Battle of Evermore
Sharp Shooter - Pony
Chapter Six; Paranoid
Disclaimer; I own nothing.
Darkness surrounded him, only the sliver of moonlight that came through the curtains and caught in the glass of his whiskey bottle shone. John stared into the caramel liquid, wishing it would give him the answers he needed, to solve all of his problems for him. His eyes briefly flicked to the door as the echo of his sons' laughter filled the house. My boys. John tilted his head back and let the whiskey burn its way down his throat.
The phone interrupted his drinking, and John wondered if it was the same girl that Sam had been talking to just a little while ago. If it was, John was going to have to have a talk with Sam about getting a job to cover the phone bill. But a moment later, his youngest called over the noise of their movie to tell John the phone call was for him.
Picking up the phone in his room, John spoke softly into it. "Hello?"
"John, we need to talk."
He could feel a migraine coming on as he recognized the voice. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me at my house."
The honey sweet voice on the other line simply laughed; "Why, John, don't want the boys wondering about me? Don't worry yourself over such trivial things." And then her voice turned business like. "Now, why I called; I need to know if you're committed."
John swallowed thickly. "Can we do this later?"
"No, John, I have other clients waiting. I've been patient with you, but I need an answer."
"I'm … I'm not sure," John said, grimacing inwardly at the weakness in his words. "How can I be certain this will work?"
"Trust me, Johnny; it'll work," The woman said soothingly, then added," As long as you keep up your side of the deal."
"The moneys no problem," John confirmed, and then let out a deep breath. "When will we meet for the first session?"
"That's my boy. We'll have our first session next week, and bring along the first payment."
John heard the call cut off, but he didn't hang the phone up. He stayed motionless, staring at the wall blankly. His thoughts were all over the place, telling him he'd acted too quickly, hadn't thought it through, but then he remembered what was to come from the deal, and his mind made a u-turn and told him he'd acted too slowly and he should've agreed sooner. John lent down so he was holding his face in his hands, the phone lying awkwardly on the bedside table.
He wasn't sure how long he'd stayed like that, but it was enough time for whatever movie the boys were watching to end. Dean slipped into John's room silently and placed the phone back on its cradle, the only telling of his presence the light flooding into the room from the hall way. John could feel his eldest son watching him.
"You turning in for the night, Dad?" Dean finally spoke, moving to take the whiskey bottle from the floor where John had set it and place it on the bedside table.
John nodded tiredly, suddenly over come with grogginess. "Yeah."
Dean's face held a look John couldn't quite place. "I'll iron your work shirt and leave it on the end of the bed for you."
"Thanks, son," John said as he slipped into his bed.
"No problem," Dean said while backing out of the room.
The door clicked shut behind his son and the room was again plunged into darkness. John's head sank into his pillow in an attempt to get comfortable, but the hunter knew he wouldn't be falling asleep for a while.
-SN-
The Impala glided through the morning fog on John's way to work. He'd just dropped off Sam and Dean at school, and was now mentally preparing himself for his day at work. His mind kept on drifting back to the looks his youngest son kept giving him; whether if it was over his bowl of cereal, or from the backseat, Sam would look at him with furrowed eye brows like he was trying to solve a problem. Now, the expression was normal for Sam, who was a quizzical kid, but John had never had the look aimed at him before.
John shook of the image, refocusing on the road as he turned into his work. Jack was already sitting out front on the bench with two other old time mechanics, all three chatting over coffee. Probably going to sit like that all day, not doing a damn thing while I work my ass off. John's mouth was a thin line of determination; hard work was never a complaint for him, but lazy people could push him over the edge, so he had to fight to keep back comments that would get him fired.
God, do I need this job or what?
Getting out of the Impala, John patted his baby's roof in parting, before walking over to join the three men.
"Johnny! We were just talkin' about ya'," Jack greeted, flashing his pearly whites cheerfully.
John eyed the other two mechanics, Gary Sterling and Stephen Coletti, whose faces didn't display nearly as much enthusiasm. In fact, they held loathing. John ignored them, They just don't like the new guy coming in and showing them up. Which was exactly what John had done the Friday before, when an elderly woman had come in with a smoking'59 Buick. Neither Gary nor Stephen could find the source of the problem, but John had been able to.
To be polite, John said back," Oh, really?' He didn't elaborate, not wanting to get into a real conversation with his boss. Sure, Jack was alright, but if you said one thing that reminded him of his granddaughter, the man would go on endlessly, and it annoyed the shit out of John. It didn't help he was currently nursing a killer headache, too.
"Yep, was just telling Gary here about your boys and how y'all move around all the time."
John shoved his hands deep into his pant's pockets, uncomfortable with others talking about his family. "Is that so?"
"Must be tough raising two boys on your own," Gary said, entering the conversation.
"They're good kids," John said curtly, wanting to end the discussion.
