It started out like any other trip to the supermarket. As soon as they were inside, Mary left John with the boys and went off to get as much done as she could without the hassle of two small children with her. John wandered around the market slowly as to not wake up baby Sam who slept in his car seat nestled on top. Dean sat underneath, arms crossed in defiance. He hated having to sit inside the stupid cart. Dean wanted to be out walking around, free from the confines of the metal trap on wheels, but John saw it otherwise. John saw it as a way to keep his oldest son from running around the store and disappearing for 10 minutes like what happened a few weeks earlier. Damn that boy was quick. John wasn't about to take that chance again.
While he walked around, John picked up a few items he knew they would need, or most certainly he would want. Some beer and chips for the game Sunday, a couple other odd items he thought they could use. Soon Dean was surrounded by a small load of groceries, which threatened to bury him. On an end cap John happened to see a display of Oreo cookies, off handedly grabbed a package and tossed them down much to Dean's delight. He didn't think about how much a temptation it would be for Dean to get into them.
Sure enough Dean kept eyeing the Oreo's and John found himself having to keep an eye on Dean just to make sure said Oreo's made it home in one piece. It became a battle of wills.
Midway through the can goods aisle, Dean started pouting when he realized his father wasn't about to give in and let him have one or two. Being the typical 4 yr old he was he decided if he couldn't have them then no one could, and with the arm of a professional baseball player he threw them down the aisle nearly hitting an elderly shopper who happened to be looking for a can of creamed corn. Thoroughly embarrassed and about to loudly berate his oldest son, John hesitated when he saw more shoppers heading his way. He quickly pushed the cart down to the elderly shopper, profusely apologized for his misbehaving toddler, and picked up the now shattered Oreos, tossing them back into his cart.
"Dean Winchester!" John barked out when he was finally able to turn the corner and heading down the next aisle. "You stop that this instant."
The 4 yr old sat stunned, surprised at his father to hear him yelling at him so sharply. He looked up at John with his big hazel eyes now brimming with tears and was about to start crying when suddenly Sammy let out one helluva wail of his own. John looked down at his infant son, and began cursing himself for forgetting the baby was only inches away when he decided to yell at Dean.
"It's okay Sammy, its okay." John spoke in a more soothing voice as he tried to rock the shopping cart back and forth. Within moments Sam settled down again and started sucking his finger.
"I think Sammy's hungry Daddy." Dean said standing up and peering over the top of the baby seat.
"Dean, sit down please!" John said a little too sharply, once again stunning his oldest son. Dean fell back into the basket, landing on the bag of chips and the six pack of beer. He let out a scream as his bottom hit the six pack and it was neck and neck to see which one of his sons was now crying the loudest. John was now beside himself trying to calm both boys down, pushing down the aisle as far away as he could from the curious shoppers who were now poking their heads in his direction.
"Damn it Mary, where the hell are you?" John cursed under his breath. A few things… She had talked him into going into the supermarket because she had promised him they were only shopping for a few things.
By the time he made it back down to the snack food aisle to get another bag of chips, both boys had settled down again. He guiltily set the smashed bag of chips back on the shelf and turned to find his wife standing behind him, arms crossed, giving him her best what the hell do you think you're doing look.
"John…" she said brow furrowed, as she watched while John put the smashed chips back into their cart.
"Ummm Dean had an accident…..." He started to justify knowing there was no way he could explain what happened without sounding like the crap father of the year.
"Oh he did." She said moving over to the cart and looking down at her son, tears still wet on his face.
"Sammy started crying and Dean stood up in the cart and I kinda yelled at him to sit down and when he did he landed right on top of the chips and the beer….." John sputtered out hoping he wasn't going to have to have a scene with his wife now in the middle of the store.
"Chips and beer?" Mary asked trying to sound stern but failing miserably. She couldn't help herself. Just the look on John's face when she busted him for putting the bag of chips back was enough to make her lose it.
"I thought maybe for the game on Sunday…" John answered before realizing she was just teasing him about the beer and the chips. Just then some of the same people he had seen back in the other aisles started passing them and giving him the eye as they walked by. Mary saw his discomfort, leaned over, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Don't mind them John." She said a smile lighting up her face. "That one with the with the gray sweater on had her son in here last week and he managed to throw a whole dozen eggs all over the place. And that other couple….our children are perfect angels compared to what I saw their kid doing last week."
John looked at her and rolled his eyes at her perfect angels comment. Sure Sam was only a baby but even he had the most uncanny ability to throw up or soil his diaper at the most inopportune time.
And Dean…well Dean once decided he would lock himself in the bathroom of a restaurant that John had just taken him into was assuming he would follow right behind him when he left. They almost had to call the fire department when the assistant manager finally showed up at the last moment with the key. Needless to say, they never went back to that restaurant again.
Ah the life of being a parent.
Mary wrapped her arm around John's as he pushed the cart towards the checkout lanes.
"We're done right, we don't need anything else?" John asked hopefully, as he started to unload the cart. Mary reached down and pulled Dean up into her arms. The toddler snuggled into her neck and gave John his I've got my mommy I don't need you look.
"Yes John we're done." she answered drolly and cuddled Dean close to her. John finished loading everything onto the belt, including the smashed chips and cookies. Yeah, sure the chips would be broken, but he managed to snag a good bag too. And the cookies…well Dean would probably eat those anyways, crumbs and all. As the cashier scanned their groceries, Sam started cooing and John looked down at his son and gave him a big smile.
"Sure…..now you're being cute." He teased as he made faces and tickled Sam's tummy. "You couldn't do that back in the store, eh?"
The cashier finished scanning their groceries and gave them the final tally. John reached into his back pocket and pulled out his check book.
"What day is it?" he asked the cashier as he started to write the check out.
"November 1st." the cashier answered. John finished writing out the check, handed it to the cashier, and tucked the checkbook back in his pocket
"Lets go get some ice cream." Mary announced, much to Dean's pleasure as they started out to the car.
"Mary it's October, no November now, it's too damn cold for ice cream." John said as he loaded Sam into his baby seat in the back of the Impala. Mary merely stood there with Dean on one hip and her hand on her other looking at John.
"Okay, okay lets go get ice cream." John threw up his hands in defeat.
"Yeaaaaaa!" Dean cheered as Mary handed him over to his father who tucked him into the back seat next to his brother.
Sadly for John, getting his family ice cream was about to turn out to be last happy event they ever had together. The next morning he went to work still recalling the sight of his oldest son covered in chocolate ice cream and sweet sticky kisses he got from his wife, never knowing how his life was about to change.
Years later he would look back and remember that last night, when the only problems he had in his whole life were his son's crying in the supermarket and smashed chips. He took a quick look at the boys sleeping in the back seat of the Impala as they drove away from a haunting in South Carolina and wished with all his heart that all it would take to make his sons happy and innocent again was an ice cream cone.
The end