Chapter Four-Healing

Caleb sat at the counter studying the Latin book his dad had given him. It was full of fascinating rituals for exorcizing demons and he could hardly take his eyes off of it. Sure, it was in Latin but Uncle Jim made sure the three brothers were fluent in the dead language. He was so engrossed in the text that he barely heard the bell on the door as two men entered the shop.

He jumped when a man cleared his throat. Caleb looked up sheepishly. He knew his dad would tease him about how Hunters needed to be alert at all times but thankfully he was in the back room. "I'm John Winchester," the man said, "I have an appointment with Bobby Singer for my truck."

Caleb put on his poker face and picked up the phone, "Dad, there are a couple of guys here to see you. Got an appointment, they say." Caleb listened for a few seconds then said, "Okay, will do. Hey, don't forget I'm going shopping with Ace and Tiger. Do we need anything else besides what's on the list? Uh huh…uh huh…okay got it." He hung up the phone and told the two waiting men, "Dad'll be out in a few. Got an engine that's giving him trouble. Said to help yourself to some coffee." Both men nodded and got a couple of cups of coffee. Caleb kept an eye on them for any reaction to the beverage since Bobby made it with Holy Water. He had figured that offering coffee at his business was less suspicious than offering a beer. He also had the blessed water in the water cooler for those who didn't like coffee.

Since the men were able to pass over the threshold which had a salt like on the top of the door, and drank the coffee, Caleb was willing to bet they were at least not possessed by demons, especially since they walked through the devil's trap that had been cleverly worked into the pattern on the floor. The only test left was that of silver and Caleb was ready. It had been a long standing practice of the Singers that anyone who came to the shop had to sign forms with a silver pen. Shifters and werewolves couldn't even handle silver since it would burn their skin. The mirrors on the wall didn't reveal any nasty surprises either and Caleb hoped that the cameras would catch any eye shine that would also let them know if they were dealing with shifters. He knew his dad was watching the cameras in the back for that particular sign. Turning his attention back to his book, he started to softly read an exorcism out loud. Even though he teased his father about being paranoid, he knew the man was trying to keep him and his brothers safe.

After having the men sign forms for permission to do a diagnostic on the truck, a reason to have them touch the pens, and observing no burns, Caleb got up and filed the paperwork while pushing a small button to let his dad know the two men had passed all the tests. John was amused with the whole routine. He had done his homework on the Singers to know that they would put them through numerous tests before the big man himself came out to see them. He had no doubt that the boy behind the counter was armed and that Bobby had a gun on them at all times.

It would have gone like usual if his brothers hadn't walked into the shop. Dean loved any reason to drive his car, a 1967 Impala that Bobby had given him for his sixteenth birthday, and Sam would ride by his side unless he was going on a date. Since he knew that there were store runs needing to be done, Dean had volunteered to pick Caleb up and do the driving. Caleb looked up when the bell above the door jingled and groaned. Then he groaned even louder since Sam had his glasses in his hand. They had broken and Sam was there to get his other pair. He didn't want to wait for his dad to bring them home since his brothers had promised to take him to the bookstore that day. Bobby had found that Sam's eyes wouldn't affect anyone if he wore tinted glasses so he had a friend make a couple of pairs for his youngest. Of course, he was looking straight at Caleb who was the end of a line of people that started with John Winchester.

John turned around when he heard the door and looked at the boys who had come into the shop. The older boy was around six feet tall, had green eyes and blond/brown hair which was cut short. The younger boy who was in front of the older one was small and slight, with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Then the younger boy's eyes latched onto John and his heart lurched. His eyes widened as he started to remember: John was frantic. Mary was about ready to give birth and now this storm threatened his ability to get her to safety. Running into the house and calling her name, he hears her screams in their bedroom. When he entered the room, he watched as his four year old son delivered his brother.

He watched his son cuddle, carry and take care of the baby and was amused when the little boy refused to let his mother even touch the newborn. It takes a lot to get the boy to let anyone hold the baby and only John was given total access to the child. Even Mary wasn't granted that privilege.

