Summary: John may be dead but he's still watching over his boys. Hurt Dean Hurt Sam.
Authors note: This is another one of my half written stories that I let slide by the wayside. Perusing my Supernatural Fan Fic file (try saying that 5 times) I came across this partially written story and decided to dust it off and give it another once over. I have written more than just this chapter but losing your Muse is a terrible thing and I'm still not sure I have mine back. I'll let you be the judge. Thanks for reading.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Weeks had passed since John's death. Weeks of their lives standing still not sure how to go on or even if they wanted too. In different ways they missed their Dad. Regret filled both of their hearts but for different reasons. Dean still wasn't talking and Sam was still trying to press the issue. Both victims of Winchester tenacity, they waited each other out to see who would break first. Would Dean start talking or would Sam finally give up. Their unspoken battle raged every day.
Every now and then John's spirit would come around his boys making sure they were both doing okay. With the boys trained to sense the presence of anything supernatural John had to struggle to stay in the background. A few times he thought Dean could sense him and he would go perfectly still, chiding himself afterwards for his retaining his human instincts, knowing Dean couldn't actually see him. Several times though Dean would be on the laptop doing research and would suddenly look around the room for no reason. The disappointment in Dean's eyes was always crushing to John when after a few seconds he would go back to what ever he was doing with a sad determination.
Sam always felt John when ever he stepped foot in a library. He figured it was because of the quietness of the place that made Sam's mind wander more than usual. It never occurred to him that his father was watching him, making sure his youngest was alright. The feelings he felt as his father stood nearby always brought him sadness and regret.
Their latest hunt found them in Tagweld, South Carolina checking on rumors of an old antebellum home that was haunted. To the local population it was scary stuff, but to Sam and Dean it was just your run of the mill haunted house. They decided to check it out more out of boredom than civic duty, keeping them busy and not focused on everything else in their lives.
The picturesque home had been long abandoned and the property had fallen into further ruin as local kids used it for their various parties and make out sessions. Rumors of ghosts had flitted around town for many years regarding the old place till finally it was abandoned all together. After spending a couple of hours at the local library and talking to a few old timers that were hanging around there, Sam went back to Dean with it's entire history.
"It's been empty for years. One of the old guys I was talking to said the last owner is the most likely ghost everyone claims to see. This guy, ummm Thomas Woodmont, didn't have any children so when he got old and sick there was no one to take care of him." Sam started to explain looking at his notes as they sat in the local diner.
"Great, so they just let the old man die eh?" Dean said looking around the restaurant at the rest of the diners. "I take it he died in the house? What does the obituary say?"
"There is no obituary. No one knows for sure when Woodmont died. They didn't even know he was even dead until someone noticed he'd stopped coming into town to buy his groceries and went to check on him. Apparently since he only shopped once a month, it wasn't unusual to not see him in town. The two old guys I talked to weren't even sure he was buried in the local cemetery, since none of them remembers hearing about a funeral. My guess he's buried somewhere on the property." Sam explained further.
"Well that would explain why his ghost is still walking around the place. Bet they just dug a hole and toss the poor old guy in." Dean answered back before he took another bite of his sandwich. "Lets wait till after dark and then take a look around up there. At the very least we can find this guys bones and give them a decent burial."
A few hours later they slowly drove up the long driveway to the property outside of town.
"Cool place." Dean said as he climbed out of the Impala and looked around. The old place at some point must have been a looker. Plantation shutters still hung on the windows if only by one hinge and a huge oak door greeted them as they slowly moved up the rocking chair porch. While still a large house by today's standards, for an antebellum home it was small in comparison to those they had seen back in town.
"I never figured you for the architecture type Dean." Sam lightly gave his brother a jab.
"Hey I don't only watch porn on TV you know. I like watching those restoration shows." Dean smirked back at Sam as Sam jabbed him again with his elbow. "C'mon lets go inside and look around."
With their flashlights on, they moved into the house checking out the upstairs first before returning to the first floor. Broken furniture and old beer bottles littered what must have been the living room.
"Sammy." Dean whispered to his brother motioning to him with the flashlight. Dean headed back to the kitchen and Sam quickly followed smiling at the fact that his brother felt it was necessary to whisper. The kitchen had never been updated and still had the old cast iron stove with a hand pump at the sink.
