It had been a long, tense drive back to the bunker. Dean even pushed Sam's hand away from the radio, when he tried to turn some music on. Sam was furious too, but Dean was almost visibly vibrating, like the string on a longbow held drawn by an inexperienced archer, waiting just a little too long before the arrow is released.
Sam knew what would happen, once that metaphorical arrow was let loose, there was no doubt at all about the target or that it would find the bull's eye, he was just hoping it wouldn't explode on the way there and spread a path of destruction through their lives.
The four of them, Team Free Will 2.0 ended up in the bunker's library, with its heavy, dark wooden 1950's furniture. The excellent craftsmanship went unnoticed as the three older members of this patchwork, ragtag family turned to the youngest amongst them.
"What were you thinking? Have you learned nothing from last time?"
"You can't just leave by yourself, it's too dangerous!"
"You stole my car! Again! I told you…"
Dean started towards Jack, stalking him like a panther – but Sam grabbed Dean's shoulder and forced him around.
"No, you don't, Dean. Yeah, yeah, he took the car, but he also disregarded everything we've, I've, taught him, and that's much worse. Let me deal with this."
"Hell, no. He took my Baby. And now I'm taking my belt to him. No arguments."
"Listen, no, he endangered himself and any number of civilians, and that's priority, and it's my job to deal with him for that."
"I'm his father by choice. I'll take care of this."
"Now, you just listen…"
"No, you listen… "
"I wasn't done talk- "
Jack looked from one to the other – apparently no one remembered that he was still in the room. He almost couldn't believe that they were right in front of him, arguing about who was going to have the privilege of beating his ass.
Voices were getting raised, the volume increasing from second to second, so he interrupted the bickering with a shout of his own:
"Hey! Hey! Can I say something?"
"No! Shut up and sit down."
"No! Go to your room."
"Go wait in the kitchen."
Confused by the contradicting orders, getting increasingly upset by the conflict blazing around him, Jack felt the first whispers of panic set in. He felt horrible enough that his daring rescue plan had backfired completely. Two innocent humans were dead. He'd brought a car, Dean's car, to the scene to drive the survivors out, but when Dean and Sam had arrived, in a stolen soccer-mom car, there was no-one to haul out except bodies, and the Wendigo was long gone.
Castiel had arrived on the heels of the brothers; he'd put a hand on each of the campers, but shaken his head sadly. Nothing left to work a healing on.
Everyone was yelling now. It felt like the entire world was standing in his ear-canal screaming. They were so angry at each other, and it was all because of him. He was stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. Unable to cope with the situation anymore Jack disappeared with a whoosh of wings.
Silence fell like a shroud.
Dean was the first one to break the hush:
"Dammit."
"I think we scared him."
"Yeah, he does that when he gets upset. Wonder where he went?"
Dean sat down heavily in the nearest of the sturdy chairs and rubbed his hand down his face.
"Think we stand any chance of finding him this time?"
Cas sighed:
"I'll go look, stay here in case he comes back."
With Cas gone, Sam went into the kitchen and came back with two beers. He handed one to Dean, who took it with a nod. Apologies exchanged and received, the Winchester way. At peace with each other again, the brothers settled down to wait.
The bottles were empty, Sam was reading, and Dean was halfway through his second beer, feet up on the table, when his phone rang.
"Dean here. Jody, hey, how's things?"
Sam looked up. Was Jody in trouble?
"Just a second Jody, Sam's here, I'll put you on speaker."
Dean put the phone on the table, pressing a button.
"Ok, Jody, what's the deal?"
"What on God's green Earth have you guys been up to now?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"That I've got a freaked-out Nephilim here, who isn't making any sense at all, but keep yammering about you guys fighting with each other and how stupid he is. I've tucked him in on my couch, but I think you better get your asses down here and collect your wayward half angel. That is unless you are too busy killing each other?"
"Killing each other? We're fine, just sitting here worrying our asses off about where Jack went"
"Well, from what Jack said it sounded like you were at each other's throats, ready to pull weapons on one another."
"Nah, we're okay. Just had a little disagreement. I'll get hold of Cas, if I can, he can flit us over your way, save you the wait from us driving there. Call you back in a moment."
Jody startled a step backwards when the three large men – or rather, one angel, two men – suddenly filled her living room. Jack jumped up off the couch, but at least he stayed put this time.
Sam smiled at Jack.
"Good to see you, Jack."
