So, I've decided to do a sort of series on Sam and Dean growing up. I've read tons of fics and decided, hey why not? This is just a one-shot, maybe a two-shot, since I've already got a ton of stories going on. What I've decided to do is instead of doing a huge story, I'll just cut it up. So, with that said, please enjoy the first part of the series: Fight the Good Fight
1983
November 2, 1983
When the alarm went off at seven that morning, John wanted to do nothing but stay in bed. He and Mary had spent at least an hour fighting the previous night…again. For the past few weeks it'd felt like all they'd done was fight. They fought about money, about their sons Dean and Sam, and more recently whether or not John was spending too much time at work.
He pushed himself out of bed carefully so he wouldn't wake his wife who was still sleeping. John stretched his arms above his head and went to the closet to retrieve his clothes. After that he walked to the bathroom to prepare for work.
Making his way out of the bathroom, he turned the corner and entered the hallway. He checked in on Dean, who was still sleeping, and stopped by Sammy's nursery. The baby had was still sleeping, so John went down to the kitchen and made himself some toast and coffee. Twenty minutes later, Mary joined him.
"Morning," she greeted with a small smile.
"Morning Mary," John returned, sipping his coffee and more than happy they were going to ignore the latest fight for now. "I made some coffee."
Mary nodded, "I see. Are the boys awake?"
The father shook his head, "Not yet." He glanced at the clock above the stove and stood up, "I gotta get going." John put his plate and his mug in the sink before giving his wife a quick kiss and a goodbye.
John left the house after grabbing his car keys. He went to the only car in the driveway, his 1967 black Impala, and climbed in.
The garage shop John Winchester worked in was only ten minutes from his home, so he usually arrived on time. John greeted the store's owner, Mike, also his best friend, and went right to work. The next several hours were spent fixing up cars and talking with Mike and another mechanic, Kyle.
When six o'clock rolled around, John was ready to go home when a man drove in with his car.
"Sorry sir, we're just closing up." Mike apologized as the man walked up to him. He had a long beard and was easily six foot.
"I really need to get out of here," the bearded man explained, "My wife's filing for full custody of my kids and I need to be in Topeka by tomorrow. If you want I can pay extra…."
Mike looked behind him where John and Kyle were laughing about some joke. Hesitantly he said, "I can ask my men if they'd be willing to stick around…just give me a minute." Mike went to where his two employees were and explained the situation. Kyle declined almost immediately since he already had plans for his older sister's birthday that he couldn't miss. "John?"
The Winchester father gave it some hard thought. He could risk Mary being pissed at him, something becoming quite common, or he could earn some extra cash. Since the new baby had been born, his family had had a harder time keeping up with their payments. There was now a fourth mouth to feed, along with all the supplies a baby needed. Mary not working wasn't helping anything, either. So, almost reluctantly, John said, "I could stay for a few more hours."
At eight o'clock, the customer was speeding away in his fixed car. Mike thanked John for staying the extra time and the two men went their separate ways, one driving home slowly and the other going over the speed limit so he was home in five minutes instead of ten.
John pushed the door to his home open to see Dean coloring on the white walls. The father crossed the room and pulled the four year old away from the wall, "Dean, what've I told you about coloring on the walls?" he demanded loudly.
Dean turned wide, green eyes on his father and didn't say anything, knowing he'd been caught.
Before John could say anything, Mary stepped in from the kitchen, "Dean, sweetie, why don't you go check on your brother?" The blond headed boy was up the stairs in a heartbeat. John heard the shutting of a door and turned himself to face his wife. "You said you'd stop staying late, John." Mary said angrily, crossing her arms.
"I know, Mary, I know, but a guy rolled in at the last second and—"
"You forgot about the promise you made to Dean, didn't you?" she ran a hand over her face and sighed heavily.
John thought for a few seconds and groaned, "Damn it."
"He waited a full hour, John. I've never seen him be so still and actually watch the clock."
Yesterday John had told his oldest son he would let him help with some work on the Impala. Of course, John wouldn't let his four year old do too much work but he hadn't seen the harm in letting him hold a few tools. John ran a hand through his dark hair, "Shit, Mary, I'm so sorry."
"I know you are." The woman told him honestly, "But the next time another customer 'rolls in', I suggest you make sure your day is empty…or hey, here's a thought, maybe you could have called to let us know you'd be late? How many times are you going to disappoint your son or your wife before you get it into your head?"
For a minute neither of them said anything. They heard the door upstairs open and close and then they heard Dean's small footsteps go down the hall and into his own room. "I'll take off work tomorrow; take Dean to the park or something." John swallowed against the lump in his throat.
Mary nodded slowly, "Dinner's in the microwave, I'm gonna go put the boys to bed." The woman walked past her husband and went up the steps. John backed up against the wall and tilted his head back against it. He followed his wife up the stairs and met her and his sons in Sammy's nursery.
"Hey, Dean-o." John greeted as he saw his son leaning over the baby crib with help from his mother.
"Daddy!" Dean yelled happily, running up to his father, glad he wasn't mad about the writing on the walls. John picked up his son and asked,
"You think Sammy's ready to toss around a football yet, Ace?"
Dean gave a childish laugh, "No, Daddy." John carried Dean over to his wife and the youngest Winchester. He looked down at the small baby, remembering when Dean had been that little. It felt like yesterday he and Mary had brought Dean home from the hospital. He couldn't believe it'd been four years and they had another son.
The three left the nursery and went to Dean's room. The little boy was already in his pajamas, all his parents had to do was tuck him into bed. John sat his oldest on the bed and watched as he covered himself with the blanket.
"Night, Ace," John said, ruffling Dean's blond hair.
"Night Daddy," Dean replied with a yawn.
"Night Dean," Mary smiled, planting a kiss on his forehead.
"Night Mommy," Dean said as his eyes drifted shut.
The two parents left the room, leaving the door open. When they reached the bottom of the staircase John said, "I really am sorry, Mary. Mike paid me over time and he split with me the extra the customer paid—"
"John…please, let's just not fight about this right now. Make it up to Dean tomorrow by taking him to the park." Mary sighed as they walked into the kitchen. "The next time Mike asks you to stay overtime, tell him I told you to come home. He'll understand, Kate's not too happy that he's been spending more time at the garage than at home, either."
John chuckled as he pulled a plate full of food out of the microwave, "I thought you and Kate stopped talking."
"We decided we needed to team up if we were going to drag you two from work." Mary laughed quietly.
The next two hours were spent comfortably watching television. After Mary went to bed, John fell asleep in his recliner. He didn't wake up until a scream pulled him from his sleep.
a/n: Hope all readers enjoyed this. I kind of tried to tie it in with 'Dark Side of the Moon' and what we saw in 'Pilot'.