"Damn, I guess they didn't go for any of the more modern amenities did they?" Sam asked as he checked out the long dried out hand pump. The floor groaned as they moved through the kitchen. Hearing the groaning Dean was about to give his brother a warning when the whole floor suddenly dropped out sending both Winchesters into the root cellar beneath.
As Sam landed on his feet and he felt his left ankle break. Falling back, the air knocked out of his lungs, he laid there panting pain shooting up his leg, before he realized what had happened.
"Dean" he called out to his brother weakly trying to find his lost flashlight. "Dean where are you?"
"Help your brother." Sam suddenly heard inside his head. Dean had landed on top a work bench and was laying on it's smashed remains unconscious. "Dean!" Sam called out a few more times until he heard his brother start to move around a few feet away from him. Groaning a little as he regained consciousness Dean sat up and reached around for his flashlight. Finally finding it, he flipped it back on and looked around the room for his brother.
"Over here." Sam called out when he saw the Dean's flashlight come on.
"You okay?" Dean asked still a little dazed when he finally found Sam in the dark.
"Yeah but I think my ankle is busted." Sam answered. "What about you?"
"I hit my head and probably cracked a few ribs." Dean answered back gingerly moving around. Suddenly he stopped when he heard his father's voice in his head. "Get your brother out of there"
"Yes sir." He answered unconsciously as he moved towards Sam.
"What?" Sam asked when he heard Dean speak. "Dean, you sure you're okay?"
"Dad says we have to get out of here." Dean answered back not realizing how that sounded to his worried brother. Sam's fears were compounded when he saw the blood dripping down Dean's face as he finally got over to him. When Dean saw Sam's reaction he waved him off.
"I'm good, lets get you out of here." He said shining the flashlight on Sam's ankle checking it out. Sam gasped when Dean touched his ankle and the pain once again began to shoot up and down his leg.
"Sorry Sammy." Dean apologized when he heard his brother gasp. "It's gonna hurt even more when I try to put a splint on it dude."
"I'll be okay, you do what you have to do." Sam answered knowing Dean would be as gentle as he could be. Dean crawled back to the splintered work bench and grabbed a couple of the longer pieces. His side was beginning to really flare up with pain but he was determined to get back to Sam and get him out of the root cellar without hurting him further. As he picked up the pieces he was going to use he didn't notice another smaller piece with his blood all over it.
"You can do it Dean, help your brother." Dean heard his father's voice in his head again. It was all the motivation that Dean needed. It took a while, both of them grunting and gasping in pain, but Dean was finally able to get his brother up the root cellar stairs and back to the Impala.
Sam quickly collapsed on the front seat and laid his head on the closed door. Wincing, his eyes shut against the pain he was feeling, he didn't notice Dean almost falling against the hood of the car as he came around to the driver's side. Barely conscious himself Dean drove off like a bat out of hell and was soon driving down the local two lane hwy.
"Hold on Dean."
It was an order Dean could not obey. Finally succumbing to the darkness he'd been struggling against, Dean's hands left the steering wheel and the car started heading for the trees on the side of the road.
A local Deputy sitting on the side of the road watching for drunk drivers assumed that's what he had on his hands when he saw the Impala weaving back and forth heading towards him. Quickly flipping around, he pulled up behind it, and called for back up. Suddenly the Impala veered to the shoulder and came to a stop on the side of the road. The Deputy pulled up behind them and got out of the car. As he approached the drivers side door he leaned down and noticed Sam slumped against the passenger side door.
"You in the Driver's seat, come out slowly with your hands up. You in the back seat stay right where you are." the Deputy called out to the car. Not getting a response, he put his hand on his weapon and approached the car cautiously. Still not seeing any movement, he walked up to the driver's door and looked inside. Still assuming he was dealing with a drunk driver he was about to knock on the window when suddenly Dean's door opened and he fell out at the Deputy's feet.
"Son of a bitch!" the Deputy yelled out before reaching down to check Dean for injuries. Noticing the blood on Dean's face and side he ran back to his patrol car and immediately called for an ambulance.
"Hang in there boys, help is on the way." John reassured his unconscious sons as he watched the deputy start emergency first aid.
Hours later he would continue his watch while the boys were being treated at the hospital.