Outlaws And Inlaws- Chapter 2
AN: Thank you to kb18142, reannablue, murphy9202, samgirl19, Elric2007, X1Sweetie1X, It'sJustADream and lilja89. I'm so happy with the response I got from the first chapter. Hope this doesn't disappoint x
When they finally got outside it's been longer than five minutes, but no one cares to point it out. Sammy is lying in the snow, spreading his arms and legs wide repeatedly. He jumps up when he sees his Father and Uncle step outside.
"Look! I made a Cas'iel!" he says triumphantly as he points down at the snow Angel he's made.
"Can I help?" Sam asked. Sammy nodded, excitedly. Sam used his leg to create a much more impressive wing span. "Better?" he asks his nephew.
Sammy nodded vigorously and high-fived his Uncle. Mary-Ellen and her Mother were working on a snowman, trying to roll the huge bottom boulder. Dean joined and helped get it in to position as Sam stayed with Sammy, who was determined to make more Angels.
Half an hour later and there were 2 snowmen; one taller than the other (a fact that Mary-Ellen seemed to find hilarious as she looked between her Father and Uncle). There were also a dozen or so snow Angels, their long wings (thanks to Big Sam) overlapping. They stole Sam's hat for the taller snowman and stood back proudly. They crowded around the dining table, divested of wet coats and cradling hot chocolate, with marshmallows at Mary-Ellen's request, and chocolate sprinkles at Sammy's insistence.
"Daddy, is Santa coming tonight?" Sammy asked,
"Ok, buddy, it's about time you know," Dean began with a sigh. "Santa's not-" he cut off as his wife imperiously held a spoon at him, eyes wide and insistent. Dean had seen the don't-you-dare look before, and a spoon had never looked so frightening until wielded by his wife.
"Santa's not-er- Santa's not coming tonight." he awkwardly ended. Phew, talk about dodging a bullet. "That's tomorrow night." he added. "He's gonna bring his jolly self down the chimney and leave presents for you." He added in overkill; he could see his Brother's doubtful look.
Their translation of Christmas had always been- 'some creepy guy is going to break in to your house while you're sleeping and ply your vulnerable children with treats'. Apparently, their approach to Christmas wasn't exactly child friendly.
"Come on, time for bed." Jen interrupted; keen to avoid the 'big revelation' when they're still so young. The children groaned but otherwise did as they were told. "Sam, dinner's in the oven." she added, peaking his interest.
Sammy got scooped up by his Mother as Mary-Ellen hopped on Dean's back. Once upstairs and tucked in, they insisted on a story. Their favourites were always 'Daddy's special stories', the very few child appropriate ones of course. But their Mother had banned them after Sammy tried imitating them, heading bravely in to his closet with his water pistol and 'shot' Mary-Ellen's favourite teddy bear for being "po-dessed".
They settled for Red Riding Hood for the millionth time, Dean's borderline version, where the Big Bad Wolf didn't end up locked in the woodshed by the Woodsman, but instead was killed with a shotgun. They kids actually found it funny, much to Jen's surprise, when Dean added sound effects for the gun and resulting splatter. And when the Huntsman ended up with the beautiful Red Riding Hood.
"I can't believe you keep telling them that story." Jen smiled, as she quietly closed the bedroom door behind them.
"It's just a story, they can take it." he shrugged; his children had never had nightmares from anything he'd told them. Mary-Ellen had secretly been reading about this stuff for weeks and she hadn't changed at all, if anything she had gotten even braver.
"Yeah of course, because it's not at all based on how we met in Chicago with the werewolf." she smiled knowingly.
He ducked his head; Red Riding Hood finding a wolf in her house did sound vaguely familiar, especially the bit about the Woodsman bursting in to save the day with a silver-loaded shotgun. "Except you weren't wearing red when we met, you were wearing-"
"Nothing," she mused. "I was just getting in to the shower." She shook her head in disbelief.
"Love at first sight." he offered with a jump of his eyebrows.
"More like lust." she chuckled.
xXx
Sam was scraping the remnants of his food in to the trash as they walked in, then placing the plate and cutlery in to the sink.
"Wanna catch the last of the game?" Dean asked, but his wife cut across him.
"Sorry boys, tonight's a late one for you. I've got chores for you to do." she smiled.
Sam looked to Dean, who had an expression of 'Damn, I thought she'd forget.' She didn't miss a trick.
"Come on Dean, look at this place; it needs more decorations and you haven't even put a tree up yet." she argued; he'd been ducking jobs for days.
