The Burning Family
Disclaimer:I'm not Eric Kripke
A/N: Okay everyone run screaming and hide! We are about to begin number three. At this very moment Katie and I have 16-ish pages written out and that only accounts for four chapters! I'm so proud of us. The chapters might actually be a decent length this time around. So you probably read the summary and know this is about the Daemon girls taking the Winchester brothers home for Thanksgiving. PLZ review if you read! I beg of you. It will only take a few seconds of your time. Even if you just tell us that we suck and should stop while we're ahead. Seriously, that would be wonderful! HUGE thanks to Poisonchick88 for her support, and to The Sammie (dear friend of ours) for being the first to read. Now with out further ado…
Chapter One
"You comin' or what?" Dean asked Autumn who was still talking with Curtis. She leaned forward kissed Curtis' cheek before bounding over to her car. "Ladies first."
"Then get your ass on the road, pretty." she grinned.
Before he had time to make a remark she revved her engine and peeled out of the drive. Sam had Athena on the cell talking with her, not like they didn't get enough time to talk while they were off the road, they had to talk on road too. He settled into his seat it was going to be a long drive back to Ohio. They had settled everything in Kelsey, and were ready to head off on their next hunt. But there was the small issue of the girls' family.
"Okay, call if we have to pull off….. Bye." Sam shut his phone and looked towards Dean.
"Why did you agree to go to Thanksgiving with them? We know their family's a bitch." Dean complained.
"Because, we don't have anywhere else to be. And there's no reason why we can't spend time with Autumn and Athena."
"You spend every day with them! And now you want to go and spend the day with their bitchy foster mom?"
"Is everything bitchy to you?"
"No. But I can't see spending the day with someone if she's just going to complain about everything we do."
"You don't know she's going to complain about everything."
"Okay, fine. But if she asks me to say grace to pray or whatever, I'm out of there." Sam reclined his chair and got comfortable to sleep.
"Wake me up when we get there or if we stop for something." After a couple of hours of driving, Metallica, and AC/DC Dean pulled off to a little country kitchen miles from anywhere else. Athena and Autumn pulled in behind them and parked in the next space over. Athena was asleep in the passenger seat so Autumn had to shake her awake. Dean, on the other hand, got out of the car and opened the passenger side to wake Sam who was leaning on the door.
"What the hell! Why couldn't you just wake me up like a normal person?" Dean laughed at his brother.
"Much more fun this way." He smiled and walked away from his brother to join the girls inside. Shortly after Sam followed.
"Why are we here?" Athena asked sleepily.
"For food. We've been in the car for about three hours, aren't you getting a little hungry?" Autumn replied.
"No… I'm tired. The four scooted into the nearest booth and pulled menus from behind the salt and pepper. Before long an older woman came up and took their order.
"Are you feeling okay?" Sam turned and looked at Athena. "You don't look so good." Athena smiled at Sam's concern. Although her face was a little grey, she felt fine.
"I'm fine. Tired, but fine. And I really don't want to put up with Morton's shit." Athena rubbed her eyes and laid her head on the back of the booth seat and shut her eyes. Sam looked at Autumn who just shrugged .
"Aren't you a little concerned?" Sam whispered. "She's grey…"
"Yeah, she lost a lot of blood too. Maybe that's why. She's been through worse don't worry about her." Autumn whispered back.
"Why do you care all the sudden anyway?" Dean asked.
"Because…" Sam replied.
"Because why?"
"Because I care, okay? I care about Athena. Is that something so bad?"
"You don't have to whisper. I'm sitting right here." Athena said lifting her head from the back of the seat. "You're all really bad at it, anyway. So what're we doing this week besides going to Bitchy-Morton's for Thanksgiving? Do we have any excuses to get out of that hell hole?"
"We could always go see Joshy and Kit, they're always hungry for attention. OH and Father Bill." Autumn suggested.
"Who's Josh and Kit?" Dean asked.
"These gay guys we know. Josh was the captain of the football team until he came out of the closet at the end of the season senior year. Then I brought Kit home from college, for spring break and he and Josh hit it off major." Autumn told him.
"They live together?" Dean seemed really uncomfortable with the idea.
"Yea, they're life partners." Athena said matter-of-factly.
"Sis, order some orange juice and we'll stop and get you cookies before we head back out. I don't want you getting sick on me."
"I don't like orange juice. And I'm really not going to be hungry after this so I don't see any reason in getting them."
"You're going to get the damn orange juice and you're going to eat some cookies." Autumn said behind clenched teeth.
