A massive thank you and tasty baked goods to: gidgetgal9, PurpleSphinx, sammygirl1963, xxHardcoregirlxx, iris254, Thorny Hedge, apieceofcake, weimfriend, RireneC, daisymaygirl1, cruzing4jensen, friendly, silentpixiee, heather03nmg, skag trendy, Visionary, xwhiteorblackx, kokomocalifornia, pageavenue57, vampyfreak and mel087. Your kind reviews were the only thing which got me though the headache which was Chapter 9, that and a large mug of extra strong whisky laced coffee …
Chapter 9
Whilst John's usual barrier of resistance had crumbled somewhat on the subject of letting his boys provide him with back up, he refused point blank to have the two watch his back whilst they were clearly off their game. So he put his foot down and it was settled that they stay at the motel and get some rest. For the time being at least, nobody was going anywhere. Although John's knee bounced every time he sat down and his fingers constantly tapped, he clenched his jaw and kept to his word.
Sometime after they had woken, John went out and returned with a selection of Chinese food in an assortment of colourful containers. The food disappeared quickly. With his stomach full, Dean was feeling almost human again. He climbed into the shower and stood letting the hot water beat down on his sore limbs. Sighing as the remaining tremors of adrenaline finally ebbed away. He had wanted to go to a bar, to let his body fully relax with the aid of a beer or four. He craved the warm numbing sensation a drink would give his brain. Anything to prevent his mind from subjecting him to the repeated flashbacks with front row seats, where he saw Nathaniel's foot swinging to strike at Sam's head or the look on Anna's face as it lit up when she bit into his arm. The temptation to go to a bar was with him all day, but he stayed at the motel. He stayed within sight of his little brother. Boredom threatened to drive him to distraction but he still did not leave. Instead he stretched out on his bed, the TV remote stuck in his hand, casually flipping through the channels.
In the short space of time he had been reunited with them, John had noticed a change in his boys. They had always been close as brothers, despite their obvious differences, but now it appeared they feared to be separated. When Dean had nipped out to fetch a can of soda from the motel office vending machine, Sam had chewed his lip for a moment before getting up and hurrying after him. Dean had eventually settled comfortably on his bed, eyes glued to the television but every now and then, he would turn his head in Sam's direction before turning his attention back to the screen. Sam meanwhile sat hunched in a chair his eyes hidden by his dark bangs whilst he studied the book on his lap, although John had noticed he hadn't turned a page in the last hour or so. Looking at their pale faces, with dark circles still evident under their eyes, John saw a trace of what his sons had experienced and it made him ache with indefinable anger.
John remained vigilant throughout the day. He revisited the smoking bowl on the table several times to add a touch more saffron or to blow on the smouldering herbs, which sent a foul smelling cloud wafting throughout the room. Whilst Dean maintained a respectful manner towards his father and questioned him a little on his knowledge of the vampire nest, Sam didn't attempt to speak with John at all preferring instead to stay buried in his book. There was a general sense of restlessness in the room, which went unspoken but was undeniable, hanging repressively over them like a black cloud.
When John's mobile finally rang, it was almost dark. John wasn't really surprised, he had been expecting the call with some trepidation. Sam raised his head from his book and moved to stand near his father. Dean quickly switched off the television and lent forward attentively. John looked at the name 'Dean' which flashed on the display screen. He paused before pressing the answer button, "hello?"
"John you spoiled our game, you cheated" Anna hissed menacingly.
John's grip on the phone tightened but he didn't talk.
"John, I see you still want to play. You don't want to talk to me, maybe I can do something to convince you?"
John waited as a scuffling noise was heard on the phone before a voice spoke, a voice which John recognised in an instant. "John?" the voice said breathlessly, lightly concealed pain bubbling below the surface of the question.
"Mike?"
"Get away John. Get your family away…" the voice implored before going quiet.
John listened hard, there was the faint sound of a struggle followed by an audible yelp and Anna's cool calm voice returned to the phone, "so John, feel like talking?"
"Let him go"
"John, this is my game, I make the rules. I decide who lives and dies, not you. If you don't want anyone else to die on your account, then you'll do exactly what I say."
Sam watched as his dad began pacing the room, continuing his conversation. Eventually, John lowered the phone, letting it hang by his side. He took a seat on one of the beds and looked first at Dean then at Sam. "They want me to go to Wicker Lake, North Dakota….alone".
"No way!" Dean hadn't meant it to come out as yell but John's face flinched all the same.
"If I don't go alone, they're going to kill Mike Baker" John replied running a hand over his face.
Dean's ear's pricked up at the name, another one of dad's friends he thought miserably. "Dad it's a trap, can't you see that, Mike's probably dead already?" his voice becoming increasingly desperate. He didn't want Mike to be dead, he truly didn't but he wanted his father alive more.
"I'm going, alone, I'm sorry" John stood up. He turned to look at Sam, before reaching out hesitantly to touch Sam's shoulder. Sam gave him a calm wide-eyed expression then stepped away so that John's hand was left suspended in mid-air. John felt the loss of contact, like a punch. He paused for the briefest of moments to look at his boys before reaching for his bag and walking out the door. Dean moved to the window and watched as his dad walked away, swallowed by the darkness of the cold night.
-0-
For the purpose of the story, the lake mentioned in this chapter exists only in my head. For love nor money, I couldn't find a real one which would meet the story's needs…
Anyway, time to get back to some action next chapter…