Previously on Chapter 6: Aunt Rowena…
… the heavy door swings shut with a clang and the witch is gone.
This chapter is longer than usual, enjoy~
Chapter 7
An Important Lesson
"Do we have all of these in the bunker?" Mary leaned in to check out the lengthy list.
"Ya, these should be pretty standard stuff for the Men of Letters. We may need to do a little digging though, I'm not exactly sure where they are," Sam replied.
The three of them went to the room where most of the ingredients are stored. Sam and Mary went to work at once, shifting around bottles and sealed bags to check on the labels and matching them against their list.
Meanwhile, Dean stands in the room aimlessly, occasionally scrutinizing some bizarre-looking things kept in liquid-filled containers.
Suddenly, there was a loud gasp. Sam and Mary spun around just in time to see a bottle falling off its shelf. It made a dull "thud" when it bounces off the lower shelf and then continues to make its way down, along its designated route until - With the reflexes of a Winchester, Sam darts across the room; stretches out his long arms to intercept its pre-determined path; and with a much softer "thud", the bottle landed safely on his palm. Dean's eyes widen impressively at Sam's agile feat.
Then, there was the sound of a muted crack - a crooked line starts to appear inside the glass. There was a moment of tense stillness as they eye the growing line.
Fortunately, the bottle decides to stay intact, to the extreme relief of Sam Winchester. He had a good look at its content - filled with the carcass of a small, rat-like creature, floating in a greenish liquid...
"... I'll go.. deal with this," Sam said, as he held the bottle out of the room, careful not to apply extra pressure on the glass.
"Sorry..." Dean apologised in a small voice.
"Dean... don't touch anything else, ok?" Mary said in a sharp tone. It is not so much that she is annoyed at Dean, but more so at herself. How could she have been so careless? How could she have let Dean set foot into this room, packed-full of dubious objects that may or may not be poisonous - or cursed? What kind of a failure of a mother must she b...
"I... I wasn't touching it! I turned around an.. and it hit my elbow... and..." Dean flustered, believing that Mary's anger is directed at him. Mary let out a disappointing sigh at herself.
"It's ok sweetie, just be more careful now, alright?" Mary said in a gentler tone.
"Alright..." Dean replied apprehensively.
Just then, Sam returns, less the bottle of the dead carcass.
"Sam, why don't you and Dean go outside? I got this," Mary gave the list in her hand a little wave.
"Ya, ok," Sam readily agreed, realising, like Mary, the environmental hazard that this room possesses.
"Let's go," he said, pulling Dean out by the hand.
As Sam walks, he considers his options - where would be a safe place in the bunker for Dean to be in? The kitchen is out, obviously. Their rooms, maybe?
In the end, he decided on the library. Surely, it must be much safer to be surrounded by books than spell ingredients or kitchenware. Moreover, he can do up some research on this curse of Dean. At this thought, he turns around the corner and heads towards the library. It was then that he realises something seems a bit off.
"You alright?" Sam looked back at the brother that he is towing along, unusually quiet.
"... I think mum is mad at me..." Dean mumbled in a sad, muted voice.
"Is she?" Sam asked, surprised.
"Yea..." Dean sighed. He looks so down that Sam actually feels a little sorry for him.
"Hey, mum is not mad at you, don't over think it," Sam reassured him.
"Really?" There was a glimpse of hope in Dean's voice.
"Ya, she's just worried, you know, that you'll hurt yourself," Sam knew this because it was exactly how he had felt.
"Oh," Dean replied, his expression brighter already as he let Sam talk him out of it.
"Anyway, I caught the glass before it breaks so everything's cool.. good," Sam added as they reach the library. And that reminds Dean.
"Oh! Sammy, you were awesome!" He exclaimed out of nowhere.
"What?" Sam asked in confusion. It is really hard to keep up with young Dean sometimes.
"Just now! You caught the bottle when it was falling! Like Batman! That was awesome!" Dean praised excitedly.
"Oh, right..." Sam replied.
"I'll teach you more, then you can become a real Batman!" Dean continued saying.
"W... What?!" Sam cried, as he felt the hand around his tightened. There is a swift change of role between leader and follower as Dean pulled Sam to a more spacious bit of space in the war room.
Wasting no time at all, Dean begins to demonstrate his various "Batman moves" to his little brother, much to Sam's immense amusement. It is then that Sam has a "spur of the moment" idea. A mischievous smile playing on his lips, he whips his phone out from his back pocket.
"Hey Dean, do it again, I didn't catch that," Sam said while he points his camera at the very animated Dean Winchester.
"What are you doing?" Dean asked.
"I'm er... recording your moves. So I can study them," Sam lied - about the second part anyway.
"Oh, ok!" Dean agreed easily as he showcases all of his best Batman and Superman moves without any reserves.
Young Dean is ecstatic, misreading Sam's sudden interest as something less threatening than an impure motive. Not before long, he is jumping and running all over the place.
"Swords!" Dean spotted two long, shiny ones in the library as he was fighting off an imaginary opponent. They seem like perfect replacements for the old, plastic ones he used to have. Without giving a second thought, Dean reaches out one hand to grab his "new toys".
"Wait... No. No, don't touch...!" Sam threw his phone on the table and jumped up from his seat, but he was too late. He cringes as Dean wraps his fingers around the blade. Until this instant, Sam had totally forgotten about the two weapons lying innocently in the library. In his defence, he didn't see it so much as a weapon than an accessory. But of course, it is a weapon, and it is very sharp.
"Ah!" Dean releases the blade before fully lifting it up, withdrawing his hand as he felt a short, sharp pain.
