, people instinctively did what he said and his kids had been trained from a young age to follow his orders.
"Inside, now." His voice was still the short, brisk barks that told his three kids that he was beyond pissed at them. They trooped past him and to the door. Dean opened the door with his key. "Sit." They all sat on the edge of one of the beds. "Explain."
"Its my fault dad," Dean started just as John had been expecting. His children were predictable. He knew that Scarlet would jump in next and that Sammy would remain silent and let his siblings hash it out. After they were done fighting, Sam would tell the story exactly like it happened.
"I was the one who drove the car and I convinced them that it would be ok," Dean continued.
"Nuh-uh, I'm the one who kept complaining I was bored and that I had to do something. The only reason we went in the first place was because I kept complaining that I was bored," Scarlet distinguished.
"But in the end, you agreed with Sammy that it was a bad idea and that we shouldn't go, I'm the one who pushed us going." Dean retaliated.
"But I'm the one who gave you the idea in the first place," Scarlet argued. John knew that neither of these kids liked to be punished, they just had strong beliefs. Dean's determination to take the blame for everything came from the thought that he had to protect his little siblings. He took care of them and he took responsibility for everything that happened. Scarlet had a little different reason. His little angel had a huge sense of justice. If she did something wrong she owned up to it. She didn't flinch and she couldn't stand other people taking the blame for her, especially Dean. He was her older brother and she loved him more than anything. She couldn't stand to see other people in pain because of something she did. John loved and admired her for it, but at times like this when he only wanted the truth, it was aggravating. He silenced his two children and looked to Sam for an explanation.
"Pretty much like they said, Scar started whining about boredom, Dean recommended that we do something, I tried to talk them out of it, Scar agreed with me, but Dean was too excited about it and we ended up going," Sam told the story. John nodded. That was what he had expected had happened but he wanted the story from them.
"Sam, Dean, go stand in the corner, Scarlet, come here," John directed as he sat down on the other bed. They all went to comply. Dean hated this. He was always the last one. By the time dad got to him, he had already heard both of his little siblings get punished. It made him feel like he failed as their protector. The first swat almost made him jump even though it wasn't him getting the spanking. Yet. He could hear Scarlet's stubborn silence transform into small gasps then to grumbles and promises to be better then to crying and soon to great sobs. Finally it stopped and he relaxed a little bit knowing that dad was now comforting his sister.
"Sam," John called. Scarlet took her brother's place in the corner that he had been occupying. Dean could hear her sniffling from where he stood. All he wanted to do was go comfort her but he stayed where he was. Another round of guilt started in Dean's stomach as dad started Sam's spanking. Sammy went through the same progression from startled yelps to full on bawling his eyes out. Dean didn't blame either of his siblings. He knew full well that he would be crying just like them in a few minutes time and that he would get it harder than both of them. He was the oldest, he was responsible and he had led them astray. Even if dad agreed they all had a part in everything, it was ultimately his fault. He could've shut down the talk of disobeying dad before it even started but he hadn't. He knew his responsibilities well. He was to look after Sammy and Scarlet. He always felt like he failed when he had to hear them being spanked.
"Dean." dad called. Dean took a deep breath to steady his nerves and pushed himself away from the wall. Sammy gave him what looked to be an encouraging smile but with tears rolling down his face, the smile looked less encouraging. Sam took his brother's spot in the corner. As soon as Dean got in range, dad grabbed his arm and pulled him over his lap. Dean didn't protest or squirm. If he did, it would only get worse for him. Dad started in. It hurt like hell. Dad was stronger than any man his age had a right to be. Of course he had to be with the job he had, but damn. Dean knew he was going to cry, it was a given with any of his old man's whippings, but that didn't mean that Dean had to give in right away. He went through the stages that his siblings went through. His barely contained exhales of air became the grunts and quiet cries of protest. Then he started wiggling and pleading, then the tears came, closely followed by the crying and then the sobbing a few moments later. Dean hated it but knew it was to be expected and his dad didn't fault him for it. In fact, he was sure his dad understood completely. Ass whippings were the worst. Dean almost didn't notice when his dad stopped. Dad let him lie there a moment longer, sobbing his heart out. After a few minutes later, dad lifted him up and hugged him with some force. Dean clung to his dad like a lifeline. He knew he was getting his dad's shirt wet but he didn't care much and neither did his father. After a few more minutes, his dad released him and sent him to another corner of the room to cool down and collect himself. His sobs died away and he was left standing there trying to get his hitched breathing in order. Once he was completely calmed down, his dad spoke again.
"Come here, all of you." John waited for the three of his kids to be standing in front of him. "Dean, Scarlet, my orders are not up for debate, they are ironclad and I expect you to follow them to the letter no matter what understand?" He demanded.
"Yes sir," the two of them replied at the same time.
"Sammy, the same goes for you. If you know something is wrong, don't go along with it. Stick with your gut, it's a good one. Do you understand me?" John demanded.
"Yes sir," Sam replied.
"Good, now what's for dinner?" John demanded. Just like that, the three of them knew they were forgiven. Dad didn't hold grudges; at least not on his kids. The monsters he hunted had no such luck.