Jack looked cautiously from face to face:
"You are not angry at each other anymore?"
"Nah, we're fine. But we do have to have a talk about the things you've been up to today."
Sam looked at Dean, then quickly pulled Jack aside into a corner of the room. Quietly he asked him, if he was ok?
"And Jack, just because Dean, Cas, and I are fine with dealing with trouble the way we do, if the threat of being spanked really makes you this scared, that you run off like that, I'll go to the bat for you with Dean and Cas, and we'll find some other way for you. We didn't realize that you were so afraid. I'm sorry."
Jack couldn't help smile.
"No, no, that's ok. I'm not scared of my punishment. I mean, it's not pleasant, and I'd rather be without, but isn't that the purpose of it? But I'm not scared. Not really. It was just that everyone was so angry at each other… I just had to get out of there."
"I understand. I'm sorry we scared you, and I'm glad you aren't afraid of us. Don't worry about the arguing, all brothers do that sometimes. We get over it. Are you ready to come back home with us?"
"Yes, I am ready. Let me just thank Sheriff Mills first, she was very kind to me."
Sam smiled at the formality of the young man.
"That would be the right thing to do, yes. Jody is a good friend."
Sam turned to the room.
"Ok, I think we are ready to get out of your hair, Jody, and thank you for your help."
"Yes, thank you very much." Jack walked over and extended a hand to Jody, who pushed it aside and pulled the young man into a hug instead.
"You are always welcome, Jack. Glad that I could be here for you."
Sam continued:
"Just one more thing, Jody. If it's ok with you, could we make a deal, that whenever Jack needs to get away fast, he can come here? That way we'll know where he is, and that he is safe."
"Of course. Jack, you are welcome here anytime. And then I can give Sam and Dean a call to let them know where you are, so they won't be worried."
Jack smiled again.
"Thank you, I will remember that."
"But before you all go, I've got something, I need to know."
Jody scowled at the Winchesters.
"Jack was talking about Dean using a belt on him. Are you guys beating the kid?"
"Spanking," Cas said, firmly, "not beating."
"It's okay," Jack patted Jody on the shoulder. "If you do something bad, you get punished, and then everything is alright again. "
Jody frowned.
"Isn't he a bit old for a spanking, do you think?"
Jack beamed proudly:
"No, I'm much younger than Dean or Sam, and of course Cas is several thousand years old, really, so…"
Jody's jaw dropped. She looked around at the towering men. Sam dropped his head a bit. Dean actually blushed, while Cas just nodded, as unembarrassed as Jack about the whole conversation.
"Do you all…wait…"
Shaking her head, Jody stepped backwards and held up her hands.
"Don't answer that. I really, really do not want to know."
There were one of those pauses, where everyone avoids looking at everyone else and tries in vain to come up with something, anything, to say.
"Well. "Jody sighed. "I think I do have to ask one thing, before I can let this go."
Looking seriously at them, one at a time, she asked these men, who meant so much to her, if they were all truly, honestly, agreeing to that way of dealing with their issues. If they all felt that it was the best way, felt safe.
Apart from the two celestial beings they were all squirming when she was finally satisfied that everyone was on the same page. She ran a hand through her hair.
"Ok, then. Go home, and we will never speak about this again. Just remember, any one of you is welcome here, at any time. Ok?"
"Yes Ma'am."
That was Dean, Sam just nodded, hiding behind his hair, as he tended to do when flustered.
The susurrus of two sets of wings filled her living room, and Jody, finding herself suddenly alone, dropped onto the couch. She leaned back and half chuckled.
"I really need a drink just about now," she muttered to herself.
Back at the bunker, Dean took a deep breath.
"Ok, Jack. I already once before told you that stealing my car meant a sore ass, so let's get this over and done with. I'm getting hungry."
He started pulling his belt off, as he walked briskly towards the young man.
Jack backed up a bit, and spontaneously waved a hand in front of Dean's face:
"This is not the ass you are looking for."
Dean stopped in his tracks, mouth agape.
Jack's eyes widened. Had that actually worked? He'd just done it without thinking. He looked over Dean's shoulder at Sam, but Sam wasn't there. Leaning sideways he looked around Dean's solid form, only to see Sam on the floor wheezing helplessly. Cas had turned his back, shoulders shaking so hard that his trench-coat was dancing a jig all its own.
Dean shook his head.
