Chapter Two
As Hank got the party together, he looked up to see two trucks pulling into the Winchester's new home. One truck held an older man with a ball cap, mustache and beard. He got out and retrieved a duffle from the passenger side. The other truck carried a younger man, someone between the age of John and Dean. He also carried a duffle and a shotgun. Both men walked into the house without bothering to knock. Hank heard one man say, "Johnny, we're here!" and he figured these were the brothers John had talked about. He was about to turn back to his chore when a late model Mustang drove up and parked in the alley outside of the Winchester home. A very large man with long black hair got out. He too retrieved a duffle out of the trunk of the Mustang but, instead of just walking in, he knocked at the door and waited until it was answered.
Again, it was the youngest Winchester who answered but instead of the shout for his father like he had done when Hank and his family had come over, the young boy grinned and shouted, "Josh! Hey, dad, Josh is here!" Hank watched as the man put his duffle down and, picking up the child, spun him around as Sam giggled. He then put Sam down and the pair went into the house. From the scene, Hank could only guess that another brother had shown up but wasn't expected. He just made a mental note to make more burgers. His Vaugner Char-King could handle the extra food with no problem.
Peggy came out of the kitchen to report on her calls, "I have called John Redcorn who said he would be here and I also called Reverend Stroop. I thought she could talk to John Winchester about taking his sons to church. She asked if it would be okay to bring a friend who had just dropped in from out of town and I said it would be. Nancy said she will bring the salad and Min said she would contribute something to the meal. I told them that I would have an Apple Brown Peggy ready for dessert. Bill is bringing chips and dip while Boomhauer volunteered to bring beer. Bobby is getting the plates, cups and plastic ware out so that is taken care of…oh yeah, your father called…"
"Don't tell me he's coming!" Hank begged.
"Sorry Hank, too late, he has already invited himself, DeeDee and your brother, GH. Luanne, Lucky and Gracie will also be here. Luanne is very eager to meet little Sammy. She thinks that he will be interested in the Manger Babies."
Hank didn't think so but kept his mouth shut. When it came to Luanne, Peggy was blind to anything but her niece's wellbeing, even if that inconvenienced others. Since Luanne got into the Manger Babies, Peggy endorsed them whole heartedly. He had gotten the feeling that, even though Sam Winchester was small and young, he was more an adult than Luanne would ever be. Come to think about it, he and his brother were more adult than Bill and Dale would ever be. Hank cleaned the picnic tables and started to set them, putting the plastic coverings on first while Bobby retrieved the plates, cups and utensils. Hank got out the condiments and hamburger. He took the condiments to the table then went back into the house where he began to shape the patties.
As he was working, his mind went over the more pleasant aspects of having another family in the neighborhood. From John's handshake, Hank believed the man to be stable, hardworking, disciplinarian who had taught his children the meaning of shame, like he himself had tried to do with Bobby. Dean was a bit of a disappointment, though, since Hank had heard from the high school coach that the younger man refused to try out for the team saying that he had no interest in playing football. Hank just chalked that up to the fact the young man was responsible since he had heard the older teen had found a part time job. Sam was a mystery. Shy with an attitude. Hank didn't miss the flash of anger when Peggy had put him down about his Latin. He didn't miss the fact that Dean quickly backed his brother up or that John had been worried about Sam's anger and pushed the small boy towards his brother. The biggest thing that had him worried was that there was no Mrs. Winchester in the house nor was she even mentioned. Hank decided to have a talk with Bobby about trying to find out what happened to her. Smiling, he brought the patties outside to be cooked.
Around four, Khan, Min and Connie came over followed shortly by Nancy, Dale, and Joseph. It was actually expected since the women wanted information from Peggy while the men questioned Hank about their new neighbors.
"What do you think about the new neighbors, Peggy?" Nancy asked with an arch in her voice. There was something ruggedly handsome about John Winchester that just rang her chimes. The only other man who had ever done that for her was John Redcorn.
