Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.
Previously on Supernatural- Feeling truly safe for the first time ever, the five-year-old threw his arms around Bobby's neck as he cried out, "DADDY!"
SPN
"Okay kiddo! You're good as new!" Bobby announced, ruffling the boy's hair. He scooped Sammy off the counter and gently set him on his feet. Knowing they didn't have much time before Mrs. Williams was scheduled to arrive, he quickly thought of an indoor activity for the two. "What do you say we crack open that garage set you got at the store and play inside for a while?"
"Yea!" Sammy hollered. "I'll get it!" He raced out of the room chattering excitedly.
Chuckling, Bobby headed for the bookshelf. He needed to get some books so he could start a road.
SPN
"Mmmmmmm, mmmmmmm" Sammy hummed as he drove his little blue truck down the book ramp. He screeched it around the corner and then skidded to a stop in front of the garage playset. "Beep! Beep!" he hollered. "Mr. Daddy, Sammy need a new tire!"
Bobby walked the little mechanic figure over to the pick-up. "Alrightie, Mr. Sammy" he had the plastic figure say. "I'll just…" He broke off at the sound of knocking. Sighing, he set down the man and stood. "Put the truck up on the blocks for me while I get the door."
"Okay" Sammy agreed. He pushed his matchbox truck onto the ramps and pulled down the lever to raise it up. He was so glad his daddy was letting him play with his set. It was fun! Sammy picked up the toy wrench and pretended to unscrew the lug nuts like he'd seen his daddy do earlier. The tool dropped and his head snapped up as the name Mrs. Williams reached his ears. Seeing said woman entering the room, the youngster froze. The last time Mrs. Williams came to his home she had taken him away from his bad masters. So she must be here to…Sammy jumped up and raced over to the adults. Getting between the two, he threw up his hands to stop the intruder. "Go away! Sammy stay with daddy!" he hollered. Balling his tiny hands into fists, he started for the enemy.
Bobby quickly scooped up his son before he could attack. "Whoa there Sammy! We don't hit, remember?" he reminded. When his little one continued to struggle, the new father turned the boy around so they were facing and wrapped him in a warm embrace. "Sammy, what did daddy tell you?"
"But her's gonna take me away!" Sammy protested, snuggling into his daddy's chest.
'Oh buddy" Bobby thought. Sighing, he began rubbing soothing circles in the four-year-old's back. "Sammy, Mrs. Williams isn't here to take you away. She just wants to check and see how we're doing." He explained.
"Your father's right, Sammy. I didn't come to get you. I only want to see how you're adjusting to your new home." Mrs. Williams assured the frightened child.
Sammy turned and eyed the woman skeptically. "Promise?" he prodded.
"I promise." Mrs. Williams replied, holding out her pinkie. While the boys in her care tended not to believe anything adults told them, with good reason of course, many of them were still young enough to believe that the simple act of touching pinkies was an unbreakable promise. She just hoped Sammy was one of those children.
Sammy studied the CPS worker's face intently for a few seconds and then wrapped his pinkie around hers. "Okay" he agreed. He wiggled in his dad's hold until the man set him on his feet. "I go play now."
Mrs. Williams watched with a smile as the little boy ran over to his toy garage and began playing. "He certainly has adjusted well." She commented. "Much better than I'd anticipated in fact."
"Yes ma'am, he has." Bobby responded, flashing a smile. He escorted her to the living room and took a seat. "We both have."
Mrs. Williams opened the black folder she'd brought, wrote something in it, and then looked over at the foster father. "Before we take a tour of your home and deal with the question/answer phase of the visit, I have some news to tell you. After a thorough investigation, Sammy has been declared a ward of the state and as such is being put up for adoption."
Bobby blinked. That was fast. He'd expected it to take much longer. Still it made things easier for him. The salvage owner smiled at his guest. "I'll adopt him." He declared.
"I'm afraid it's not that easy Mr. Singer." Mrs. Williams told him. "While CPS is anxious to get this case swiftly handled and buried due to the negative press its caused, it will still be difficult for a single man to adopt a child."
"Even if that man is in a relationship with the sheriff" a voice called from the doorway.
Mrs. Williams head whipped to the door. "Sheriff Mills, what brings you out this way?" she asked, frowning as the cop's words finally sunk in. "Wait, did you just say you and Mr. Singer…"
"Are a couple" Jody finished as she walked into the room. She went over and hugged Bobby before taking a seat beside him on the couch. "As for what brought me out here, I came to get a statement from Bobby and Sammy about the incident at the store this morning."
"Incident? What incident?" Marion worriedly inquired.
"Some creep tried to kidnap Sammy." Bobby stated.
Mrs. Williams' mouth dropped in shock. "Wh-what happened?" she stammered.
Bobby took off his ever present cap and ran a hand through his hair before replacing the battered hat on his head. "Well, it's like this" he began. He spent the next several minutes detailing the entire kidnapping attempt and all the ruckus that followed, making sure he didn't leave out anything. He wasn't about to risk losing his son for something as stupid as leaving out details.
By the time salvage owner finished recounting the terrifying experience, Mrs. Williams was shaking with anger. How dare that man try to abduct sweet little Sammy and then attempt to blame it on Mr. Singer. Men like that felon were the worst kind of scum. They deserved to be put under the jail for the rest of their miserable lives, not… "Excuse me?"
"I asked if you'd like a cup of coffee. You're looking kinda peaked." Bobby repeated.
"No thank you" Marion answered, sitting up straighter. "I'm sorry I spaced out like that Sheriff. After all these years of dealing with the worst of the worst, I should be used to it."