Both swords fall noisily to the floor and as Dean watches, blood starts to leak from his wounds.
"Dean!" Two voices cried out simultaneously. Mary had just stepped into the library, with the ingredient list in her hand.
Dean gives a start at Mary's sudden appearance and instantly hides his bleeding hand to his back.
"I didn't touch it!" Dean blurted anxiously at Mary as they rush to his side.
Both of them raise their eyebrows at his blatant lie. It was such a sad attempt, even if it wasn't directed at the two very professional liars in the house. Mary takes his hidden hand, ignoring his resistant, and pulls it to the front. It is being clenched into a tight fist and bright, red blood is steadily dripping down from it.
"I'll get the bandage…" Sam hurried off to retrieve their first aid kit.
"It's ok, Dean, let me see…" Mary said gently as she coaxed him into loosening his fist.
When he spreads his palm open, five deep cuts can be seen, slashed across all five fingers, his entire hand now smudged with blood.
Sam comes back with the kit box in his hand and Mary led Dean to sit down at the table.
"We'll wrap them up and you'll be just fine," Mary reassured with a smile.
Sam hands Mary some cotton and other necessary materials to treat the wounds.
"This may sting a little," Mary warned before applying the solution.
As the liquid seeps into the cut, there is a sharp intake of breath and Dean's hand tensed against the pain.
"This is why I told you not to touch anything," Mary reminded him with an, "I told you so~".
"I didn't touch it! It's not me." Dean insisted, looking from the fallen swords to his mum.
"Really?" Mary asked rhetorically, a smile playing in her voice.
"Mhm…" Dean nodded definitely.
"Well… they couldn't have fallen by themselves – somebody touched it. And it's only you and Sam in this room, so it must be one of you. So, did you touch it?" Mary asked. Dean furrowed his eyebrows at the cleverly phrased question.
If he answered "no", he will be wrongfully blaming this on Sammy; but if he answered "yes", it would mean that he had been lying to Mary about not touching the sword.
"Whoever did it won't get to eat pie for a hundred days~" Mary upped the stakes just that much higher. She must admit - she is having a little too much fun playing around with young Dean, but hey, that's part of the joy of being a parent, right?
"A hundred days?!" Dean's eyes widened in horror at such a harsh punishment. Right now, 100 is probably one of the largest numbers that Dean could even comprehend and a hundred days without pie seems to feel like a lifetime.
"Yup, one-hundred days," Mary double confirmed.
Dean looks at Sam, who has kept his silence; not even trying to defend himself. When Sam looks back at Dean with a curious spark in his eyes, he looks away, lowering his head and squeezes his eyes shut – deep in thought.
Mary gives a little sigh when the silence dragged on, even after she'd done bandaging all of his fingers. Dean is obviously taking this way too seriously and she is starting to think that maybe she'd gone too far. She was about to take back her words, to release Dean from his internal struggle, when he spoke.
"I did it," Dean said in a low voice.
"What?" Mary spouted reflexively, surprised by his sudden response.
"I touched it, and I made them fall," Dean finally raises his head to look Mary in the face as he confessed his deeds. "It's not Sammy," Dean added firmly, with a quick glance towards Sam.
"So, you admit that you touched the sword," Mary said.
"Yes… I'm sorry," Dean lowered his head again, looking properly abashed at having his lie exposed. (Only Dean believed that the lie was exposed by himself, when in fact, it had been exposed the moment it was spoken XD)
Both Sam and Mary stared at Dean's guilty form and they couldn't help but feel moved by just how innocent and kind-hearted this little Dean is.
Dean starts to pick at his new bandages idly as he engaged in an apologetic silence. Mary's eyes swivel to his injured hand and she is suddenly made aware of something – something important.
"Dean, hey, tell me," Mary lifted his head with the tip of her fingers, "what are you sorry for?" She asked.
Dean looks confused by her question, as it seems to have such an obvious answer to him.
"For touching the sword when you told me not to," Dean replied.
"Anything else?" Mary prompted and Dean bites his lips while he thinks.
"Erm... for lying about not touching it?" Dean wondered if he got the right answer this time and so did Sam, as he, too, had no idea what is Mary getting at.
What is the point of lecturing kid Dean about lying, or not following instructions? Both are pretty pointless, seeing as how Dean will soon be free from this curse. Moreover, given what they do, lying is definitely one of the basic job descriptions in their line of work.
"Dean, I'm not mad that you touched the sword, despite me telling you not to. I'm not even mad that you lied about it too," Mary told a confused-looking Dean (and Sam).
"But I am mad - that you tried to hide this," Mary held Dean's injured hand up by the wrist. Dean turns his head to look at that hand in surprise.
"Dean, listen," she said, and only continued after making sure that his eyes are on hers, "you cannot hide your wounds, ok? When you are hurt and in pain, you tell mummy, or Sammy, so we can fix you up and make you feel better, like this," Mary gave a light tap on his bandaged hand. "That's what family is for. So, you won't keep these to yourself anymore, promise?" And it is Mary's turn to stick out her pinky towards Dean.
"Promise," Dean held out his non-wounded pinky and hooked it onto Mary's. Then, he leans forward and wraps his arms around Mary's neck for a soft, comforting hug.
"I'm sorry," Dean apologised again, for the right reason this time. "Don't be mad, mummy, I'll be good, I promise," he said sincerely.
"You are good," Mary replied as she hugged him back.
Looking at the mother and son, Sam smiled to himself. Dean learned an important lesson today, and so did Sam.
Writer's Random Rant: Last day of intern yesterday~ And school is starting soon~›‹ Hope I can get my desired timetable for next sem! #freedayss
Coming soon… Chapter 8: I Love You