"I believe that Mr. Winchester is a capable man who loves his children. His oldest, Dean, is very charming but somewhat overprotective of his brother. Sam is shy but, from what his father and brother said, is a genius. I did not see any signs of Mrs. Winchester. I believe that she must have abandoned her husband and sons since, as you know, 90% of broken families have a divorce as its cause. I will have to check my facts but I believe that I am correct," Peggy said wisely. She had no doubt that she was correct. After all, she was the substitute teacher of the year for three years.
"The youngest is a genius?" Min asked. After Peggy nodded, she went on, "Not as smart as Connie, I'm sure. Connie Asian after all." Peggy nodded again, she had heard this assertion many times from Min and Khan not to believe it.
"What does Mr. Winchester do for a living?" Nancy asked with a gleam in her eye for any gossip.
"I actually do not know. We never got around to talking about that," Peggy confessed. "Maybe you could ask him and let us know. You are a reporter after all." Nancy smiled her cougar smile. She would get answers from the new neighbor, everyone could count on it.
Meanwhile, outside Hank was talking to Bill, Boomhauer, Dale and Khan about the new neighbors. "Did you happen to notice if they had surveillance equipment set up?" was Dale's question.
"No I did not. John Winchester seems to be intense but he is not a government spy," Hank said to cut Dale off his rant.
"Did you mention that I could give them haircuts whenever they wanted?" Bill asked.
"We didn't get that far," Hank confessed.
"Well what did you talk about?" Khan asked irritably.
"We just introduced ourselves and asked them to the barbeque. Not much else was said except he did introduce his sons. His oldest son is named Dean and the younger one is Sammy. Mr. Winchester's brothers have arrived so they too will be coming," Hank said a bit vaguely. He was still a bit unnerved about how the initial visit went. He didn't even get a chance to talk to the patriarch about the block charter. He made a mental note to talk to the man after dinner.
"What (mumble) about that (mumble) black beauty?" Boomhauer asked.
"Sorry, we didn't get around to talking about her. You'll have to ask Mr. Winchester yourself," Hank said. Then, since all the preparations were done, he and the others went out to the alley to have a beer. While they were drinking, they saw the Winchester clan coming out of the house and head their way. Hank noticed that the four adult men flanked the two boys while the older boy was behind the younger in a protective stance. The way the group moved was…well predatory to Hank's eyes. He shivered as if cold but didn't mention his uneasy feelings since he wanted to make a very good impression. Before the group got to him and his friends, Hank heard the unmistakable sound of his father's Cadillac horn. "Oh, great," he mumbled to himself. He decided to let Peggy handle Cotton while he waited for the Winchesters to approach.
"Mr. Winchester," he began. (John, John said quietly) "Okay John. I want to introduce you to my friends and your new neighbors. This is Boomhauer, Dale Gribble, Khan Supanusenpon, and Bill Dautrieve. Guys, this is John Winchester and his family."
John nodded at each man as he was named then introduced his group. "This is my brother in law, Bobby Singer, my brothers Joshua and Caleb, my sons, Sam and Dean."
Before anything else was said, a sharp cry echoed throughout the neighborhood, "Well Hank, ain'tcha going ta introduce me to your new friends?"
Hank closed his eyes and pinched his nose before looking up at John again. He smiled weakly and said, "John, this is my father Cotton Hill. Dad, this is John Winchester, his brother-in-law, brothers and sons."
Giving the old man his due, John stuck out his hand and had it pumped a couple of times. He didn't wince at the pressure the old man put into his handshake, knowing that he was being tested. "Good man. Did you just move here or are you passing through?" Cotton asked with a mean twinkle in his eye.
"We plan to stay for a while. I have some jobs lined up and I wanted a home base for my kids," John answered.
"Glad you came. This neighborhood needs someone with a backbone in it, unlike my son," Cotton said derogatorily.
"Hank seems to be more than satisfactory in that category," John said politely.
"He's a pansy. Doesn't even have a real job, just some pump jockey at a gas station," Cotton retorted.
"Dad, I'm the assistant…"
"Pump jockey," Cotton broke in.
"I work for Strickland…"
"Works at a gas station," Cotton broke in again. John watched the exchange and felt sorry for Hank. Even his father-in-law wasn't as bad as this old man and that was saying something. Samuel never did like him, especially when he started to go out with Mary.