Love, unconditional love, was what he felt anytime he held his boys and he was thankful for that. He could see the hurt in Mary's eyes when Dean flinched every time she came close to the baby Sammy. Then, she was dead, burned up on the ceiling after having her stomach slashed open. John grabbed the baby out of his crib and gave him to his brother to protect and care for.

Heart shattered when his children disappeared after Hunters tried to kill his baby boy. Years of emptiness and vengeance take its toll on the man as he hunts the thing that killed his wife and was the cause of the breakup of his family. Yellow-Eyes mocked his dreams every night to the point he drank in excess. To keep himself going, he had to take out credit cards in names not his own, he stole and he gambled using poker and pool. He wasn't the same man who had married Mary Campbell and fathered two children on her. He felt unworthy and dirty as he stared into those hazel eyes.

As Sam looked at John, the older hunter gradually became aware of a warmth creeping through him. One of forgiveness and love, something he hadn't felt in years. He felt as though he was being washed clean and cared for. A genuine smile graced his face as he stood looking at the young child. One that hadn't been seen since the day his wife died.

Jacks watched his buddy and a frown formed. He wondered what was going on until he too caught the child's gaze. While on a job, Jacks met a girl and gotten her pregnant. He kept her with him since he felt he should be a responsible parent even though there wasn't any love between him and her. She died on a werewolf hunt being used as bait. The werewolf was killing pregnant women and Jacks had come up with the brilliant plan of using the mother of his unborn child to draw it out. But before he could kill the damn thing, it had torn her to shreds trying to get at the fetus. Something in him was broken and he kept using humans as bait for his hunts. Campers were wonderful baits for Wendigos, young people were delicious to vampires and rugarus would eat about anyone. Most of his live bait never saw another day but the ones who lived, he put down himself so they couldn't rat him out. When he heard about the kids being fed demon blood, it was just another kill to him, never mind that the kids were under a year old. His soul was made blacker with every kill he did.

When he met up with Winchester, he was so far off the path that he had a special place set up in Hell. Alastair was eager to meet the man and would haunt his dreams of promises of pain and humiliation. When Jacks looked into the hazel eyes, he saw justice's scales tipped with evidence against him. Forgiveness was possible but only if he wanted it but he had turned away from justice a very long time ago and didn't care for forgiveness, just the killing of the supernatural, no matter who got hurt.

Jacks trembled with terror and anger as he stayed caught in the hazel gaze of the child. His hands clenched so tightly that he drew blood as his fingernails dug into his palms. Sweating and pale, he continued to stare into those eyes, never seeing Bobby coming out of his office with a shotgun or Caleb drawing his own weapon. He didn't see that the boy behind the child had a knife ready in his right hand as he turned the child's head away with his left. He forgot that Justice was blind and carried scales but also a sword. As the link between Hunter and Omega was broken, Jacks uttered a strangled scream and rushed towards the boy with a knife in his hand only to come face to muzzle of the gun John now held in his hand.

"What the hell are you doing, Winchester? Can't you see that thing needs to die?" Jacks howled.

"What I see is a kid, Jacks. Not something to be killed," John growled his reply. "You need to leave and never come back. I don't want to see you again. Grab your gear out of the truck and get the hell out of here or, so help me God, I will salt and burn you."

Jacks paled then looked around to see the other weapons pointed at him. Scowling, he slammed past the boys and went to get his stuff. He vowed to himself that he would be back to kill the abomination and its brother. Since John had sided with the hellspawn, in Jacks' mind that made the other Hunter infected and therefore expendable. Same with Singer and his other sons. All of them must die, he thought.

After Jacks stormed out of the shop, John carefully approached the boys. Kneeling down so they were taller than he was, therefore not threatening, he looked up and asked, "Are you two okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Dean looked down at his little brother then back at John, "Naw, we're okay. Just a bit shook up, that's all."

Bobby and Caleb walked up and flanked the Hunter. Neither of them had put their weapons away and John understood why. He had broken one of the rules-he had talked to Bobby's children without permission. Idly, John wondered if the shotguns were filled with rock salt or regular shot. Rock salt would hurt like hell but regular shot would kill him at the distance they were at from him. Though, common sense told him that Bobby would never shoot while he stood close to the boys.

"Dean, why don't you, Sam and Caleb go to the store while I have a talk with Mr. Winchester," Bobby's words shocked John to the very core of his being. His babies' names had been Dean and Sammy.

