A/N: A HUGE thank you to Ashleyder1! Without her help, I wouldn't have anything to post!
A/N 2: This fic has been taking me a while to write, so I decided to post one part of it. I hope to have more soon!
Warning: This fic contains spanking and bad language. If that's not your thing, please do not read this.
Truly Supernatural
True watched as the two boys picked the lock on the cabin and slipped inside. She didn't know what they were planning to do, but she needed to get inside to find what she came for. She carefully made her way over to the cabin and floated up onto the roof. She planned to find a window to climb through, but found that was unnecessary as something had put a huge hole in the roof. She peered down into the room curiously as the older one made a rubbing of something he found on the floor.
The rubbing was quickly forgotten when she saw the case beside his foot. She could tell from the workmanship and markings it was the case she was looking for. She needed to get inside! Patience was never a virtue she possessed, but she did her best to remain calm as the boys finished what they were doing.
Just when she was about to throw caution to the wind and head inside, the boys left. She floated down into the room and carefully picked up the case. Tears pricked her eyes when she saw it was empty. "Damn it." She growled as she angrily wiped away the traitorous tears rolling down her cheeks with the back of her hand. She stuffed the case into her satchel and decided it would be safe enough to simply leave by the door. Days of hardly any sleep or food had sapped the little energy she had and there was no sense wasting it by floating back up to the roof.
After checking to be sure all was clear, she slipped outside, dismayed to see that the two boys were still there. She saw them looking at the rubbing again and wondered if it held any information on how she could find the gun. She heard the car start up and knew she was going to have to follow them to find out. Calling on all of her energy reserves, she floated up into the air and called on wind to blow her in the same direction as the car.
She caught up with it just as it pulled up at the post office. Exhausted, she dropped to the ground and slid into the shadows beside the building. She watched as the boys returned to their car , envelope in hand, and sat there discussing their next move. When the man showed up and knocked on the cars window, she knew she was onto something. All of this was a bit cloak and dagger and her gut was telling her to play this one out.
Normally she would be able to take the three of them, but the lack of sleep was catching up to her and she knew she was no match in her current state. She noticed the man had come in a pickup, and quickly decided to hitch a ride in the truck bed. Had she known that the cargo box was hydraulic, she probably wouldn't have dove inside. The last thing she remembered was gouging her back on the mechanism and cracking her head on the box before she slipped into unconsciousness.
John strode back out to his truck, wondering why he was even entertaining the thought of reconnecting with his boys. He knew it was dangerous for them to be together, but he also knew he couldn't do this without them. They were strongest when they were together, and though he didn't want to admit it, he knew he couldn't bring the demon down alone.
With a sigh, he reached into the front seat of his truck and retrieved his bag, then headed to the bed to get a few weapons. As he reached in, his hands hit something soft and he jerked his arm back. Pulling the knife from his boot, he reached back in ready to stab anything that might be intending to harm him. When nothing happened he pulled at the fabric he could reach, carefully sliding his quarry into the light.
"Holy Shit!" He gasped and carefully lifted the girl into his arms.
Dean jumped up when the door slammed open. "Dad! What the…"
"Found her in my truck." He said and carefully laid the girl on the bed. He could see the blood leaching its way through her clothes and quickly started to remove the layers to see what was causing it.
"Um Dad? Don't ya think she's kinda young?" The glare he received quickly shut him up.
"Sammy help me. I don't want to pull the wound if I can avoid it." Together, they stripped her down to her tank. It was clear the blood was coming from a nasty gash that ran from her shoulder to the middle of her back. "Dean, get me the first aid kit."
John used his knife to cut the tank so he had better access to the wound. He knew immediately who this girl was when he saw her tattoo. "Damn."
"Dad?"
"I know who this is." He started cleaned the wounds, becoming more worried when she didn't move. "Her name is True Tanner. It's a long story. Let's get her fixed up, then I can explain."
As True slowly regained consciousness, she remained completely still until she could figure out where she was and who she was with. She flexed the muscles in her back, wincing at the pain the movement caused. She managed to control her breathing while waiting for the throbbing to subside, then trained her hearing on whoever was talking.
"Her name is True."
