Dsiclaimer-- I never have or will ever own any of these people.
The downstairs office was usually buzzing with phone calls, clients coming int to voice their complaints or praises on work that was done.
Tuesdays were the worst. Sarah would give up and put everyone on hold and hidt under the desk and smoke. She would of course have three fans and incense going. She quit two years ago and she was sticking to it.
Eddie and Harry caught her once and since then they were sure to avoid her. You never threaten an ex art dealer. Ever. They usually stayed in the basement practicing Latin or weapons training.
Sam stayed holed up in his office. He hasn't spoke to anyone for a few days. He's not sure why yet. He never sees his father anymore. He's living it up in Canada. He's done hunting.
The buzz from his vibrating cell phone breaks Sam of concentration. He should never have given Mrs Wilkins his private number. With a sigh of defeat he reaches for the phone.
"Hello?" His tone is that of an over worked under paid employee. Hardly the correct tone for the almost millionaire
"Mrs. Wilkins I appreciate you as a client. We all do but your house is not haunted. You have termites." Sam lowered his head in his hands and waited for the response he knew was coming.
"I'll send Harry again." He hangs up and lays his head on his desk.
Ace has never been away from his father side in all his ten years of life. When he was needed he was there. Ace was underappreciated and felt like he was neglected from the attention of his parents that he felt he rightly deserved.
So he did what any kid his age would. He ran way.
He missed his two sisters dearly but he knew he had to leave. He was a kid too.
Ace clutched the white paper in his hand and breathed deeply. He raised his hand to knock on the door . .
Eddie swung the door open harshly and ran smack into the poor kid. They both rolled down the small steps and landed on the hard cement walkway.
"Hey kid, watch where you're going!" Eddie dusted himself off. Ace remained unscathed and stayed on the ground where he was currently laying.
When Eddie was out of sight Ace stood up, entered the house/office and shut the door.
"Excuse me, does a Samuel Winchester work or live here?"
A soft childlike voice interrupted Sarah from her thoughts and work. A young boy about the age of ten with brown ruffled hair stood uncomfortably in front of her desk.
"Yes we do have a Sam Winchester. May I ask what it is you need? Haunting? Possession?"
"Um no. I'm his nephew."
----
The short meeting in Sam's office wasn't going as he had anticipated. Eddie ran out screaming. Harry's head is about to explode. Sam counted the minutes until he would see steam coming out his ears.
" But I was just there! You told me it wasn't–I proved it wasn't-"
"I know Harry. Just humor me okay? She's our biggest client and we would have failed without her."
Sarah opened the door and entered with boy he'd never seen before.
"Uh Sam can we talk?"
"Not now. Harry it's simple. Just walk around and-"
"Sam it's little important-"
"In a minute Sar. Just walk around and you remember the chant in Latin right?"
"Yeah I think. Oh god! I forgot the salt!" Harry spins around and leaves.
"Sam-"
"Look can I just have a minute alone? Please?"
"Sam this is Ace. You're nephew."
Ace waved his hand. Sam takes another look at the boy claiming to be his nephew and studies his features. His face, eyes, nose, mannerisms.
He faints.
----
"Sam?"
The voices seem farther away and distorted. His vision is blurry and he has a bad case of double vision.
"Sam snap out of it!"
There was a sharp tingly sensation felt on his cheek. Thst cleared things up for him fast. Sam shook his head left to right and everything went back into focus.
"Was that necessary?"
Sam finds himself now on the couch. Sarah was in front of him and the boy claiming to be his relative stood back near the door.
"Yes. Sam, your nephew?" Ace waves again.
"Ace you can come closer. Sam won't hurt you." Sarah motioned with her hand for the kid to move towards them.
Ace slowly came closer slowly.
"Is your father here too?" Sam asked without looking at the boy.
"N-no. He doesn't know i'm here."
"Right. How did you get here?"
"I walked."
"The entire way?"
Ace shifted uncomfortably before answring.
"Yeah. I like walking."
"So where did you walk from?" Sam began rubbing his temples.
"Um. California." Ace lowered his head.
'We're in New Mexico. You walked that?"
"I really like walking."
They said nothing after that. Sam stood up finally, shook his head and walked off. Before he got to far he turned back to Ace.
"You like walking so much you can walk back. My brother's been dead for years."
"Sam-"
"I'm going out for lunch." And just like that he was gone. Sarah and Ace stood in awkward silence for a few moments.
"Would you like something to eat?"
"Yeah. Thanks Miss?"
"Ooh. Just call me Sarah. Aunt Sarah. I'm his wife. Sam's wife. I'm an aunt heh." Sarah led her supposedly nephew to the kitchen.
----
Sam found his way to the cafe he used to always take Sarah. The first few years of their marriage were great but somehow he lost interest and everything went downhill. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He should be happy. Dean is gone but everything is okay.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Sam looked up and smiled. Marie was his unofficial-official waitress. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a messy bun. Her white top was dirty and the black pants were covered in flour.
"What happened to you?"
"What? You mean this?" She gestured to her outfit. Sam nodded
"Ah. Well there was a fire in the kitchen and instead of water they used flour. It's all over my clothes. Believe me this is the clean compared to what I was."
"Sound like someone had an interesting day."
Marie laughed.
"Yeah well when you have flour in your ears; not fun. What about you? You look like someone killed your puppy. I haven't seen you this depressed since . .well the first time I met you."
Sam looked away and began to play with the ice in his water.
"Yeah. It's nothing."
"Nothing my ass. Last time you said "it's nothing" that nothing turned into a dead brother."
"Marie I appreciate that you care but this isn't your business. I'll have a BLT. That's more your business." He handed her his menu.
Dejected. she took it and left.
After a quick lunch Sam made his way back the home office. He found Sarah and Ace in the kitchen covered in battered playing with wooden spoons.
They carried on until Sam cleared his throat.
"Sam! I-we didn't hear you come in. How was lunch?"
"Fine. I see you two are having fun." Sarah's cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
"Ace did you call your parents?"
"Sam about Ace. Can we talk?" Sam nodded and Sarah smiled and reassured the kid that everything was ok.
The two adults left to talk outside on the porch.
"Do we have to send him back to them?"
"Sarah he's not ours. He has parents."
"Children in happy environments do not generally run away."
"Sarah's he's not ours. We don't have kids. We could-"
"So what? We could do fine. I love kids! Ace is a sweet kid. He deserves to be happy."
"He's not my nephew."
"Your brother's body was never found. He could be alive. Ace looks just like him."
Sam shook his head laughing.
"You two weren't exactly close."
"We weren't not close either. That's besides the point. I know his face."
"This is a kid we're talking about .A human being. He's a huge respnsabilty."
"I know that. I'm not stupid Sam."
"Sarah-"
"If we send him back he'll just run away again."
"How do you know?"
"He told me!" Sarah turned away from her husband and crossed her arms.
Sam reached over to touch her shoulder but she brushed him off and sat down on the steps. He sat down next to her.
"You really like him huh?" Sarah nodded.
"Yeah. I do." She said quietly
"How about this. He call social services and see what happens."
"Sam."
"And if everything works out maybe he could stay with us."
"You mean it?"
"Yeah."
Sarah hugged him thus knocking them over.
Instead of regretting his decision Sam was actually started to feel . .content. He welcomed and tried to push that feeling away.