Calling in a Marker
by Criminally Charmed
Disclaimer - It's as likely that I own Supernatural or the Thunderbirds, as it is to hit 90 degrees in New Hampshire in April. What? The high temp was 91 today? EXCELLENT!!! Meet the new owner of...Oh, must be heatstroke. Sigh.
Chapter eleven
It was a slightly bedraggled pair of Winchesters who wandered back into the Fairview Inn at three in the morning. The desk clerk looked like he wanted to say something but the glare he received from Sheriff Landman quickly dissuaded him from his intent. The law officer took the card key from Dean, who was supporting most of his brother's weight, and led the way into the room. After she helped him settle his brother onto one of the two queen size beds in the suite (having given Dean an odd look when he snapped at her when she had tried to place Sam on the one closest to the door), Sheriff Landman watched as the older brother gently removed the younger man's shoes and covered his sleeping form with a comforter from the end of the bed. Landman was about to say something when Dean raised a finger to his mouth, silencing her. The two moved to the other room, Dean making sure the door was closed behind him.
"You sure that doc knows what he's talking about? Sam was kinda spacey there," Dean grumbled as he lounged on the sofa.
"Billy is a good doctor," the sheriff laughed. "For a summer boy." Dean looked puzzled, but the law officer just laughed more. "Sorry. For generations, we had folks who thought it was a good idea to send their kids from the cities out to here. You know, "fresh air, sunshine, blue skies, yadda yadda." Billy's father is chief of medicine at the University Medical Center in Topeka. Every year, he would send Billy and his sister to stay with their uncle here in Bailey. Nice enough man, he was our local principal for years. Only became mayor when he retired. Got bored he said and running Bailey is much like trying to keep up with a building full of school kids."
Tapping his fingers on the arm of the couch, Dean asked the law enforcement officer, "How did you end up as sheriff? And how did a city boy like Billy end up in the small town instead of working for Daddy?"
Landman chuckled again. "My dad was a cop in New York. Died in the line of duty. Mom came home to Kansas. Guess I missed Daddy a lot. Acted out, caused a lot of trouble…got to know the Sheriff's office up close and personal. Amos Taylor was the Sheriff back then. Found out I liked baseball, used to go to games with my Dad."
"Yankees fan?" Dean guessed.
"Bite your tongue boy. Mets fan here. Real team, not just the best money can buy but still can't manage to win." Smiling, she turned the chair from the desk and sat before she continued. "Anyhow, I started playing little league. Met up with Scott Tracy, who told the boys that as long as I could play he would play with me. As team captain, his word carried a lot of sway. We were friends from that day on. Ended up both going in the military at the same time, just I went Marines and Scott became a fly boy. That's where I met up again with Billy. Fell in love with the idiot, which was one of the reasons we both got out. He was Air Force, same as Scotty. Hard for Air Force and Marine to be stationed in the same place at the same time, unless someone is shooting at you. Billy's daddy is just starting to forgive me for Billy settling here and reopening the clinic. Just took giving him a grandson."
Standing, Landman stretched and smiled. "Well, I gotta be back at my desk come 0700. If I want any sleep, I better head home. Now, I hope you boys enjoy the rest of your time in Bailey. Personally, I don't want to see you at any place but Millie's." At Dean's curious look, she smiled once more and gestured to the room service menu. "That food is good. But when I let the folks at Millie's Diner know you are friends of Sarah Tracy and that your brother got hurt trying to help her, well…I think Millie herself will make sure that you get a big slice of pie to go with some of the best home cooking you'll ever have."
"How can you can be sure this Millie will like us?" Dean asked, trying not to yawn.
"What can I say, she likes troublemakers. She raised one," Sheriff Landman joked as she headed towards the door. "Me. Never wanted me to become a cop, but she started to calm down once I was made Sheriff. Mama thinks it's more political than cop, so she is easier to deal with these days. Especially since I made her a grandma; babies will do that to folks."