"And you know this how?"
"She was staying with Bobby until she ran off a couple days ago. He found her being attacked by some life force sucking entity he hasn't been able to identify yet. He took her home and nursed her back to health. Unfortunately, she has become a target, so to speak, for other demons."
"Why?"
"Well, True is special. Her brother was a Hunter. He was killed over 100 years ago." He paused to be sure he had Dean and Sam's attention. "She was there when it happened."
Dean smiled. "Yeah right. And Sammy doesn't cry like a little bitch every time he gets a boo-boo."
"Shut up!" Sam punched Dean on the arm.
Dean immediately retaliated with a smack to Sam's head.
"Enough!" John interrupted before they could start brawling. "Keep it up and they only person doing the smacking here is me. Clear?"
Both boys looked at the floor, appropriately chastened. 'Yes Sir."
"Good." John sighed and continued his story. "True was originally from a different world in the future, but was sent back to 1870s Earth as punishment for the crimes she and her clan had committed. Part of the punishment included the insertion of a growth inhibitor, so she doesn't age." He rubbed his face tiredly. "She also has certain special abilities."
"Like?"
"Well, she can control and communicate with the elements and nature and is telekinetic. Its these abilities that have made her a target. It seems the demons think they will absorb her specialties if they take in her life force."
"Dad, this is kind of hard to believe." Sam said.
"I know, but Bobby had Missouri check her out and everything she told him is the truth."
"So she's been alone all these years?"
"Bobby did some research and found that several Hunters over the years have know about her. Apparently she would live with them or she'd go off on her own and they would check on her every once in a while."
"How has she managed to stay alive? A child alone…."
"She can take care of herself. Bobby said she's well trained and handles a knife like it's an extension of her arm. That coupled with her abilities make her extremely dangerous."
The conversation was interrupted by ringing. John reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Yeah?"
"Did I hear right. Ya got that idiot child?"
John smiled. "Yes Bobby I'm sure it's the girl you've been looking for. She's got a triskele tattoo on her back and has three odd pendants hanging on a cord around her neck."
"Well, ya keep a hold a her. You sure she's all right?"
"Relax you old mother hen. She's fine. Would you like to talk to her? She's woke up about 15 minutes ago, but has been pretending to sleep."
True laid there listening to the man tell the other two men her story. When the phone conversation started, it quickly became obvious they were friends with Bobby Singer, so that meant they were mostly likely Hunters. When she heard the man tell Bobby he could speak with her, she gave up the pretense of sleeping and sprung to her feet. A flare of pain shot through her head and down her back. "Mother fuckin son of a bitch!".
"If I didn't believe you before, I do now." Bobby drawled. "Let me talk to her."
"Whoa kid. Take it easy." John pushed her back onto the bed and held out the phone. "Bobby would like to speak with you."
She sighed and took the phone from him. "Hey Bobby."
"Damn it girl I've been worried sick. Are you all right?"
"I got a couple cuts and bruises, but I'm fine. Really."
"Well, you stay put. The Winchesters will keep you safe. Don't go gettin it into that fool head of yours take off again."
"You aren't my father Bobby. I'll do what I want."
Both Sam and Dean's eyebrows shot up. They never heard anyone talk to Bobby like that, let alone a kid. They quickly glanced at their father and were not surprised to see a scowl on his face.
"Yer lucky I don't come give ya the whippin you deserve for stealin my car and runnin off like ya did. Don't push me." When True didn't reply he spoke again. "Promise me you'll stay with John and his boys. At least until I can figure out what you're up against. You ain't fully healed to take on this thing anyway."
True rubbed at her aching head. She had to agree with him on that if the exhaustion she was feeling was anything to go by. I didn't help that her powers have been on the fritz lately, working most of the time, but not all. Besides she'd heard about John and his boys and knew they were good hunters. Once she knew what she needed to hunt, they'd be a good asset. They might also know where the gun is. "All right. But just for a while."
"Good."
"Oh, and Bobby? That Mustang I hotwired? You can find it in the corner of an impound lot about three hours from your place." She said and quickly hung up the phone. She didn't want to hear his reply to that little piece of info.
