So yes I realize this was a few days late but I have to say, I spent an entire week in a hospital waiting room. My grandpa had major heart surgery so I was in the ICU with my mother who was trying to hold herself together. My grandpa lived. yay! Now if I had a laptop then this chapter would have been out in a heartbeat but I had to wait until I got home so I could use my desktop. So I'm pretty satisfied with this. I rewrote it like five times before getting it right.
Eleven Years Later
Wednesday, December 24th, 2004
The snow was blowing hard in Lawrence that night, chilling everything and everyone unlucky enough to be caught in it. Some families were nestled around a fire that night, choosing to stay home. Others were gathered around the dinner table eating a large holiday meal. But most of the families in Lawrence Kansas, were sitting in the town's church listening to Father Novak's Christmas Eve Mass. The three Winchester boys were among this group of people, wedged uncomfortably into a pew.
John sat on the end of the pew with an irritated look on his face. Neither Dean nor Sam could tell if it was left over from the argument earlier or if he was just bored of the mass. Dean sat opposite slouched in his seat, waiting for the service to end and Sam was stuck in the middle of the two bow-legged men. He sat uncomfortably with his knees being forced to together by his father and brother's widely spread legs. Together they sat as the Father droned on and on.
1 hour earlier
"Dean, your clothes are still on the couch. Why aren't you dressed yet?"
"Because I'm not going."
Sam Winchester glared at his older brother's response as if it were the bane of his existence. Dean returned that glare without any problem.
It was Christmas Eve and the Winchester household was about to become the main battlefield of World War III. So Dean prepared himself for the fight as his younger brother cleared the table of his homework and exited the room just in time to see his father storm in.
"Dean this isn't a choice." John gave his oldest a stern look, which his oldest promptly rolled his eyes and scoffed at.
"Why do we have to go to church?"
"Because it's Christmas Eve."
The Winchesters were not known for a devout lifestyle. The three boys cursed and swore more than sailors. They didn't pray before meals, and they only went to church on Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve. They probably wouldn't even go to church on those days if it hadn't been for Mary. Before her death the boys woke up early each Sunday and put on their best to go sit in church. Dean would usually fall asleep back then and John would start to doze off too, but Mary always said, "Ain't nothing like the grace of nice cold holy water to wake the Christian in all of us." Air-go if both of the boys were out cold she saw no problem in standing up in the middle of a service to grab the bowl of holy water from the entrance and promptly pour it out on both of her boy's heads.
"We didn't have to go to church when we were younger." Dean spat angrily.
"We used to go to church every Sunday with your mother." Both John and Dean could see where this argument was headed but they were both too stubborn to let up. Soon enough one of them would say something that they would regret.
After Mary's death, John stopped going to church. He stopped praying, and stopped eating. He nearly stopped living. He probably would still be a wreck if it hadn't been for Bobby and the Novaks. Bobby, a life long friend had convinced John to sell the empty lot where their house had been. The recovering family moved across town into a smaller one story, down the street from the Novaks: A religious family in the town. Jimmy Novak, more commonly called , Father Novak, and his wife Claire, had welcomed John into the churches tightly knit community.
"Well mom's not here!" And the winner of the regret prize goes to, Dean Winchester.
The entire house stilled. That was the last straw for John. Dean had crossed a line that had been drawn many years ago, and he knew it.
None of them wanted to be here, but John had made a promise to Jimmy that the Winchesters would make an appearance during the holidays. It was the least they could do after all the financial help, the church had provided for them. Not only did they offer their prayers, but Jimmy and his wife had started a fundraiser at the church for the Winchesters. It had helped them through a pretty rough patch, before John started work as a contractor.
John was thankful for the help, Dean however could care less about being thankful. He didn't like the Novak family. In the ten years that they had lived by the Novak family, he had not had one good experience with Father Novak. The man was an ass. His entire family was cut off from the rest of the town. The only time anyone ever saw a Novak was if they were in the church. All of their kids attended the town's private school and although his dad assured him that the Novak's had a son his age, he hadn't seen one trace of this boy anywhere. In fact the only time he had ever seen one of their kids, was if they were in their van, driving past the Winchester's house to get to the church or school. The van was always packed full. Father Novak in the drivers seat with his wife sitting shotgun. Then in the back seats, through the tinted car windows he could see four heads. The Novak family seemed like caring people, but in actuality, Dean thought they were just a bunch of shut-in religious nut jobs that never went anywhere but their house and their church.