Bobby Singer was getting pissed. "I think that any man who would take a job to keep a roof over his child's head and food in his belly should be thanked. There are too many people who are sitting on their asses and not doing anything. They have no excuses for it except that they refuse to take a low paying job since it's beneath their sensibilities," the Salvage Yard owner gritted out.
Joshua chimed in, "I know this guy who goes from one friend's house to another friend's house. He doesn't work or even attempt to find work but lives off his friends until they get sick of it and kick him out. Hank here has a job and for that you should be thankful you don't have a deadbeat son."
Cotton's mouth dropped open as he thought about it. Then he said, "You're right. I AM thankful he's working and teaching my grandson good worth ethics." Inside he was seething but he too could feel the danger radiating off the men in front of him. He knew when to pick his battles so he backed off. For now.
Deciding that the peace of the alley had been broken enough, Hank gestured the group to follow him into his back yard. Peggy, Min and Nancy were there along with John Redcorn, Reverend Stroop and her guest, Jim Murphy. Seeing Jim, Sam and Dean broke away from their protective phalanx and ran to the good Pastor.
When they got to him, Jim lifted Sam into his arms. He shifted the slight boy so he could put an arm around Dean. Both boys loved him and were grinning like crazy. "So Jim, I see you know these two boys," Karen Stroop asked with a twinkle in her eye.
"I sure do, Karen. They are my adopted nephews. I've known them for years now and I can honestly say that it is my pleasure to be part of their family," Jim said with a smile. "Boys, this is my friend Karen Stroop, Reverend Stroop to you. Karen, this guy beside me is Dean Winchester and the one in my arms is his baby brother Samuel…er Sam as he likes to be called. I want the two of you to behave for Reverend Stroop whenever she stops over, understand?" He mocked glared at them. Both boys grinned then gave their solemn word to be good for the Reverend.
"Nice to meet you boys," Karen said, her mid-western twang unmistakable among the Texans who surrounded them. "How do you like Arlen so far?"
Like John had said, Sam was shy around women. He hid his face in Jim's neck as Dean answered, "So far, so good. It's better than some places we've stayed at." Dean left it at that. Karen, who knew about the supernatural, nodded wisely. She was aware of the Winchester propensity to stay in cheap motel rooms or apartments. It was a trait of a Hunter that she knew very well, being the daughter of one herself. Hunting never paid money so most Hunters were pretty much one step away from living on the streets if it wasn't for some of the more creative ways of earning money though some came from money and some had skills that could be used in a regular job.
"Jim said you are Anglicans," Karen said. "I hope you will give the Methodists a chance." She grinned since Jim had already filled her in on John's religious feelings that Dean mirrored. Sam was the only one in the family who had faith, he had told her.
Hank, hearing the Reverend's request, came up and said, "If they need help finding the church, I'll be happy to have them follow us, I tell you what."
Jim grinned as Dean squirmed. He watched for a minute then changed the subject to let the young man off the hook. "I understand that you have a couple of gun clubs here in Arlen."
The subject did what Jim had hoped and distracted Hank. "Yes, there's the Arlen Gun Club and Nine Rivers Country Club. The Gun Club is open to the public and you can use it for $2.00 a day. Dale is the president and he can get you a life-time membership, which is free. Nine Rivers, unfortunately, is only open to their members."
"What are the hours for the Gun Club?" Dean asked with interest.
"They are open 9-5, Monday through Saturday," Hank answered. Then he said, "If you are interested, the YMCA gives gun safety classes. I got the information in the house since Bobby had gone through the class himself. Yep, I got a real Davy Crocket living with me."
Dean replied, "Dad taught us about gun safety when we started shooting. We both started when we were eight."
Hank tried to stress the safety class, "I'm sure your dad's very good but you should take the gun safety class to make sure that you are perfectly sure about what you do."
Jim put Sam down since the youngest Winchester was starting squirm. Experience told him that the Sam volcano was about to erupt. Sure enough, Sam defended his father, "Dad was a Marine who taught us how to care for weapons of all sorts. Dean can disassemble and reassemble a Taurus in under a minute. Blindfolded. Dad's been known to take a gun that's jammed and fix it before firing in a…"
"Samuel, that's enough bragging now. I think Mr. Hill now understands that the two of you really don't need the class but if he feels worried about it, maybe you can give him a demonstration later," Jim cut Sam's tirade off before he could really get going.