She wasn't surprised when the phone immediately rang again. John quickly answered and stepped outside to finish his conversation. "I don't know about this Bobby. She seems like she's going to be trouble. Dean and Sam find enough of that, I don't need more."
"You just keep that girl on a tight leash. You want her to mind you, stay firm. Just expect from her what you expect from your boys and respond as you would to those two knuckleheads. You'll get along just fine."
"Dude you stole Bobby's Mustang? And you're still alive?" Dean asked in awe.
True simply smiled. "So I take it your Dean." She turned to the other boy. "And your Sam." She looked back over to the older man as he reentered the room. "So that makes you their father John."
"Sure does." John strode over to the bed and took a seat next to True. "Lay back down on your stomach. I want to be sure you didn't pull the stitches I put in."
True rolled over as requested. "Shit!" She cried out when a hard smack landed on her backside. She quickly rolled back over. "Dude, what the fu…?"
"That was from Bobby for hanging up on him. Finish that word and you'll get another." John threatened. "Now roll back over so I can change your bandages."
"No way! I'm not stupid enough to fall for that again."
"How about I do it?" Dean interrupted, trying to head off any arguments between the girl and his father. "I promise, no swatting."
True had heard stories about Dean from Bobby and figured he'd be safer than John. "Fine. But anybody's hand hits my ass again and I'm cutting it off." She cautiously rolled back over.
Dean carefully pulled away the bandaging. "Looks good." He quickly cleaned the wounds and redressed them. "There good as new. Want me to kiss it to make it feel better?"
"I've got something you can kiss." True snarled. She pushed herself up into a seated position and took a good look at the room. "Dude, what is this place? The roach motel?"
"It's the best we can do."
"Well, it isn't the best I can do." She retorted in disgust. "I have a place a couple miles from here. You guys can stay there with me cause I sure as hell am not staying here." She looked at the stained carpet that was crunching every time one of them moved and shuddered. "I might catch a disease or something."
Dean whistled as he drove up the driveway and took a look at the house. "How can you afford something like this?"
"I've been around a long time. I know a thing or two about making money." She replied as she led the way into the large log home. Each of them were taken to their own rooms, which was quite a treat for the trio, and then quickly settled in.
"I'm going to go take a shower."
"That probably isn't a good idea. I don't want your stitches to get wet."
True stepped closer to John. "I've had more stitches in my body then all three of you will have in a lifetime. I know how to take care of them." She held eye contact with him for a moment before turning and heading for the shower.
"Aren't you going to stop her?" Sam asked.
"No. When she stepped closer, I saw the scars on her arms. Looks like she's had over a hundred in those alone. Makes me wonder what the rest of her body looks like."
True stepped out of the shower, glad to finally have all the dried blood and grime off of her body. She found a tank and sweatpants in one of her drawers and quickly put them on, then walked over to the mirror and picked up her brush. She smiled as she touched it, remembering all of the times her cousin Rhianna brushed out her hair. She'd managed to comb most of it, but couldn't quite get the back as it pulled her wound.
"Need help?"
True spun around. "I can manage. "
John strode into the room and took the brush from True's hand. "I'm sure you can, but if you pull any of your stitches out because of your refusal to accept help, I'll be using this brush on your backside." He began teasing out the tangles and quickly had it smoothly laying down her back.
"Thank you."
John nodded. "Dinner is on the table. We can dress your wound afterward."
"Okay." True followed John, wondering just why she was allowing him to tell her what do to. She was not one to just follow orders without question. The fact that John reminded her of Chris and made her stomach flip when he gave her that look that told her he wouldn't allow any insubordination had nothing to do with it. At least, that's what she told herself.
"So are we heading out tonight?" Sam asked.
"Me and Dean are. I need you to stay here and keep a eye on True."
"You're kidding? You're putting me on babysitting detail?"
"I don't need anyone watching me. I can take care of myself." True growled.
John reached over took a swipe at her head. True immediately threw her hand up to block the blow. "Son of a bitch!" She cried and tried to breathe through the pain.
"Any more questions?"
True glared at him. "No."
John arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"What?"
Dean nudged her under the table. "He wants you to show some respect."