"I was waiting for Sam." he defended.
"Good thing he's here now then." she smirked in victory, heading off again.
"And where are you going to be while we're working hard?" Dean called.
"Taking a bath." she chimed.
Dean huffed. "Come on Gigantor, let's go kill a tree."
xXx
Once they had retrieved Dean's favourite axe ("I can't believe you have a favourite axe." Sam chuckled.) they headed back outside. They soon located a 'sizeable' tree that Dean insisted on having. Dean swung with deadly force, embedding the blade in the trunk, the whole tree swaying. Sam noticed Dean glancing awkwardly around at the sound.
"This is stealing, Dean." Sam asked, eyeing the house attached to the driveway that was definitely not Dean's, and the name on the mailbox was not 'Winchester'.
Dean shifted a little. "No," he tried innocently, noticing Sam's raised eyebrows. He gave a half shrug. "It's Christmas, Sammy, it's the season of good will."
"So you're stealing your neighbor's tree?"
"Borrowing, Sammy, borrowing." He went back to swinging at the trunk, deep rivets and splinters fracturing out. After a couple more hits Sam felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw a little old lady, wrapped up in layers.
"Are you a burglar?" she accused, eyeing Sam with suspicion. A burglar who steals a tree? Really? Behind him, Dean had flattened himself against the tree, branches sticking in his back.
"Erm, no ma'am," Sam said, fumbling for his wallet. "I am a...er- lumberjack!" he said, presenting her with ID. "See, this tree, er- is, er- overhanging the lawn and its-its- blocking sunlight and-" She looked it over, giving him a cursory look.
"You don't look like a lumberjack." she interrupted in confusion.
"Casual Friday." Sam shrugged. She eyes him, towering above her with a friendly smile. She gave a nod and trudged back off, back through the snow, not glancing back. Dean peeked from behind the tree.
"She gone?" Dean asked, stepping away from the tree.
"Yeah." Sam mumbled, returning his wallet to his pocket. "You know her?"
"Mrs. Stafford. Lives down at No. 4." Dean said, nodding in the general direction she was headed.
"And you're scared of her because..." Sam trailed off.
"I'm not scared of her, Sam; she just doesn't like me very much. Not since I nearly ran over her cat." Sam gave him a look. "Come on, Sammy, I said 'nearly'. What ID you show her anyway?"
"My library card."
Dean chuckled. "Thank God she didn't have her glasses on. Come on Sasquatch, chop this mother down so we can get back inside." He handed Sam the axe, and stood back as he sliced it down. When it finally toppled Sam straightened up with a gasp. Dean could see him sweating under all his layers, despite the cold air around him.
"What?" Sam asked defensively. Dean smirked as Sam's cheeks flushed pink from exertion.
Dean took off for the house, leaving Sam to pull the huge tree by himself.
"What, I gotta do all the work?" he yelled after his Brother.
xXx
When they finally had the tree inside, it filled an entire corner and brushed against the ceiling. He and Sam stood in front of it, looking from the stand to the tip.
"Maybe we should have got a smaller one." Sam mumbled.
Dean looked at it for a second before shrugging. "Oh well. The bigger the better, right?" he smirked, raising his eyebrows at Sam with a nod. Sam rolled his eyes.
"Always my motto." Dean smirked as his wife padded down the stairs. She was in a short dressing gown and was rubbing a hand towel through her hair, over one shoulder. She spotted the tree. "Holy Hell, Dean! Could you have picked a bigger tree?" Although she sounded reprimanding, her smile was undeniable. "That must have cost a fortune." she added suspiciously.
Sam looked to Dean.
"Yeah," Dean nodded awkwardly. "Only the best though, right?" he tried to charm.
"Sure." she said unconvinced. "Funny, 'cause Mr. Stepson, next door, has a very similar tree in his yard." Her eyes were fixed on Dean's innocent eyes. "I'd hate to think someone might steal it 'cause they can't be bothered to drive across town to buy one." She gave him a knowing look, deciding to give him a break. "It's beautiful, thank you." she praised, giving him a welcome kiss.
"Now all we gotta do is decorate this monster." Sam mumbled, eyeing up the enormous tree; it was taller than Sam and that was saying something.
"'We'?" Jen smiled. "Nuh-uh. 'You'. You two have the chores; I'm going to get my beauty sleep."
