Calling in a Marker
Chapter Three
Disclaimer - Sigh. Not mine. None of them. Sigh.
I wanted to post this now because I will be out for the rest of the day and this way I don't have to do it in the morning. So...I'll respond if you review. I promise!
"There is not enough brain floss in the world to remove that image from my mind," Sam muttered as the Impala drove towards town.
Dean gave a half-hearted smile. "Well, Sammy-boy, we recovered from catching Dad with that waitress in that town in West Texas."
"Actually, Paulette was a bartender. The Tequila Tavern, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. Good hooch, great service, lousy poker players. Dad and I cleared almost four hundred bucks off of those wildcatters."
Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "Dean, you weren't even legal."
"My driver's license said I was."
"You've also had identification that has said you were a federal agent, a doctor and a variety of ethnicities that neither of us can claim," Sam reasoned.
Shrugging, Dean acknowledged the fact. "Yeah. Like we've lived a normal life."
"Bobby hasn't either, not since he fell into hunting. Remember what Pastor Jim said when we still weren't talking to Dad a week later?"
Pulling into a parking space, Dean parked the Impala and nodded. "I remember. He said Dad deserved a bit of happiness once in a while, and that reaching out for a bit of comfort didn't mean he loved Mom any less. That if Mom were alive, Dad wouldn't have ever looked twice at Paulette. That if Dad found some comfort for a moment, it was alright and that we should try and be a bit more understanding." Getting out of the car at the same time as Sam, Dean looked over the top and leaned on the doorframe. "You know what I remember most about then? That it was the one time you were quicker to forgive Dad than I was."
Closing the door, Sam shrugged. "Maybe because that was one time, there was nothing to forgive."
"Maybe. I guess. Ah, hell, can we just drop it again? And while we are at it, let's forget about what happened at Bobby's as well."
Smiling, Sam nodded. "OK, so let's get some beer, fixings for a decent bar-b-q and some pie. Will that work as brain floss?"
Nodding in return, Dean led the way into the store. "It'll do for a start, Sammy. It'll do for a start."
Sarah Woodbury Tracy watched as her son played happily in a small wading pool with his cousins. A laptop rested on a table, along with a stack of files. It was while Emily was carrying the youngest – for now – Tracy grandchild, Keith, that Sarah had assumed many of the administrative demands of the charitable medical clinic in Akoroa. Even though the high-risk pregnancy had ended well, with the safe delivery of the baby and the slow but sure recovery of the mother, Sarah still kept up with some of the administrative work. Watching as the four older children each picked up small containers in order to laughingly pour water over Keith's feet as he swung in a baby seat nearby, Sarah smiled at the closeness the cousins already showed.
Resting a hand on her stomach, Sarah couldn't help but smile. Unlike her own childhood, her children would be raised in a warm, loving environment. Her parents had loved her; Sarah had no doubt on that. But her older sister Holly had been what Kate liked to call "high-maintenance". Any time their parents had tried to even share attention between their two daughters, Holly would throw a fit. By the time Sarah was five, she had learned to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. By the time Sarah was six, she had met the Tracys and was soon absorbed as part of the loud, boisterous family. She quickly became a big sister to Alan, a little sister to Scott and John, and a "buddy" to Virgil and Gordon. She played with them and even often stayed for dinner. Sarah wept with the Tracys when their mother, Lucy, was killed in an accident and after the tradgedy, she maintained her role in her honorary family, by being a source of calm and comfort through their turmoil. As she grew, Sarah was one of the few "outsiders" who was trusted by the brothers to care for their youngest sibling.
The Tracys had left Kansas immediately after Virgil's high school graduation, which should have been the graduation for the Woodbury sisters as well. Academically gifted, Sarah was graduating in the same class as her sister. But the night before, Holly had set the fire. Aunt Harry had arranged for Sarah to be transferred to a hospital in Boston. The Tracys had moved away, with the family never telling little Alan why his Sarah had vanished so abruptly from his life. But she was never forgotten and when fate had brought them together again, it was as if the years had faded away.
Well, not completely. Virgil had long since stopped viewing her as a buddy.
After she had married the middle Tracy son, her father-in-law – who had never stopped watching over her, going so far as to cover medical bills not under her aunt's insurance – had told her that he had made sure the property where her family's home had been had been maintained. While carrying Michael, Sarah had finally decided what to do with it. The John and Annette Woodbury Home – named for her parents – had been built on the land, a place where the families of children in long-term care at area hospitals could stay.
While there had been whispers of spectral events since before the house had been built, Sarah – who had once been rather skeptical of the supernatural, a condition the events in Boston had cured her of – had initially disregarded any reports the property being haunted. Even when she acknowledged that there could be something there, Sarah did nothing about it. Based on what she had learned, the hauntings were benign, even helpful. But in recent weeks, Sarah had received reports that were indicating something darker – even potentially dangerous. With the excuse of having some remodeling done, Sarah had made sure no one was currently staying in the house, and had been trying to call in the only people she was sure could handle the job.