"Yeah?" True sat back and crossed her arms. She hadn't had an authority figure in her life for over 80 years, she didn't need one now. Especially one who unnerved her so much she had to hide her shaking hands in her armpits.
John gave her a few seconds to say something. When nothing was forthcoming, he pointed at her with his fork. "You just bought yourself a night of cleaning the weapons."
"What?"
"You heard me."
True wanted to tell him just what he could do with his weapons, but years of living with Vin and Chris finally taught her to control her temper or suffer the consequences. If that one swat was anything to go by, she was sure what his consequence would be. She'd managed to avoid that for 80 years and had no desire to experience it again. Still, she couldn't let him have the last word. "Whatever."
"Sam can show you what to do."
"I've been handling and cleaning weapons for over a century. I know what to do."
"Good. Then you shouldn't have a problem finishing all of them before Dean and me return."
True looked at the table in dismay. "Why in the hell do you guys have so many weapons?"
"Some of us don't have special abilities. We need all of the help we can get." Sam replied. "Want some help?"
True smiled and picked up a gun. She quickly took it apart, cleaned it and reassembled it within minutes.
"Guess not." Sam spun a chair around and straddled. "So, what was it like growing up in the old west?"
"Not bad. Definitely not as many temptations as today."
"Temptations?"
"Yeah. Cars, electronics…stuff like that." She set the gun she'd just finished cleaning aside and picked up another. "If my brother or Chris were around and saw some of the things I've done, they'd have whipped the hide right off of me. "She smirked. "Good thing they aren't around."
"They might not be, but my Dad is. You'd be smart to watch how you behave and speak to him. He won't allow much more before he feels you need an attitude adjustment. Trust me, that is something to avoid at ALL costs!"
"Had a few adjustments yourself, have you?"
"Too many to count." Sam squirmed in his chair at the memory. "So who's Chris?"
"He was, for lack of a better word, my Uncle. When I first arrived on this world, Vin became my brother so no one asked any questions. Chris was his best friend, along with 5 others. He was actually old enough to be Vin's father and was more of a father figure to me that anything else." She finished cleaning the weapons and left them neatly on the table. "He was a gun fighter…one of the best of his time. A lot of people were afraid of him, but he was really a nice guy who'd had a hard road. Your dad reminds me of him."
"My Dad said something about your brother being a hunter."
"Yeah. I didn't know it at the time though. Every now and then he'd go off on his own, sometimes for days. I just figured he needed some space." She moved to the couch and curled up in the corner. "When he didn't come back the last time, Chris told me what he really did when he was away."
"What happened to you after he died?"
"Well, I didn't handle Vin's death well and really became a danger to myself and others. Chris was the only person who could control me so I stayed with him. It was a really hard time for the both of us, but eventually I settled down and Chris basically became my father."
"But you don't age so what happened when he died?"
"I lived with his son Billy because the others were too old to handle me. Billy tried, but when the kid I used to beat up and get into trouble all of the time tried to punish me, I knew it was time to move on. I wasn't going through that humiliation!"
"So you lived on your own then?"
"Yep. But my brother had a lot of, er, acquaintances. He made sure all of them were aware of me and my abilities. They passed my story down through the generations, so someone was always watching my back." True looked at Sam. "Speaking of my brother…he had a gun, a Colt. I have been looking for it and found its case at that Hunter's cabin, but it was empty. Do you know where it is?"
"I have a idea."
True stood up and moved closer to Sam. "Where do you think it is?"
"The Va…"
"Samuel!" John interrupted as he came through the door. "Not another word."
"What? Why?" True strode over to John. "WHERE IS IT?"
"Don't raise your voice at me."
"I'll do whatever the fuck I please." True growled as her notorious temper reared its ugly head. "Tell me where it is, NOW!"
John put his hands on her shoulders. "No one will be telling you where the gun is because we know you will go after it, which you are not well enough to do. Now you settle down before you find trouble."
"Fuck you John! I will do what I want, when I want! I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve and I don't always need physical strength to get what I need."
"Yeah, some good those powers will do when they aren't working regularly. What are you going to do when they stop working at the wrong time?''