"Okay, dad. Um, we actually came in to tell you Sammy's glasses broke and he needed his spare set and they're in your office," Dean said.

"Well, go back and get them then get going. I'll be home for dinner so make sure it's done and your homework is also done. I want to check it later. Oh and there's a package at the post office waiting for me so will you pick it up?" Bobby asked idly while studying John.

"Sure will," Caleb responded while the other boys went to the office. Like usual, Dean kept Sam very close to him, shielding him from stares that the Hunter was giving them. Caleb's own protective instincts had kicked in after Jacks had such a strong reaction to Sam's gaze. When that happened in the past, it meant bad news since the person who reacted like that had something very wrong with them. It was the reason why Bobby implemented his rules. It kept Dean and Sam safe which was something that Caleb could get behind.

After the boys came back from the office, the new pair of glasses on Sam's face, they walked up to the trio. Caleb broke off to join them and, as they started out the door, Sam turned to the older men and whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do anything bad."

Bobby went over to his son and gave him a hug, "It's okay, kiddo. I know that and you don't have to worry, it's automatic and there's nothing you can do about it. Just go on and have a good time at the bookstore." Sam smiled then joined his brothers as they left the shop. Bobby then turned to the stricken Hunter.

"They…how…what…" John stuttered.

"Sorry about that. If I knew my son had broken his glasses, I would have had Caleb bring him the extra pair sooner. Usually, he hides his eyes so he can go out in public without any problems," Bobby said.

John's Hunter mind battled with the Father mind until the Father won, "How did you find them?" He asked, meaning the younger boys.

"Well, Caleb was caught trying to steal from me," Bobby explained. "The other two I actually found while deer hunting. Sam was three at the time and Dean was four." He didn't think that hiding the boys' names would do any good especially since he was the one who dropped the ball when talking to Dean. "Jim Murphy helped me with the paperwork for all three of them and I've been their daddy ever since."

"Did Dean ever say anything about his family?" John wanted to know.

"No, not really. He did say that he and his brother were loved but for their safety and the safety of their only living parent, they had to leave," Bobby revealed. He wondered what was going on since John looked as though he was in pain. "Why?"

John honestly didn't know what to say. He wanted to find out if the boys could be his sons but then this man had raised them for the last ten years, he was their father and had a better claim to them than John did. Finally, he came to a decision and prayed it was the right one, "My…my wife was killed six months after our youngest was born. I...I…I walked into the nursery, thought I heard something and there was Sammy, awake and alert. He was always such a strange little guy, only really happy with his brother but that night, there was something off about him. Something missing. I didn't really have time to find out what happened because a couple of red drops fell by his head and I looked up. There was my beautiful wife, Mary, on the ceiling and bleeding from an open wound in her stomach. I watched her and…and fi…fire burst around her. I…I…I picked up my baby and ran to the door where my other son was standing and I put Sammy in Dean's arms and told him to take care of his brother. Then, I went back to see if I could rescue my wife. There was a yellow eyed man…er demon in the room. He smiled and told me Sammy was next, that he was the demon's." Tears fell from John's eyes as he purged the poison from his soul.

"Then, after Mary's funeral, two guys who said they were investigating the fire, asked me about what happened. They told me that a serial killer was going around and killing the mothers of six month old children. They asked me the ages of my kids and I ended up revealing that bit of information. I went to the reception that the church had given but when I got back to my babies who were in the hospital, all I found in their room was three men, two of which were the ones who had questioned me. The boys were gone and I never found them. Cops had no clues and had to let the bastards go. I caught up with them and they told me about the demon and that the kids had been fed his blood so they were infected. They had been killing the kids when they found them. They had gone to the hospital to kill my babies."

"What did you do to them?" Bobby asked softly.

"Not as much as they deserved," John confessed. "I beat the hell out of them but I left them alive. Because of them, I lost my sons." Tears fell thickly out of his eyes and Bobby, like he would do for one of his children, gathered the hurting man into his arms and comforted him, rocking slightly.