Gary squinted his eyes at John. "Really? You'd think without a mother they'd be – "
"My family is none of your business, Sterling," John grounded out, starting to lose his patience.
"Why are you getting so defensive, Winchester?" Gary was wearing a taunting smile, his forty years of arrogance evident.
John stepped menacingly towards the older mechanic and Gary stood up to face John challengingly. Jack quickly jumped up to get in between them before a fight could break out.
"Whoa, whoa! Cool off fella's." Jack anxiously chuckled. "I think its time we get to work. John, there's a Camaro in the shop that needs looked at, why don't you start there?"
Right. John shot Gary a final threatening glare, before stocking off towards the garage. Before he entered the building, Carl, the front counter guy, stepped out of the attached gas station.
"There's a call for Winchester from Columbus High," He squeaked.
Heart rate picking up, John changed direction and hurried into the store. Calm down, Johnny, they're probably just calling to confirm an address or something. No emotion showed on his face as he took the phone from Carl's out stretched, which was slightly shaking from the presence of the intimidating man. John turned away from the skittish man with slight disgust. He'd never make it in a tough situation.
"Hello?" John spoke formidably into the phone, again keeping his apprehensiveness hidden.
"Mr. Winchester?"
"This is him."
The woman cleared her throat. "You're being called because of a disciplinary infraction your sons, Alexander and Samuel, have made. You're going to need to come to the school."
John squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his headache spike painfully. "I'm at work right now … "
"As long as you're here before five p.m. they'll be waiting, unless another legal guardian can be sent."
"No, I'm the only one," John said, unconsciously worrying at his bottom lip," I'll be there by four."
"Okay, I'll let Mr. Hayes know. Come to the principal's office when you get here."
John handed the phone back to Carl once the woman on the other end hung up. Mr. Hayes is the principal, I thought it was Mrs. Hillman … After so many schools, John couldn't keep up.
Everyone was busy when John entered the garage, so he told Jack briefly that he'd need to get off early. Jack said that was no problem, and then John went off to start working on the Camaro. It was a nice car, but the brakes were starting to go.
John got so involved in his work; his mind taken away from his problems, that he barely even noticed when a mud caked Gremlin came screeching into the parking lot. The owner of the car came loping into the garage searching for a mechanic to check out his sputtering vehicle and happened upon John.
"Hey, I need someone to check out my – "The man stopped talking just as John turned to face him. "John?"
John recognized the man right away as a fellow hunter. "Travis, what are you doing here?"
"Working a job nearby," Travis answered, a smile spreading across his lips." I didn't know you where in the area."
"Just got into town a couple weeks ago," John said while throwing a grease covered rag over his shoulder," What did you break on that old piece of junk this time?"
John followed the other hunter outside. The two of them had been close since they'd hunted a mean rakshas together, but as with most hunting connections, John didn't share much personal information with Travis; like where he'd be hunting for a while. The shorter man didn't mind though, Travis knew that was just how it worked.
"There she is," Travis said proudly as he opened the hood for John to peer under. "Don't know what's wrong this time, but it sure was a bumpy ride here."
John grimaced when he caught sight of the inside of the Gremlin. It looked even worse then the outside. "Did you ever think of getting a job professionally screwing up cars? It would keep an army of mechanics in business."
Travis chuckled at John's seriousness when it came to cars. "I'll have to think about that. So, what have you and the boys been up to?"
"Shit." John nearly banged his head against the car's hood as he straightened himself out again. "I almost forgot – What time is it?"
Travis raised an eye brow, but brought his wrist up so he could look at his watch. "Nearly a quarter 'til four, why?"
John wiped his hands off on his rag to try and rid his hands of car grease and oil, but decided it was a hopeless cause. He rushed back to the garage so he could clock out and grab his keys, Travis trailing behind him.
"What's wrong, John?"
"I have to go get the boys from school."
Travis could tell it wasn't a normal event, and backed off. "Okay, but do you mind if I hitch a ride with you so I'm not stranded?"
"If you hurry," John said while shrugging on his jacket.
After Travis grabbed his few possessions from his car, John tore off down the road. By the time they pulled into Columbus High School's parking lot, Travis was wishing he'd thought twice before asking for the ride.
"You drive like a bat out of hell," He admonished with wide eyes.
"You would too if your kids were sitting in the principal's office, probably throwing spit balls at people," John said off handedly as he got out of the Impala.
He strode into the school, leaving Travis waiting in the Impala, and tried to think of where the principal's office was. It didn't take him too long to locate the room, as Sam and Dean were sitting outside of it on two plastic chairs. They were huddled close together, and John could tell they were both chewing something.
"Boys?" John addressed, halting his brisk steps in front of Sam and Dean.
"Dad," They said in unison, both quickly spitting out the small wads of paper they'd had in their mouths.
And Jim says I don't know my kids. John was about to ask the two teenagers what the hell they had done, when a balding man stepped out from behind a door.