True knew he was right, but she didn't care. She had to have Vin's Colt, even if it meant she was injured in the process. She wasn't concerned about dying as then it wouldn't matter if she had the Colt or not. Before anyone could react, she grabbed John's wrists, flipped herself so she was facing away from him, then used the momentum to flip him up over her back and onto the floor. She snagged a knife from the table and jumped on him before he had a chance to recover, straddling his waist and holding the knife against his carotid artery.
"You know I can kill you John. Is protecting me from myself worth that much? Or is there some other motive?" The look in his eye told her the truth. "You want that Colt for yourself, don't you? You think it will kill that demon you are after."
"That's the plan." He managed to get out.
"It's a really bad idea to tangle with me. You tell me where it is, now, or I start hurting your boys." When John remained silent, True glanced at Sam, smiling as he grabbed his head and fell to the ground in agony. "Tell me John or it gets worse."
True suddenly felt a wave of dizziness as her powers cut off unexpectedly. That gave Dean the opening he needed. He quickly grabbed the hand that was holding the knife, then snaked an arm around her waist and lifted her off his Dad.
Sam immediately got to his feet and helped his father up. "You okay?"
"Yeah." John took a moment to calm down before going over to True. "You listen to me and you listen good. If you ever attack me or my boys again, I will forget you are child and I will kill you. Do you hear me?"
True had calmed considerably since she was pulled off of John and realized she had been completely unreasonable and had let her temper take control. She really hadn't meant to hurt any of them. "I hear you."
"Good." He had Dean take the knife from her, then grabbed her wrist and began to drag her towards the stairs.
True tried to break free, but the recent struggle had taken a lot out of her. "Where are we going?"
"To your room for a little attitude adjustment."
John pushed True ahead of him into her room then took a seat on her bed. "Get over here."
"Why?"
"I think you have pulled a few stitches. You have blood seeping through your shirt."
True cautiously moved to stand beside him and tried to remove her tank, but the struggle with John made moving extremely painful.
"Want some help?"
Never one to be modest, True nodded, knowing she wouldn't be able to do this by herself. After removing the tank, John removed the dressings and inspected the wound. "You managed pull three of them out." He pushed her on the bed. "Stay here, I'll be right back."
True leaned back against the headboard, pulled her knees to her chest, and rested her head on her knees. She was so exhausted, she wasn't surprised when tears filled her eyes. The tears quickly turned to hitching sobs as she tried to stay quiet.
When John returned with the medical supplies, he found True balled up on the bed, her body shaking from the effort to contain the sounds of her crying. Having never had to deal with a little girl before he was not sure what he should do, so he simply sat beside her on the bed. After a few moment to allow the girl to calm, he spoke.
"Are you okay?"
True looked up. "I am so sorry John. I really didn't mean to hurt Sam. I just got so angry…" She trailed off as the tears returned. After a moment, she continued. "I don't know what happened. Lately I don't seem to have much control over myself."
"You've been attacked by God knows what and have exhausted yourself beyond reason. That can make it hard for a person to control themselves."
"I have to find and kill this thing after me, try to figure out what's up with my powers, and I have to find Vin's Colt. I can't rest. I have too much to do."
John noticed that the Colt came after killing the demon and made a mental note to find out why the girl wanted the gun as it obviously wasn't to kill anything. "You are no good dead, which is what is going to happen if you don't give it a rest for a while."
"I appreciate the pep talk John, but I've been taking care of myself for a long time. I manage."
"Perhaps that's the problem." John muttered. "Lay down. We need to fix up the wound on your back."
True did as asked, wincing as John started to clean and restitch the cut.
"Can I ask you something?" John asked.
"Not like I can stop you."
"Where did all of the scars come from?"
"Back when I was with Vin, I tried to find the growth inhibitor. They are usually put under the skin in your arms or stomach, and I was determined to get it out. Too bad I didn't know they put it in my neck, I could have saved myself a lot of pain."
"I wasn't talking about those scars. I was talking about the more recent ones."
"I don't have a clue what you are talking about."
"True, I've had a lot of injuries. I know what a healing knife wound looks like." He felt True stiffen, but she remained silent. "Did you do that to yourself?"
True thought about lying, but the evidence was right there for him to see. "Yes." She whispered.