Dean mumbled something affectionate about her not needing it as she padded back upstairs. He turned to Sam with a huff. This was going to be a long night.
xXx
Sam followed Dean to the basement. The floor was tiled in iron, thanks to Bobby. The small window was bolted shut, thanks to Dean, a hammer and several nails. And toy cars scattered the stairs, thanks to little Sammy, despite being told never to go down in the basement.
"Nice," Sam mumbled appreciatively. Dean turned to see him eyeing the ceiling. Dean followed his eye line to see the Devil's traps painted there.
"Oh, yeah, did that just after Halloween." he shrugged.
"Cool." Sam nodded.
"You think that's cool?" Dean mocked, indicating to the paintings. "Please, that's child's play." he kidded. He gave a conspiratal tilt of his head and led Sam under the staircase. He held his hands out grandly. Sam just looked confused.
"Why am I staring at a water heater?"
Dean rolled his eyes at his younger Brother, pointing out the rosary beads fed in to the system. Sam's eyes lit up.
"Seriously?"
"Hell yes," Dean replied proudly. "The entire water system has to flow through this bad boy," Dean said, tapping the metal appreciatively. "External water, like the toilet and garden taps are infused with liquidated silver nitrate. Faucets are all fitted with filters of course; but it's worth it. I push one button and the sprinkler system in the front yard, backyard and house start up."
"I'm actually kind of impressed." Sam said, looking relatively excited. "Bobby's invention?" he challenged.
Dean rolled his eyes. "Actually it was my idea but he helped...ok, he helped a lot." he ignored Sam's chuckled. "Come on, let's get this done so we get have a beer." He headed past the safe and to the other side of the basement.
They headed to the far corner, to an iron locker. Dean pulled it open and rummaged around before pulling out a brown box and thrusting it against Sam's chest. Sam gave an unstoppable 'unf' as the box knocked the air out of him. Dean dropped another box on top before slamming the locker closed. He grabbed up two bundles of cable, both wrapped in a big loop, slung them over his shoulder and head back upstairs. He also found it hilarious when Sam skidded on the staircase, thank to Sammy's cars and nearly 'did a Home Alone', as Dean put it. Sam didn't find it so funny.
xXx
Sam checked his watch; just ticking over midnight. Before they had started the house was incredibly bare considering the festive season. Dean said he'd been putting it off so they could do it together; but Sam suspected it was because they didn't have a step ladder and he, Sam, was the only one who could reach the ceiling without needing to stand on anything. Besides the stockings over the fireplace, thanks to a mid-week shopping trip with the kids, and the tree, there was nothing else festive around. It was actually quite depressing seeing as there were children living in the house.
Sam was actually quite impressed by the turn around they had achieved. The room was definitely no longer bare. The fireplace now had a holly wreath running across it, framing the stockings. There were candles and ornaments settled across the top. The shelves were now lined with tinsel and hanging ornaments on delicate golden thread. The chandelier ('God Damn Chandelier costs more than my car' Dean always exaggerated) was sparkling with additional trinkets attached; Jen had picked them out especially for the living room. Shiny streamers hung across the ceiling, crisscrossing from one point to another. The window was now adorned with snow; well the fake spongy kind, despite it already building up on the window ledge on the outside. Lights hung around the window, a soft glow just visible through the drawn curtains. Even the fireplace had been cleaned out and had fresh logs in it. The couch now had a festive throw, and cushion covers with reindeer and elves on. The tree itself looked like it had been taken straight out a magazine, despite Dean's terrible attempts to apply baubles, which resulted in them clustered on one side.
"Did you forget the tree goes right the way around?" Sam teased. Dean shot him a glare and stripped the baubles. Sam took over after that and it looked loads better. It took them 10 minutes just to get the fairy on the top, but they didn't tip the tree, so that was a good thing. When they were finally done they dropped on to the couch with a deep sighs.
"That is the last time I get the Christmas chores." Dean mumbled.
"Isn't that what you said last year?"
They had a beer as they caught the end of game highlights on TV, Dean whining when Sam talked over it, having called to say goodnight to Sara. After that they trudged upstairs to bed. Well, Sam did, Dean got halfway up before he remembered he needed to put that trash out. "Aw, look at you, domestic house husband." Sam teased.
Dean resisted the urge to kick Sam's feet out from under him as he begrudgingly headed back down. By the time he'd put the trash out, locked up all the doors and double-checked them, turned off all the lights and finally got upstairs, he felt dead on his feet.