"Mr. Winchester, you finally showed up! We were beginning to worry you wouldn't show." The man extended his hand good naturedly, but John took his words in offense and hesitated to return the gesture.
"Of course, I mean no harm, just a little joking." When John didn't crack a smile, the man cleared his throat. "I'm Mr. Hayes, the principal, please step into my office."
John entered a brightly lit room with academic plaques lining the walls. He sat down awkwardly in an overly stuffed chair opposite Mr. Hayes at his desk.
"As Mrs. Kim has told you, Samuel and Alexander have made a disciplinary infraction," Mr. Hayes began, and John inwardly rolled his eyes." One of our students, Jamie Grant, was found cornered in the gym by your sons. The three had been fighting, two against one, and Jamie was yelling for help when he caught the attention of the gym teacher."
I swear, if those two don't have a good story … John let out a sigh, shutting his eyes as the principal continued.
"This isn't the first time either, Mr. Winchester. Apparently, the first day of school Samuel broke Jamie's nose."
"You mean Alexander," John corrected, figuring the principal didn't know what he was talking about.
Mr. Hayes shook his head. "No, it was your youngest, Samuel. Jamie said Alexander only came in when Samuel was threatening him at the end of gym class."
John glared at the man. "Sam was threatening him? Tell me, how old is this Jamie kid?"
Mr. Hayes hesitated to answer," He's a junior."
"So, what, sixteen or seventeen?' John couldn't help but smile. Good job, Sam.
"I assure you, Mr. Winchester, this isn't a light matter. Although we still must have a meeting with you, your sons, Jamie and his parents, it is most likely your boys will end up with at least a week's suspension for this."
John leaned forward in his seat. "Tell me, Mr. Hayes, does Sam look like the bullying type?" The elder man shifted, remaining silent. "He's too smart. Besides, he's the new kid. What new kid picks a fight with a junior?"
"I – I suppose you're right," Mr. Hayes finally relented," Jamie has been involved in other situations where he didn't tell the whole truth."
So you were stupid enough to believe him? John cringed at the thought of this man running a whole school. How the hell did he get this job?
"Do you mind if I take my boys home now?" John asked as he pulled himself from the uncomfortable chair.
Mr. Hayes looked like he was deep in thought, but then looked up with a large smile. "Of course, I'll call you tomorrow to let you know when to come back in for a meeting with Jamie's parents also."
John said good bye, before leaving the room with a confused expression. Sam and Dean stood up to join him as John started down the hall way, and Dean picked up on the look.
"What is it, Dad?"
"Mr. Hayes … "
"He's not the sharpest tool in the shed?" Sam finished and John nodded.
Dean smirked, sharing a look with his younger brother. "Told you I wasn't the only one who noticed."
John strode beside his sons, who began to shove each other's shoulders good naturedly, and found his mind coasting back in time to when he was a teenager. He was maybe Sam's age when he started working at his father's garage for pay, and even though he worked his ass off, he remembered fondly hanging out with his buddies. After work they'd smoke, maybe have a few beers here and there, and tell bull shit stories. His closest friends had been Ted Rivers and Henry Paschal. John didn't know whatever happened to those two, and if he had the time, he might look them up. But c'mon Johnny, you know there are more important things then old high school contacts.
"You day dreaming, Winchester ?"
John realized he was already sitting in the Impala once again, Sam and Dean talking excitedly with Travis. The ladder grinned as John came back to the present, and John flipped him off in return.
"Hey Dad?" Dean spoke from the back seat over a soaring guitar riff playing on the radio.
"Yeah?"
"Travis doesn't have a place to stay, is it okay if he crashes with us?"
John turned questioningly towards the said hunter. Travis shrugged innocently. "What? I hadn't planned to stay long and ran out of funds."
"Fine, you can stay on the couch."
Dean and Sam high-fived each other and Travis nodded his appreciation.
"But, there's one thing you have to agree to," John said, interrupting the excitement. The three other occupants of the car fell silent. "You have to train with us."
Travis rolled his eyes heavenward to try and pray for patience. "John, you must be kidding."
"No I'm not; the boys can't slack off on their training." A confident smile spread across the eldest Winchester's face. "You and Dean against me and Sam in football tonight, or no deal."
Knowing his competitive buddy, Travis returned John's grin. "You'll be wishing you just let me stay for free when you get your ass handed to you."
The Impala roared through the streets of Columbus, the hunters inside at peace for the time being. John was going to ignore Sam and Dean's fighting as long as it didn't happen again and he was going to help Travis with his case while keeping up at work. But in the back of his mind, John knew plans changed. Something in his gut said that things weren't going to stay normal, and his mind couldn't stay off of his meeting the next week. One screw up and his family could pay for it.
a/n: Sorry it took me so long to update - life caught up with me, along with the keyboard breaking. Let me tell you something, the on screen key board is not fun.