Now if only the Winchesters would call her back.
Sam and Dean pulled back into the salvage yard, noticeably hesitant to leave the driveway and enter the house. As they stood by the open trunk of the Impala, fingering the grocery sacks within, Bobby walked around the corner, wiping his hands on an old rag. The older hunter shook his head, walked up the stairs and had the front door open before he called over his shoulder, "It's alright boys; Liz left five minutes after you did." He chuckled when the boys nodded and pulled the bags out of the trunk, following him into the house.
"You boys want anything particular for dinner?"
"Got you covered there, Bobby," Dean smiled. "Picked up some ground beef, hamburger buns, and potato salad. And the princess there insisted on heading over to a "farmer's market" for fresh veggies. But, hey, they got some early corn, so I ain't saying anything."
Unloading the bag containing his finds from the market, Sam bickered lightly in return. "Dean, the lettuce, tomatoes, and yes, I got your freakin' onions, are all fresh, local and organic. They are healthier for you."
As the boys continued to snipe at each other in the casual manner that they once had, Bobby watched them fondly. He knew things had been rough for them. They always had been. When Dean retrieved Sam from college to look for their missing father – supposedly for a few days, but it morphed into almost a year – they had bickered. Dean had been afraid that Sam would leave him again and Sam had resented the "normal" life he had worked so hard for being disrupted. After they had found John – only to lose him to the Yellow-Eyed Son of a Bitch Demon – the boys had bickered. Then the fighting had been grief over John's death and the brothers' fears over their father's dying words – that Sam could turn evil. That was followed by Sam dying, Dean's deal, Sam vowing to save Dean and ended with Dean dying in his brother's arms. Man, that year had sucked.
But now Dean was back. Bobby had been the first person who had seen the resurrected man, when Dean had showed up at his front door, hopeful that Bobby would know how to find Sam. And while the brothers, now reunited, had been happy to see each other alive and well, the time apart had taken its toll. The bickering was still there, but there was a cutting edge to it that frightened Bobby. The ties that had always bound the brothers were frayed by fears, stress and a sense of loss that transcended death. Bobby swore that if it was the last thing he did before the boys left again, he was getting them to open up.
Robert Singer would have rather landed buck naked in a nest of vampires at feeding time than face the task before him. But for the boys he loved as his own, it was time to face the fire.
Smiling as Dean went out back to start the grill while Sam cut the vegetables, Bobby nodded. It could wait until after dinner.
Alan Tracy looked over at the sleeping form of his wife, as he made the final approach to Tracy Island. Married for almost three weeks, the couple had been on a tour of Asia, including, to Tin-Tin's delight, several days in Malaysia. She had been delighted to show him where her family had come from. As Tin-Tin had pointed out yet another place she insisted Alan had to see, Tin had said that perhaps one day he would take her to where his family had come from.
"Tin-Tin, trust me…Kansas is not all that exciting. Wheat fields and…more wheat fields. Besides, I was ten when we left there. I think of Tracy Island as home." When Tin-Tin had pouted, starting to talk about heritage, and children, and that Alan should value his family history, Alan had just laughed. "Baby, I promise…I will take you to Kansas. Next time there is a rescue there, I'll make sure you are on the team."
His new bride had launched herself at him, knocking Alan to the ground and proceeding to mercilessly tickle him. Which, while Alan – like all of his brothers, except Gordon – was very ticklish, soon led to something that could have gotten them in big trouble with the authorities if they had been caught.
And his dad would have would have not been pleased if the media had heard.
Thinking of the fourth estate, Alan frowned. It still bothered him that on their last night, while dining in a restaurant in Tokyo with a former Wharton's classmate, Tomo Wantanabe, and his fiancée, Arika, the media had intruded via a tabloid reporter, Sonny Raines, had managed to sneak in and take a picture of the four young people. While he had been thrown out, Raines' camera had an advanced link that had sent the picture out to the media. Tomo's father, a senior member of the Japanese government, had made sure that Alan and Tin-Tin had been able to slip out, getting to the airport and heading home. He had sent a message to the island, telling them they were returning a couple of days ahead of schedule.
While Alan had loved the private time he had Tin-Tin had enjoyed, he had missed his family and their life on the island. And something was definitely up with Gordon. According to John, Gordy had suddenly headed to the States, with no real explanation. John had gone on to say that Kate had been at the villa with Emily early that morning, ranting and raving, with her only clear, logical words being "eunuch" "trouble" "Julie" and "Gordon". The fact that Gordon was not answering his calls – except a brief text to Jeff saying "I'm fine, home soon" – made Alan both nervous and amused. Nervous because he always was worried about his family – a Tracy trait – and amused because this was such typical Gordon behavior.