"Fine. But I'm not going to like it." Athena called over the waitress and asked for some orange juice and anything that related to a cookie. Of course, the waitress looked at her weird after ordering pancakes, sausage and coffee. "My sister says I have to. I just got out of the hospital and apparently I need it so…"
"Oh, I see. Well your order should be right out. And I'll bring your orange juice and cookie right now. It's on the house though, so don't worry about paying for it." The lady said.
"Thanks." Athena said with a smile. After the waitress left they all continued on the conversation. "I know it's sweet of her and all, but how much is orange juice and a cookie going to cost?"
"Like $5 maybe? I don't know I didn't even know this place had cookies so surprise, surprise."
"How's your arm Autty?" Dean asked.
"Hurts like a SOB after that last road we were on. What was that thirty turns per minute?"
"Take your antibiotics yet?" Dean pressed. Autumn shook her head. "Where are they?"
"In my pocket." she pulled them out. Dean took them from her shook two little pills out and handed them to her.
"Take them now." She popped the pills in her mouth and swallowed. "Let me see." she opened her mouth and showed she hadn't hidden the pills. "Good girl. Maybe we should get you a cookie too." Autumn rolled her eyes.
"So you're not, like, homophobic or anything are you?" she teased.
"Don't worry Dean, they'll just love you. Eat you right up." Athena giggled. Dean made a face at her.
"Very funny."
"Dean, you are a homophobe aren't you?" Sam laughed. "That's rich."
"So, ghosts, vampires, and werewolves are fine but a little man on man lovin' isn't cool?" Autumn asked.
"Well, I'm not running around killing gays, and I am killing werewolves, and vampires so maybe it's the other way."
"Dean, they're just looking for a good time." Athena said with a giggle. She laid her head on Sam's shoulder and waited on her cookie.
"Look, I'm not afraid of them… anymore." Dean hung his head.
"Anymore!" Athena laughed hard but ended up coughing. "You were afraid of a little man on man action? How long ago?"
"Here's your cookie and orange juice, ma'am." The lady sat the drink and cookie on the table in front of Athena.
"Thanks again."
"Not a problem. Hope you get to feeling better." Athena smiled at the lady who just walked off.
"I love old people." Sam unwrapped the cookie and sat it on the wrapper in front of her afraid she may have been too weak to open it herself. "I'm not dying, Sammy." She broke the cookie in half and offered it to Autumn who shook her head. She went to the next person who was Dean, who also shook his head.
"Sam do you want part of the cookie?" Sam took half of the chocolate chip cookie Athena had in her hand and started munching on it. Athena picked up the other half and began moving it up and down saying "Help me! Help me! I'm going to hell!" until she caught a glimpse of Autumn's face. She looked up at her sister.
"Just eat the damn cookie!" Autumn said impatiently. Athena looked offended but took a mousy bite of the cookie. "I swear, you're enough to drive an insane man sane."
"So I'm sobering?" Athena asked.
"No, when someone isn't sober the last thing they want is you."
"Dude!" Athena looked like someone had just dropped ice down her shirt.
"Just speaking the truth, fog horn." Autumn said. The waitress came and started setting down their food, when she reached towards Autumn who was in the far corner Autumn reached up to help. But the moment the weight of the plate was fully on Autumn she dropped the plate and Dean just managed to save it.
"Are you alright miss?" the waitress asked. Autumn nodded trying to keep from grabbing at her arm.
"That's it. Give Sam your keys your not driving until you can hold a plate." Dean said. Autumn managed to twist and turn until she got the keys wiggled out of her pocket, she begrudgingly handed them over to Sam.
"So genius what's the new sitting arrangements?" Autumn asked before shoveling eggs into her mouth.
"You ride in the trunk." he grinned a sausage link hanging out of his mouth like fat cigar.
"You couldn't take me, even with my arm in bad shape." she sneered. Sam and Athena watched the two.
"Battle of the asses." Athena said leaning toward Sam who snickered.
"Laugh it up, bloodless." Autumn pointed her fork at her sister. "Seriously, though, am I riding with you or what, Dean-o.?"
"You'll ride with me, I want to hear about this family of yours."
Conversation died away after that so breakfast could be consumed. Athena perked up after she got food in her. Even with the pint of blood the doctors had put in her she was a little low. They had wanted to keep her a few days longer and let her rest up but she hadn't liked the idea of sitting around waiting on her blood to build itself back up, hooked up to IV's and getting fed cafeteria food. So she'd convinced them to let her out early. Now her biggest worry was explaining things to the Mortons.