"Why?"
"I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of. Sometimes I just need the pain to cope the guilt and memories." She looked over her shoulder so she could make eye contact. "Losing everyone you love while you stay the same takes a toll after a while."
John finished bandaging her back and helped her sit up. "Well, I don't expect to see anymore of this. You feel guilty and want some pain, you come find me. I'll give you such an ass whipping you won't ever wish for pain again." He took her chin in hand and forced her to look at him. "Do you hear me?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. Now about what just happened…" He stood, removed his belt, and moved the desk chair to the middle if the room. "Come here."
"What? No!" She exclaimed in shock. "You can't…"
"You've been asking for this."
"No, I've been asking where the gun is!" She replied in a panic.
He had to fight to keep the smile off his face. "I'm going to count to three. If you are not over my knee by then, it will be on the bare." He stated sternly. When True made no attempt to move, he sighed.
"One."
True's eyes widened comically when he threaten to whip her bare. It was bad enough she was about to get the first spanking in decades, but there was no way she wanted it without the scant protection her sweatpants would provide. She shifted from foot to foot and turned her baby blues on him. "Do you gotta use the belt?"
John had to reinforce his defenses when she gave him that look. "You threatened to cut off the next hand that hit your ass. I'm not taking any chances." This was worse than Sam's kicked puppy look. "Two."
She moved to his side, but couldn't give in without a fight. "You can't do this. You've got no right."
"It became my right when you became my responsibility." He grabbed her arm and pulled her over his knees. He'd never spanked a little girl before, but he figured it wasn't much different than spanking one of his boys. "Your back okay?"
"If I said no would it stop you from doing this?" True asked hopefully.
John was glad the girl couldn't see the smile on his face. She sounded just like Dean. "Not a chance."
She rolled her eyes. "Then I'm fine."
With a sigh, he put his arm around her waist to hold her still and brought the belt down.
"Mother fucker!" True yelled. She'd forgotten just how much this hurt!
"Stop with the language or this gets worse." John threatened as he continued to rain blows on her vulnerable backside.
"Son of a bitch." A hard lick landed on her thigh. "Biscuit! I said biscuit!"
This time he couldn't contain the smile. "Are we going to need to have this conversation again?" he asked, being sure to keep his voice firm.
"No!" Another hard lick hit her thigh. "Sir! No Sir!"
"Lets hope not. Because next time it will be on the bare." John finished up with three lashes to the tender skin between the backside and thighs. He rubbed her back as she tried her best to calm down.
"Can I get up now?"
John helped her to her feet and was surprised when he found himself with a lapful of little girl. "I'm so sorry. So sorry." True whispered as she snuggled into his chest.
"Shhh." John soothed as he gently ran a hand down her hair. He knew the girl was going to be trouble, but he didn't expect her to be mentally broken. When he put himself in her shoes, though, he could see why. Even though she was over a century old, she was still a little girl. It had to be tough on her over the years. He vowed then and there to help her through this…all of it.
He felt True relax and figured she'd fallen asleep, just as his boys did after being punished. As he moved to put her on the bed, two little hands fisted his shirt and held it tightly. "Please don't leave me." It almost killed her to show such weakness. John gave her a sense of security, which was a feeling she hadn't had in a long time, and her need for comfort overrode her embarrassment.
John was surprised by the request. "I won't." He heard himself say. He laid back on the bed and arranged True so she was laying on his chest, which wasn't easy with her death grip on his shirt.
True snuggled in. "Thank you." She said tiredly and drifted to sleep.
"Its awful quiet. Do you think he killed her?" Dean asked Sam.
Sam's reply was to throw his pencil at Dean.
"Dude!"
"He's probably comforting her like us used to do with us after…you know." Sam couldn't bring himself to actually say the word.
"Well, I'm gonna go check." Dean quickly ascended the stairs and into True's room. What he saw stopped his tracks. His Dad lay on bed, True snuggled on top of him, and he was stroking her hair. He'd never seen his Dad so…girly. "Um dad? Getting soft in your old age?"
"Shut up and help me put her to bed."