So when in church Dean had no qualms about showing just how much he didn't want to be there and this fight had only worsened his mood.
He sat grumbling for a while before Sam gave him a sharp pinch and told his to shut up. He returned the favor and pinched Sam's elbow. After that the boys were in a fidget match until John was at the end of his rope. He leaned down over Sam's head so that neither of the boys would miss what he had to say. his voice was low but the boys got the point and settled down. After that Dean returned to sulking as father Novak voice droned on and on in the background.
Tt felt like hours had passed but really it had only been about twenty minutes when a loud, sharp noise rose above the church sound system. The pitch was deafening for a moment causing everyone to flinch and turn their attention to the choir. A microphone had just been turned on and holy hell, Dean could have swore that Satan had just tried to sing. Why did microphones make that noise anyway?
Dean glared at the choir section as they shuffled making a path for a boy in the third row to make his way down. His head was down letting everyone get a full view of his ruffled black bed head. His eyes didn't leave the floor until he reached the microphone. Dean could see two little blue dots surveying the crowded church as the boy looked up. The blue disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared as the boys eyes snapped shut.
"Shy boy huh" Dean thought to himself.
One slow note rang out from the organ and another and another until a slow melody was formed. The boy leaned in close to the mic as he stood slightly pigeon-toed. A sharp intake of breath rang out over the speakers followed by a dark and smooth alto voice.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear how much I love you
Please don't take your sunshine away."
The melody was different from any way Dean had ever heard the song. It was slow and dark. The word seemed desperate. It captivated him fully.
"The other night dear as I lay sleeping,
I dreamt I held you in my arms.
When I awoke dear I was mistaken.
So I hung my head and cried."
The song was being sung slower than Mary had sang it. The lyrics were the same but the song itself seemed completely different. Dean watched and listened as the boys eyes opened slowly scanning the church before matching Deans gaze. They held the stare as the song continued.
"I'll always love you and make you happy."
It was like a promise.
"If you will only do the same.
But if you leave me and love another.
You'll regret it all some day."
The boys eyes shut once again and Dean leaned back in his pew and exhales. He hadn't even realized that he had been holding his breath until then.
"You are my sunshine my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know dear how much I love you.
Please don't take your sunshine away".
Dean relaxed his jaw and shoulders as the organ died out. And the boy's voice softened.
"In all my dreams dear
you seem to leave me.
When I awake my poor heart pains.
So when you come back and make me happy."
The organ stated up powerfully and the boy's voice crescendoed for the last line
"I'll forgive you and take all the blame."
Dean could feel his eyelids begin to droop. Drowsy washed over him as he listened to the last refrain in a heavy mood.
"You are my sunshine
My only sunshine."
The last few lines of the song were muffled as Dean's eyes shut. He could feel his entire body slipping away into the darkness of sleep.
He slept soundly through the end of the service before a hard nudge into his side woke him.
"Ow Sammy. What the hell."
His brother ignored him "You're lucky dad didn't catch you sleeping in church. He would have kicked your ass."
"Whatever." Dean glanced around. The church was nearly empty now. "Where is he anyway?"
Sam motioned to the altar. "Talking to Father Novak about something. He told us to wait here."
So the boys waited and waited and finally John waltzed back over to them with a smile on his face as if the fight earlier hadn't happened at all. He always looked happy after talking to Father Novak. It pissed Dean off, but he couldn't stay angry for long when his father mentioned something that Dean had completely forgotten about.
"Come on boys. Let's go home and get you two to bed. It's Christmas tomorrow."
Funny thing. When I was checking this chapter, I looked at my outline to seen the date of the next chapter and realized, I forgot to write Christmas Never fear I have added it in, but it might end up being pretty short. The third chapter however won't be short and since my Grandpa is all fine and dandy now, the next chapters should be out on time.