He didn't know how long he sat comforting the other man but Bobby slowly became aware that John had fallen asleep in his arms. Grimacing, he was very glad that Caleb or Dean hadn't come back since they loved to get blackmail information on him. Gently lowering the man onto the floor, he got up and dusted himself off. Then he went to his office and got a blanket and pillow he had kept there for the boys when they were growing up. Coming back out of the office, he found that John had woken up and was blearily looking around.

"You okay?" Bobby asked carefully, not wanting to upset the other man.

"Yeah, I guess. What happened?" John wondered.

Bobby took a minute before he answered. Finally he said, "You were infected, sick from what happened to you. My guess is that you were healed but since you were so sick, it took a lot out of you."

"What do you mean, infected?"

"What happened to you all those years ago was poisoning your system. If you had given into it, you would not been able to handle the healing, like your friend. Because you still were clinging onto the love you had for your family, you were able to be healed. Even if you had had just an atom of love, you were healable," Bobby tried to explain.

"Huh? I don't understand. Who healed me and when?" John asked.

Bobby sighed and said, "Let's get you off the floor and get your truck into my shop. I'll tell you everything over dinner. As warded as my shop is, it's still not safe to talk about such things here." John looked at him with a searching gaze then nodded. Taking the hand that Bobby held out, John got off the floor. For the next few hours, the two men did diagnostic tests on the truck. Then, at five, Bobby had John follow him out to his Salvage Yard where they would spend the next week overhauling the truck's engine.

John parked the truck out by the garage and looked around. There were many junked cars in the process of being scrapped. Many neat piles of parts were laying around being cleaned and fixed. By the garage was a storage shed where the finished parts ended up. Beyond the Yard was a fence surrounding a house. Bobby got out of his own truck and gestured for John to get his gear and follow him. They went past a 1967 black Impala in cherry condition that made John itch to touch and examine but he kept walking. He hoped that later he would have a chance to check it out. The Impala was parked next to a black SUV. Bobby led him through the fence gate where John saw a two story house surrounded by a well-kept yard. Three dogs were on the porch watching the men approach, their tails thumping when they saw Bobby. When their head turned towards John, he could have sworn they licked their lips in anticipation of a meal but they let him enter the house unmolested.

Inside, John saw a living room with a desk, fireplace, bookcase, couch, chairs and a television. To his left was a dining room with a kitchen that was separated by a pocket door. Stairs were in front of him with a bedroom just beyond the stairway. Bobby led the way upstairs to a bedroom where he had John stow his gear. He showed John where the bathroom and linen closet was before taking him back down. They went to the kitchen where Caleb, Dean and Sam were. Caleb was setting the table while Dean was stirring food cooking on the stove. Sam was on Dean's back, a scene that was familiar to the other Singers. Usually, Dean carried his brother in his arms but if he needed them, Sam was then put on his back. Missouri's explanation of the need for physical contact helped them to accept the situation. If Sam was doing something, he got down, did the chore then went back to being held. It was the reason why Dean's dates were hard on him. Bobby knew that the events of the afternoon had upset both brothers to the point that Dean was insisting that his brother stick to him like a limpet.

"Hey dad," all three boys called out in a greeting then went back to their chores.

"Hey guys. Uh, we need another place…" Bobby trailed off as he counted the plates set out for dinner. There were five and he raised his eyebrows. Caleb saw what he was looking at and pointedly looked at his brothers. Bobby grinned and got out a couple of beers. "Do you need any help?"

"Naw, we got it. Dinner should be done in fifteen minutes so you have time to drink your beers and wash up," Caleb said grinning.

"Okay, idgit. We'll be in the living room. Anything interesting in the mail?"

"Couple of bills, some checks and a request for research on a leshi. Guy thinks there's one in Maine so he's asked for information. Ellen called, Jim called, Missouri called and threatened that if you don't call her back, she's going come out and hit you with her spoon," Caleb relayed. Sam giggled at that and Bobby grinned. He really loved to hear Sam's voice since the young boy didn't like to vocalize very much. Most of his communication was telepathic or through sign language, no matter how much the others encouraged him to use his voice.

"Okay, holler when you're ready or if you need any help," Bobby said then, giving a beer to John, he led his guest into the living room. Since they just had a very short time before dinner, they kept the conversation light and about nonsensical things.