Dean carefully moved True off his Dad and under the covers, never waking her. "All those years of practice with Sam really pay off, don't they?"
"We need to talk."
"Um talk, like words, or 'talk', like ' talk' 'talk'? Cause whatever it is, Sam did it."
"No smartass. We need to talk about True." He gave Dean a little push. "Downstairs."
The following morning, True groggily made her way into the kitchen. She grabbed a cup of coffee, poured a copious amount of sugar and some cream in it, and carefully took a seat. At John's pointed look from her to the coffee, then back to her, she quipped "S'not like it's going to stunt my growth."
John simply nodded. She had a point. He slid plates pancakes and sausage onto the table and called Dean and Sam . Both boys hurried into the kitchen and quickly loaded up their plates, while John grabbed his own food at a more sedate pace and took a seat. "You need to eat something True."
"I'll stick with coffee thanks."
"No, you won't." He replied and filled True's plate. He'd seen the girl when he'd stitched her up, and while she was extremely muscular, she was entirely too thin. "Eat. Now."
True thought about arguing, but the remaining sting from her discussion with John's belt last night stayed her tongue. Making sure to sigh loudly so everyone at the table knew she was doing this against her will, she slowly began to eat. "So what are we doing today?" She asked around a mouthful of food.
"You will be resting. The rest of us will be doing some research."
"Resting? Dude, I'm fine. Got some good sleep last night. Totally rested and raring to go."
"You need to heal. You'll rest until I say otherwise."
"This is utter bullsh..."
John raised a menacing eyebrow. "Do you need another attitude adjustment?"
"No sir." True replied, defeated.
"Good. When you are finished you just make yourself comfortable on the couch. You are not get up for any reason without my say so. Clear?"
True angrily shove her plate away. "Fine." John made to stand, which quickly prompted her to add, "Sir."
"Its amazing how an ass whippin brings out the respect, isn't it?" Dean snickered.
True glared at him and used her telekinetic ability to knock his coffee cup over, spilling the liquid into his lap.
"Damn it that's hot!" He cried as he jumped to his feet and tried to pull the wet denim away from his 'family jewels'. With an angry glare for True, he hurried to his room to change, doing his best to ignore Sam's laughter.
"That's something else you won't be doing."
"What?" True asked.
"Using your powers. It takes too much out of you. Until you are healed, you will not use ANY of your abilities. Am I understood?"
That was the last straw for True. She pushed herself to her feet and glowered at John. "You are fucking insane! I'll use them if I want!" With that said, she stormed away from the table, only to be pulled up short when John called her name. She spun around, scowl still permanently etched on her face. "What?"
John crooked his finger in a 'come here' gesture.
Not wanting to, but knowing that pissing him off more was not something she wanted to do, she slowly went to him. She was not surprised when five very hard smacks landed on her backside.
"Speak to me that way again and I'll make what you got last night feel like a cake walk. We understanding each other?" he growled.
"Yes sir." She replied and rubbed her burning backside.
With a nod, John continued from where he left off. "Am I clear about not using your powers?"
"Yes sir. Crystal."
"Finish up your breakfast then get yourself out to the couch."
By the time John and Sam finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes and headed for the living room, True asleep on the couch. John grabbed his jacket and turned to Dean. "Keep an eye on her. Me and Sammy are heading out."
"Aw man. Why me?"
"Because she has Sammy wrapped around her little finger. She'll be running around this house the second we leave and have the location of the gun out of him by the time we get back." He raised an eyebrow when Dean opened his mouth to argue. "We going to have a problem?"
Dean wisely stood down. "No Sir."
"We'll be back in a few hours."
"Open them eyes Sunshine."
True's eyes shot open. She was momentarily disoriented by the bright light obscuring her surroundings. As the light faded, she realized she was standing by the corral at Tinys livery stable. "What the...?"
"Relax Sunshine."
True spun around. "Vin?" He opened his arms and True ran right into them, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I've missed you so much. How…?"
"You're dreamin."
"This isn't just a dream. I feel the difference."
"Don't worry about that. Jist let me hug on ya fer a minute."
"Okay." True snuggled in and breathed in the scent that was uniquely Vin, an odd mix of soap, leather, and gun oil.