"I doubt you ever get used to someone hurting a child." Jody absolved.
Mrs. Williams smiled. "If I ever do, I'll know it's time for me to leave this profession."
"More like time to leave this Earth" Bobby mumbled under his breath.
"What was that Mr. Singer?" the CPS worker asked.
"Nothing" Bobby quickly said. Wanting to get the interview over so he could go back to playing with his son, he stood and held out a hand. "How about that house tour now?"
SPN
Mrs. Williams sat down at the kitchen table with Sheriff Mills. Placing her ever present folder on the wooden surface, she swiftly scribbled notes about what she had observed and then placed her pen on the page. "Thank you Mr. Singer" she said, taking the offered coffee mug. The CPS worker took a sip and then set it down. "Mr. Singer, I must say I'm impressed. Your house is immaculate!"
"Thanks" Bobby replied, blushing at the unexpected praise. "But I can't take all the credit. One of my good friends came to visit a few weeks back and his wife helped me get the place set for a child."
"Still, you've kept it that way. That will look very good on your adoption application." Marion told him.
"Wait, you mean I can apply to adopt Sammy?" Bobby questioned, the surprise clear in his voice. "But I thought you said…"
"I said it would be hard but not impossible." Mrs. Williams finished. "Finding an adoptive family for an older child is a hard task. Most couples want newborns or toddlers. Sammy is well past that age even if he doesn't look much older than that. There won't be many if any couples eager to adopt him. And since the department heads are anxious to get him adopted so the press will move on, you have a better than normal chance of adopting. That said there are a few things we need to discuss; things that will help you in your quest to adopt Sammy."
"Such as…"
"Daddy come play now?!"
"I'll go." Jody volunteered. "You stay and get the goods to keep that little guy in there."
"Thanks Jody" Bobby said, smiling as she gave him a peck on the cheek. He turned in his chair and watched as she approached his son. After he saw the two begin to play, the hunter turned back to his guest. "Okay, lay it on me."
SPN
Sammy pedaled over to the back porch where Sheriff Mills was waiting. Stopping at the bottom step, he called, "Daddy say he needs some more, umm, more big nails and, and screws." He informed her.
"Nails and screws coming up" Jody answered. She placed the requested items in the little green wagon and then picked up the tray she'd brought out. "Alright kiddo, you tote the supplies and I'll take care of the drinks."
"Okay" Sammy agreed. He carefully maneuvered his tractor around and started back to his daddy. He was having fun building the garage for his tractor with his daddy and Ms. Jody. Ms. Jody was nice even though he'd had to talk to her about the bad man. She knew all the best games like Dean and she liked to scoop him up and hug him like Aunt Mary. He hoped she came to play every day. Sammy slid to a stop and climbed off his tractor. "Here's the big nails and screws daddy." He announced, handing the items to his father.
"Thanks buddy" Bobby responded. He set the needed supplies beside his tool box and then picked up another board. "Sammy, can you hand me a couple of nails?" he asked. "They're in the red box you gave me."
"Uh huh" Sammy answered with a nod. He reached into the box and grabbed a handful of the nails. Staring down at the long silver pieces of metal in his hands, he attempted to work out how many his daddy needed. He had told him a couple but he didn't know how many that was and he didn't want to give him the wrong thing.
Seeing the little boy's dilemma, Jody quickly stepped in. "A couple means two Sweetie." She informed the youngster. When the five-year-old still looked confused, she added, "Watch". She dug into the box and slowly pulled out two nails while counting, "one, two".
Sammy gazed down at his handful and then grinned. He dumped the big clump of nails into the box. After glancing up at the officer and getting an encouraging smile, he reached into the red container. "One, two" he counted, taking out the needed nails.
"Good job, Sammy!" Bobby praised as he took the nails. He dropped them into his pocket and ruffled his little one's mop of hair. "How about you and Ms. Jody lay the nails out in your wagon. I could use some sets from one to ten. Think you two can do that?"
"I'm game. What about you Sweetie?"
"Sammy game!" The boy shouted. "Sammy do it! Watch!" He swiftly pulled out a couple of nails and placed them in his cart. "One, two" he counted.
"Great!" Jody complimented, patting the boy's back. "Now let's get the rest."
"Okay!"
Sammy and Sheriff Mills spent the next hour teaching and watching Sammy count and recount groups of nails. Once the youngster got the hang of the skill, Jody made a game of counting out different numbers. They played and laughed until the sun started going down and Bobby called an end to their outside time.
SPN
After cleaning themselves up, the group met back up in the kitchen. Bobby pulled out the pots and pans he'd need to fix supper while the others sat down at the table with one of the few children's books in the house. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" Jody called as she opened the orange Dr. Seuss book.
"Naw, I've got it han…" Bobby set down the hamburger with a sigh and then stomped over to the numerous phones on his counter. Picking up his hunter phone, he gruffly answered, "Singer". He listened for a moment before breaking into a grin. "Hey Mary! How's it going?...Uh huh, uh huh, yeah she came by this afternoon…actually it wasn't so bad. There was even a bright spot…Sammy's been made a ward of the state so now he's up for adoption…Of course I told her I'd take'im…It's not gonna be that easy. She said it's tough for a single person to adopt…No, I'm not giving up! I'm gonna fight for'im! They're not gonna…Hold on Mary." Bobby looked over at his newly declared girlfriend. "What'd you say?"
"I said let me talk to her for a minute." Jody repeated.
"Alright" Bobby agreed. He handed the receiver to the sheriff and then walked back over to the stove.
Jody waited until the hunter was out of earshot before whispering into the phone, "Mary, I need a favor."