"Sam," John said behind his son, "I appreciate your defending my lessons, son, I really do but you could have gone about it in a nicer way." He put his arm around Sam to show that he wasn't too upset with his son.
"Sorry Dad, sorry Mr. Hill," Sam apologized. He was still upset at the slight against his father but knew better than to make a scene at a public gathering with people he didn't know. John knew what was going through his baby's mind and gave him a smile to show how proud he was of his son. Usually, it was Sam and Dean against the world but now, Sam had included his father in that tiny world. It was a very rare event, one that John treasured every time it happened.
"I see Bobby and a couple of kids are over by the garage. Why don't you and Dean go introduce yourselves and have some fun? Caleb, why don't you go with them?" John suggested. He wanted both his sons away from the very irritating Hank Hill before Dean did something that would get him arrested. John could see the mother grizzly coming out of Dean which always happened whenever Sam was upset. All three young people nodded and took off for the others while the grown-ups watched.
"Those are some boys of yours John," Karen said with a smile. Jim had warned her about the unique bond the Winchesters had, especially the boys and now she saw it for herself. John had done something unheard of in their world by keeping a motherless four year old and six month old with him while learning how to hunt. He could have dropped the boys off at a hospital or church, he could have given them to Social Services or even adopted them out but he didn't. He loved his sons very much and would protect them from anyone or anything, even giving his life for them. The wonderful thing was that the boys felt the same about their father, uncles and cousin but especially their father. Nobody dared screw with a Winchester and got out unscathed.
John watched his sons and smiled softly, "Yeah, they're great kids. I don't know what I did to deserve them."
Hank wondered about the differences between Cotton and John Winchester. Both were ex-military who had taught their kids about weapons. The main difference between the two was that Cotton never showed Hank that he loved him but John didn't seem to have a problem doing that for his boys. "Sam said you were in the Marines. Did you see action?" Hank asked, wondering how much similarity there was between the two men.
"Yeah, I was in 'Nam during '69. When I came back, I went to school for a while to learn mechanics then I went back to Lawrence where I met the boys' mother," John stopped. He still didn't like talking about Mary since it hurt so much. When they first met, it was hate at first sight but they kept bumping into each other until, finally, they admitted that they loved each other. It was then that John decided to get a vehicle and was looking at a van until a young man came over and talked him into buying his best purchase ever, the 1967 Chevy Impala that became his boys' home after the fire.
"Where is their mother?" Hank asked politely. "Will she be joining you soon?"
John took a deep breath while Jim put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Mary died in a house fire when Sammy was six months old." John left, unable to talk any more. He wasn't rude, just still mourning the death of the woman who had given him love and his children.
Jim turned to Hank after watching John walk towards his sons, "John and the boys don't really talk about Mary. Samuel doesn't remember her but Dean does. Her death left a very deep wound on John and Dean which I don't know if it would ever heal." Hank nodded then went to talk to Peggy. He didn't want her or the neighbors to bother the Winchesters with questions about Mary. He understood that it was a very painful subject for them.
The rest of the barbeque went fine. Hank learned that Dean loved burgers, especially with onions. John liked his burger plain while Sam was a salad kind of person. Hank shook his head, he never could understand a person who didn't like meat but he didn't say anything. The only time it got tense was when Cotton started to ask John about his experiences in Viet Nam, saying that only pansies fought in a police action while he fought in a war. John's face deepened to a shade of red that Hank had only seen in cranberry sauce. It was only the presence of Sam that stopped a full blown war. All he said was that he was proud that his father fought to help people even if many others didn't think they should have been there. It took guts, he said, to do something others looked down on you for. John hugged his son and whispered something in his ear then gave him a kiss on the top of Sam's head. They turned away but not before Hank saw tears in the large man's eyes. When Hank looked at his father, he saw respect and something else, longing and envy seemed to cross Cotton's face before it went back to its perpetual sour look.
Sam, Hank thought, was something else.
tbc
A/N-sorry about the slow build-up but it'll get faster...I promise!