Sam paid and Athena followed the older two out to the cars. Autumn fed John their leftovers to keep him occupied while she switched some of her stuff over to Dean's car. Really just a pillow and light blanket, she wasn't sure how long he was going to keep up the father act. He insisted on her bringing the dressing materials for her arm, too. Sam came out and leaned against the Impala.
"You moving in there or something?" he asked watching Autumn sift through the first aid box.
"No, just trying to please, my daddy." she said nodding toward Dean.
"You know usually when a girl calls me 'daddy' I'm in for a lot more fun." Dean remarked.
"I'm not fun?" Autumn tried to sound hurt. Athena rolled her eyes.
"Not really. You're an annoying, know-it-all, prude, who won't put out." the younger sister teased.
"Ask Billy-Jack about all that." Autumn mumbled under her breath. "Okay, can we hit the road?" Dean shook his head.
"No, I want to see your holes. I don't want you getting all infected, your not taking your meds like you should."
"You want to see my holes?" Autumn asked her brow cocked. Dean look flustered for a minute running his hand over his face.
"Don't start Autty." he warned. Autumn pulled her arm out of her sleeve pulled away the tape holding on the gauze pads. Dean stepped closer to look at the stitch work. Her arm didn't look so bad, a little red around the offended area but nothing to worry about. He had to tug the side of her bra up to see the broken skin there. It had a yellow crust over it and was puffy around the immediate area. "You MUST keep an eye on this, Autty." he scolded her as if she were a small child.
"You ready, Sammy?" Athena yelled from the passenger seat of her sister's car.
"See you guys when we get there. Hopefully Athena will be awake enough to give me directions." Sam walked away from the Impala and climbed into the drivers seat of the red mustang and drove off.
"Are you going to be awake the rest of the way?" Sam asked.
"As long as possible." Athena answered settling into the passenger seat leaning it back, she was a little dizzy from being up and moving, and it didn't help seeing her sister's pus filled, stitched up, bullet wound.
"Does Autumn always take such good care of her battle wounds?" he asked taking his eyes off the road for a split second to look at her.
"No, usually she's pretty good about it. But she's spent so much time worrying over me, it's funny you know? She told you not to worry, and yet that's all she's done." Sam grinned nodding.
"She's your sister it's her job to worry herself sick over you. It's what the oldest does. We are privileged to be the youngest. The baby of the family, we get whatever we want just by making puppy dog eyes. The slightest hint of loss sends our older siblings on a guilt trip." Athena laughed.
"She always picked up my slack. Even when she was pissed with me she made sure all my chores and homework were done right and on time."
"Dean, too. I always thought he was making up for our parents, maybe it really is a big brother/sister thing." Athena shrugged.
"Both are plausible, I don't remember Autty, being so protective and everything until Mom got sick." The pair slipped off into tales of being saved from unknown, minor horrors by their big brother/sister, while sitting in the Impala Dean and Autumn were having an entirely different conversation.
"Stop squirming." Dean said impatiently.
"Then don't pour alcohol in an open wound." Autumn countered pulling away again. He had gotten her to remove her shirt, and then undo her bra so he had easy access to the infected area.
"If you had taken care of it to start with." He pulled her toward him a little rougher than he'd meant to and tears welled up in her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry. But, it's infected, and it's just going to get worse. What are you going to do when gangrene sets in?" Autumn bit her lip and held her arm up for him to continue. "At least you put deodorant on this morning." he teased.
"Shut up." She laughed. "Of course I put deodorant on this morning." Dean started gently cleaning out the wound, careful not to pull any of the stitches. It only took a few minutes once she stopped fighting him. "Here," she handed him a gauze pad. "I know I really don't need to do that, that I should let it air out but my bra rubs it and it hurts like hell the way it is." Dean didn't say a word, mostly because he could only think of inappropriate things to say. He placed the square of white material over the area then used medical tape to keep it in place. Autumn twisted around in her seat and let him hook her bra back, before pulling her shirt and then jacket on.
"See, that wasn't so bad." Autumn didn't make eye contact with him, she looked pretty much everywhere but his eyes. "Come on, now's not the time to get embarrassed. I didn't see anything I haven't seen before." Autumn just leaned forward and turned on the radio. This was exactly why he didn't date. Women were all too prone to changing moods on a whim. It was like catching fog. He backed out of his space and headed out for the high way. "Tell me when I need to change directions." she nodded.
"I won't lead you wrong."