"I can't believe you just tried to Obi Wan Kenobi me. News flash, kid, this ain't Star Wars, and you ain't a Jedi, so come on. We'll do this in your room, while those two idiots get themselves pulled together again."
Dean sent an exasperated look Sam's way, which only made the tall man curl up on the floor howling even more with laughter.
In Jack's room, Dean gave him a gentle shove towards the bed.
"Drop your jeans - lie down."
Jack obeyed meekly.
The first snap of the belt across his ass had him burrowing his face in his arm. Soon he'd kicked his pillow to the floor, and half pulled the blanket off twisting his hands into it. Dean stopped for a moment, letting him catch his breath and telling him to stop wriggling around so much. Jack tried, he really did, and he found that crossing and uncrossing his ankles for each smack helped a bit, without annoying Dean any further. Just as Jack was sure that his ass was going to literally burst into flames, the door opened, and Sam's calm voice said:
"Ok, then, Dean, that's about enough."
Dean grunted.
"Stop stealing my Baby, you idiot, ok?"
And underlined his words with a hard lash just at the underside of Jacks ass, making him arch up, then flop down again panting.
Dean handed the belt to his brother, then dropped to his knees in front of Jack, patting the younger man's head a little awkwardly.
"Look at me, kid."
Jack craned his neck to meet Dean's eyes
"Don't take my car. That is a no-go, no exceptions, if you must steal a car, find someone else's. Ok?"
Jack nodded quickly.
"Ok, then. Forgiven and forgotten… but I expect your help cleaning the mud from her tomorrow."
"Ok, Dean. Thanks."
Dean put an arm across Jack's shoulders in a lopsided hug.
"You worried the Hell out of everyone, please stop doing that."
Before Jack could answer, Sam broke in with:
"Yeah, about that. Jack, what have I taught you about hunting?"
Still on his stomach, ass throbbing rhythmically, Jack recited the safety rules back to Sam, while Sam punctuated each one with the belt, aiming lower than Dean had, raising welts across that tender bit at the undercurve of the ass and in a precise pattern down to midthigh.
Dean spanked quietly, intently and fast.
Sam gave fewer strokes, but made each one count, and his insistence on holding a conversation during the spanking drew the ordeal out until Jack felt like time must have stopped completely.
He would never say so, but frankly he preferred Dean's method. At least with that, he could let go of every thought and just focus on getting through without embarrassing himself too much. Sam made him think about it, every misdeed, every broken rule until he was sobbing his eyes out in earnest.
Dean looked up at his little brother in amazement. Since they had gotten to an age where they both held each other accountable for their transgressions, Dean had been on the receiving end of a belting from Sam more than once. Sam did tend to go hard, going for quality instead of quantity, but he'd never been chatty while he did it. It wouldn't have worked for Dean anyway, but apparently Sam had found just the right way to handle Jack.
Feeling sorry for the kid, Dean grabbed Jack's hand, and the young man held fast, pulling their hands close, leaning his forehead against the back of Dean's hand. Dean stroked Jack's sweat soaked hair with his free hand and looked up at Sam again.
Sam met Deans eyes and nodded. Almost done.
"Next time you find a hunt, what will you do?"
Jack gasped helplessly, then stuttered:
"Tell you, get your help, we'll hunt together, never go alone."
"Good."
There was one final line of fire, then Sam dropped the belt, and crouched down next to the bed, putting a gentle hand on Jack's shaking shoulder.
"All is forgiven. You did good."
Both of them stayed close until Jack had calmed down a bit, then pulled him up, and gathered him into a hug. Jack leaned into his two brothers, feeling both relieved and exhausted at the same time.
Just as they let go of the hug, the door opened for Cas.
Jack sighed. Not again. He didn't think, he could stand another round.
"I want to talk to you for a moment Jack."
"Yes, Castiel."
Jack closed his eyes briefly.
"Is this the kind of talk, that you do with your belt?"
Cas smiled.
"I was planning on that, yes. But it seems to me that Sam and Dean already did a rather thorough job, so I think we can skip that part. I do want to talk to you about using and abusing your angelic powers though. Just talk. Sam, Dean, could you leave us alone for a bit?"
The brothers were eating a long-delayed dinner, when Cas came into the kitchen with Jack. Dean pointed at the pile of cheeseburgers, and Jack grabbed one, leaning his hip carefully against the kitchen counter while he ate hungrily. Cas just smiled and shook his head while he settled down to watch his family eat.