After several moments, Vin pushed her back so he could look at her. "I got some things ta say and not a lot a time, so ya jist listen, ya hear?"
"Yessir."
"Ya gotta settle down an git some rest. My gun ain't worth ya dyin for, so take it easy fer a while. Ya let yer body and mind heal an yer powers won't keep goin on an off." He caressed her cheek. "I love ya baby girl an I need to make sure yer taken care of. Promise me you'll stay with John and his boys. They's good people an you'll be as safe with them as they will be with you."
True looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. "That was the most I've ever heard you say at one time." She joked.
"True."
"Okay, I promise. I'll stay and let them help me."
"Good." He pulled her back into a hug. "Now, I gotta be goin. Remember I'll always love ya Sunshine. I'll be waitin fer ya when yer time comes."
"Please don't go!" True cried, but Vin was already fading away. "VIN!"
She snapped awake, painfully aware she was back in the real world.
Dean jumped when True cried out in her sleep. He hurried to her side, arriving just as she woke up. Before he could say anything, True crawled onto his lap and buried her face into his shirt. He put his arms around her and rocked her gently as she sobbed, much as he did with Sammy when he had a nightmare. After several minutes, True calmed down and looked up at him. "Wanna talk about it?"
True was so distraught, she replied without hesitation. "I was dreaming about my brother. He told me he had to be sure I was safe an that I needed to stay with John and you and Sam. Then he just left." More tears rolled down her cheeks. "I miss him so much." She whispered.
The sheer anguish in True's voice made Dean want to cry himself. Well, if he was girl that is. He didn't know what to say to her. Any platitudes he threw out would sound stupid in the face he what she had lived through over the last century, so he let her cry herself out. "Better?"
At her nod, Dean tried to put her back on the couch, but she stayed firmly attached to his shirt. Realizing he wouldn't be allowed to leave, he leaned back and grabbed the remote. "What do you want to watch?"
"Anything as long as it isn't a chick flick."
"A girl after my own heart!"
When John and Sam returned, they were surprised to see Dean and True snuggled together, asleep on the couch. Sam had to stifle a laugh, and quickly pulled out his phone to snap a pic.
John waited until Sam had taken the picture, and kicked Dean's foot. "Hey, I didn't ask you to stay behind so you could take a nap."
Dean jumped up causing True to slide off his lap and onto the floor. "Mother fu…trucker!" She growled and looked up at John. "That wasn't cool." She huffed and crawled back up onto the couch.
"Dean, with me." John said tersely and headed into the kitchen.
Dean gulped and followed. "Dad, I didn't…"
"What happened?"
Dean's shoulders sagged in relief, glad he wasn't brought in the kitchen to get his ass chewed out. He quickly told him what happened and what True told him. "We are going to help her, right?"
"Of course. Besides, I can't help but feel she has a large part to play in our search for the demon."
"Stop it True!"
"Stop it True!" True mimicked.
"I swear I'm gonna…"
"ENOUGH!" John yelled. It had been three days since he gave his command of enforced rest and Sam and True had been at each other on and off for two of them. He'd forgotten just how difficult it was to keep a child entertained. "True, leave Sam alone. You are supposed to be resting."
"If I do any more resting I'm going to go insane!" True huffed and laid back against the pillows. "C'mon John. Cut me some slack. I think my legs have atrophied from all of this laying around!"
"Maybe tomorrow."
She angrily threw a pillow at the floor. "You've been saying that since yesterday!"
Dean tried to signal True to tell her to quit while she was ahead, but she was ignoring him. Oh well, she'd find out the hard way what arguing with his Dad and having a tantrum brought.
John carefully put down the book he was reading. "Are you throwing a tantrum like a three year old?"
"What difference does it make! That's how you are treating me!"
He stood and grabbed True by the arm, yanking her from the nest of blankets. "I've heard enough out of you." He swatted her butt as he directed her to a corner of the room. "Stand here. If you move or talk, we head upstairs for a little attitude adjustment."
"I thought I was supposed to rest!" Another smack landed on her backside, this one a lot harder than the others.
"I wouldn't want to be the reason your legs need physical therapy." He replied. "Now shut it."