He popped his head in to Sammy's room to check on the kids; he also double-checked the window was locked. He then headed to Mary-Ellen's room. He peeked in and saw Sam had dropped all his clothes on the dresser, too tired to bother folding them. Dean checked that window too, just in case. He leaned over Sammy for a second, seeing his mouth hanging slightly open as he heavily breathed in his sleep. Dean smirked at the flowers on the duvet he was cuddling as he brushed Sam's hair from over his eyes, noticing how his long legs hung out the end of Mary-Ellen's single.
"Goodnight Sammy."
He eased the bedroom door closed as quietly as he could. He edged along the corridor, set the alarm and flicked out all the lights.
He finally dropped down to sit on the edge of his own bed with a sigh; alarm clock said it was just after 1 in the morning, and he had been up since 7 this morning thanks to his Son's excitement at the snow. He kicked off his boots, socks and pants, kicking them under the bed.
"You know I hate it when you do that." Jen mumbled, rolling over sleepily.
Dean smiled as he pulled his shirt off. "Yeah, I know. I'll get them in the morning." he appeased. He turned to look at her, seeing the light gleaming of her skin in the dim light. 'She's so beautiful.'
He pulled off his tshirt and slid under the covers to join her. She immediately melted her body against his. 'How else am I going to keep warm?' she always argued. His arm went protectively around her.
"Snuggle closer Dean, I'm cold." He knew she was provoking him.
"Dean Winchester does not snuggle." he insisted softly, but moved closer anyway. He felt her kiss his neck. And then his jaw. And he couldn't help but feel warm under the briefest touch.
"What, you gonna tell me you're too tired?" she smirked, again winding him up.
"Have I ever?" he murmured, tracing his own lips dangerously close to her skin. He heard her breathing hitch as he moved on top of her, his chest flush against hers, settling snugly between her thighs.
He could feel her nails gently dragging through his hair, along his neck and across his shoulders. Her legs wrapped snugly around his tapered waist, drawing him in. He fluttered kisses across her chest, tracing up the side of her neck to nuzzle the soft skin below her ear. "You know what they say," he heard fall from her lips.
Before his lips could skim her jaw and on to her precious lips she pushed his chest roughly. "Save a horse," She rolled them over, pressing him down as she climbed on top of him.
"Ride a cowboy." she said with a seductive glint in her eye.
His hands caressed her smooth thighs, landing at her hips where he gripped gently.
God, he loves being married.
xXx
When Dean woke at 10.30am the next day and stretched out to find the bed empty, he vaguely remembered being woken by Jennifer when the sky was still dark. She was going to pick up her parents. He groaned inwardly and remembered why, for the last 8 years, he had hated Christmas Eve. Besides being a pain in the ass, ever since he had knocked Jen up, her parents had made it the bane of his life to make the preChristmas visit a tradition. Not to mention, Jen's father was a world-class A-hole, who never missed a chance to put Dean down. He considered hiding under the covers for the rest of the day, except Jen would kill him if he greeted her parents in his shorts again. Her Mother seeing him literally in all his morning glory was not something that needed to happen again. He heaved himself up and spied the note beside him.
'In case you forgot, I've gone to fetch my parents, be back soon. I took Sammy with me, love you x'
He smiled and stretched, his muscles rolling in the relief it brought.
By the time he had sleepily stumbled downstairs barefoot, stubbed his toe and discovered they were out of pie, he knew it was the start of a sufficiently crappy day.
He heard footsteps only minutes later. Sam appeared in a tracksuit.
"Morning." he chimed, in a surprisingly perky tone.
"Morning. How come you're up? I was going to let you sleep in." he replied, fiddling with the damn coffee thing that Jen had assured would make life easier. Yeah right.
"I heard you nearly fall down the stairs." he smirked. "I thought I should come save you before you blew up the coffee machine."
Dean looked at him for a moment. "Ok, smartass, let's see how you work this thing." he amicably challenged.
In seconds, Sam had crossed the kitchen, reached over to the buttons of the appliance and a stream of dark liquid began to pour. He looked up at Dean triumphantly.
"No one likes a wise ass." Dean mumbled as Sam merely chuckled.
"I'm heading out for a run, won't be long." Sam said, pulling his IPod from his back pocket.
"Sam, it's freezing out there." Dean argued.
"It's not that cold." Sam countered. "I'll just go once around the block." He stuffed his ear buds in and disappeared out the door.
AN: Please let me know what you think, even if it's critique. Hope you enjoyed it x