Well, hopefully the arrival of the newlyweds would distract Kate long enough for Gordon to hide.
Dinner was finished and Bobby had insisted on doing the dishes since the brothers had made the meal. Dean had taken the opportunity to wash down the Impala while Sam had turned on his laptop to check e-mail. Drying the last of the plates, Bobby put it back in the cabinet and decided to confront the younger Winchester.
"Sam, we gotta talk about what has been happening."
Not looking up from the computer, Sam shrugged. "Bobby, I'm good with it. I know all about the birds and bees and urges. Liz seems cool and I am glad that you have someone like that. Oh, and Dean and I will make sure to call first from now on."
Sitting down next to him, Bobby folded his hands on the old, scarred kitchen table and tried to get Sam to look at him. "That ain't what I'm talking about, and you know it."
"Actually, Bobby, I don't…" Sam's voice trailed off as he opened an e-mail. "Huh. Sarah Tracy has sent several e-mails. Says she tried to call Dean repeatedly…Oh, yeah, Dean changed his cell phone a few months ago and got a new number. Well, it isn't his fault. I don't think she has him in her circle, now does she?" Finally looking up, Sam asked Bobby, "Liz didn't say anything was wrong, did she? I mean, Sarah is her friend so she would tell Liz, right?"
"Liz didn't say anything but dammit Sam, you are getting off the point. I'm worried about you and Dean. I mean, what you guys have been through since he came back. Like when he got that ghost virus. Or when Alastair showed up…"
"Yeah, well, the demonic coach was kicked out of the game, wasn't he?" Sam shrugged. "And we saved Dean from the virus. Just in time, final countdown and all that jazz."
Bobby shook his head. "That is what I mean. Look at you, Sam. It's like your brother being repeatedly threatened isn't even fazing you."
Standing, Sam walked over to the window. Bobby could hear the water running as Dean sang to his car, wiping off the traces of soap. Sam smiled, but it was a smile filled with heartbreak. "It's complicated, Bobby. Part of it is Dean still wants his little brother and I can't be that kid he protected all the time. I had to learn to protect myself and I can't go back. Part of the problem is Dean suffered, horribly, and my use of the demon blood, even for good, strikes him as a betrayal – and from the one person he was sure would never betray him. But do you wanna know what my biggest problem is?" Sam turned to Bobby; his eyes glistened in the fading sun. Bobby shook his head as Sam continued. "The biggest problem is I think I have hit a wall. I just can't feel as much. I spent a year wondering when I would lose Dean. Not to mention that whole "Groundhog Day" experience, Dean died repeatedly until the Trickster decided I had learned my lesson. Then he really did die, right in front of me. For four months Bobby, I tried to get him back. For four months I failed. Then he was back. My big brother, my best friend…he was back. And there was this distance…and I just don't have it in me. I love Dean, you know that, right? But…I have to keep everything in check. If I leave myself open like I used to, I'm going to fall to pieces. And I can't. Not while Lilith is still out there, not while she is still after us and trying to…"
"Dammit, Sam. There are always gonna be demons, there will always be bad guys. But you have been given a miracle. Don't blow your second chance."
Walking towards the stairs, Sam wouldn't look at Bobby. "I think I already have, Bobby. I think I already have."
Dean came into the house just as Sam disappeared up the stairs. "Hey, Bobby. Where's the princess off to?"
Bobby was reluctant to explain to Dean what Sam had been confessing. He decided distraction was in order. "Sam mentioned that Sarah Tracy had been trying to get a hold of you. She sent an e-mail. Tried to call you but she had your old number. So she sent an e-mail to Sam. You might want to respond."
Walking over to the laptop, Dean looked at the e-mail. Grabbing a pad of paper and a pen, he scribbled down the number that Sarah had sent. "I'll call her in the morning…It looks like she must be in New York. That's a Manhattan area code. It's getting late. I think I'll shower and turn in early, Bobby. See you in the morning."
Before Bobby could say anything, Dean ran up the stairs. Sighing, the older hunter sat down once more. "John," he looked upwards, "of all the genetic traits you could have passed on to your boys, did pure, stubborn cussedness have to be the dominant one?"
A/N - The distance between the boys has been absolutely heartbreaking this season. And it has worried me how Sam has been so distant while Dean has been repeatedly endangered (a nice change from Sam being repeatedly endangered). A review response for a Skag Trendy story brought it into view for me. Sam has hit an emotional wall and is having trouble with dealing, as he just explained. Thanks for the insight ST - you are the best! And now you all know what Sarah needs the Winchesters for. Ghost busting time. A simple haunting...
Yeah, right. Like anything is ever simple for the Winchesters.
Laters!!! CC