Kate Tracy had long since finished up her report, having worked through lunch. She had meant what she had told Deputy Dumbass…uh, Dutton. Jeff wasn't available, this was the day he had lunch with his grandchildren. It was a tradition that had started as a compromise with Kate. Giving Jeff Tracy a special time with his grandchildren made sure that he was less likely to snatch the kids otherwise. Looking at the picture of the Tracy patriach surrounded by his entire family, Kate smiled. According to Scott, the man had done the best he could. But between a growing business and later, the stress that came from the the loss of his wife, Jeff hadn't always been able to enjoy the little moments with his sons. When he started International Rescue, Jeff had found himself growing closer to his sons again. With Scott, Jeff had a wingman, someone to share responsibility with. John was the one Jeff talked to, sometimes late into the night. Virgil's fascination with improving the machines appealed to his fellow engineer. Gordon was the one that saw the humor in the mundane and made everything more bearable. Then, there was Alan…
Jeff loved his baby. He was rather overprotective of the kid (not like the rest of them weren't as well.) And he had missed Alan whenever his youngest went away to school. But Jeff had wanted Alan to experience life beyond the limitations of Tracy Island and to know he had choices in life besides International Rescue. Alan had resented being sent away for years. Strangely enough, it was the incident with the Hood that made Alan want to have a life where he wasn't just Jeff Tracy's son or (enter appropriate brother's name here) Tracy's brother. John had often said it was because he felt accepted enough to leave that he didn't have to stay.
Kate smiled, glad she was married to the Tracy son who usually made sense.
As Kate sighed, thinking that maybe she should wrap things up and head out to find her sons, the vid-phone beeped. Emitting an even bigger sigh, Kate reluctantly reached out to turn on the device. Expecting someone calling with Tracy Industries business – although she didn't know what – Kate was almost pleasantly surprised to see Dean Winchester on the other end.
"Dean? Is everything OK? Dumb…Dutton let you go, right? And isn't causing more trouble, is he?"
Sighing, Dean leaned back in the hotel chair. "I'm fine. Sammy is asleep. I would have called a few minutes ago, but, um, it took me a while to figure out how to use this thing." Dean glanced down, trying to gather his thoughts before slowing rasing his gaze to stare Kate right in the eye. "I wanted to say thanks. You really stood up for Sam and me. We…well, we just aren't used to that."
Kate smiled. "Dean, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I think you know how it feels to be desperate to protect someone you love. If you and Sam hadn't been there, I am certain the Hood would have killed Alan."
Thinking of all he had done to protect Sam over the years, from going hungry to going to Hell, Dean nodded. "Yeah, I do. And Alan is a good kid. We were glad to help him." Yawning, Dean stretched. "Listen, there is no way I can be up much longer but I wanted to talk to you about the salt and burn."
"The salt and…" Kate looked puzzled before her eyes lit up. "Oh, the ghost! Yes, Sarah and Alan told us how you dealt with a ghost. Is everything settled or do you have to go back?"
"We got her," Dean acknowledged. "I don't know if Sarah told you…"
"That it was Holly? Yes, she did. Even the part about the baby teeth. That was…disturbing."
"Yeah. But the thing with ghosts is they can be talkative. All this, my life sucked and this is why I won't head into the light with Jennifer Hewitt." Then Dean cocked his head and gave a small glare. "She said you shot her and that was one of the reasons she fell to her death. Sorry, but that sounds like the Hannah chick who thought she was Holly. Sam showed me all the news articles about it. How you shot the woman holding Sarah Woodbury hostage and the nutcase fell four stories off a parking garage onto a Boston city street? Wanna tell me how a decorated FBI agent misidentified a perp like that?"
Kate sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I didn't. My father and uncle - who, by the way, when I call the man a genius, I am not being a doting niece I am serious, - showed up after we saved Sarah. They provided documentation that showed Holly was actually Hannah, and that she was delusional. The truth is they took some truths, mixed it with a more palatable falsehood and well…You know Sarah. She took it hard enough when she found out that her sister set the fire in an attempt to kill her; can you imagine how she would have felt to know that she had been trying to do so still? She blamed the drugs and was able to live with it. Holly had been off the drugs – well, the illegal ones, since the fire. She just still hated her sister enough to kill her. Sarah has such a gentle heart for the most part. I went along with the lie because it was for the best."
Taking a deep breath, Kate leaned back in her chair and folded her arms defensively. "Oh, and I was a good FBI agent. Sarah looked like her aunt and Holly looked like their mother – sisters who looked like another pair of sisters. They had different coloring but their bone structure clearly marked them as sisters. Even with the plastic surgery Holly had been through, that, unlike Sarah's which was reconstructive only, changed Holly's general appearance, you could see the similarities if you know what to look for. I will have you know that the new, acurate facial recognition software used by the federal government is from Tracy Industries and I was one of the chief designers."
Leaning back himself, Dean sighed, feeling compelled to give more information to Kate. "The fire wasn't the first time he tried to kill her," Dean reported grimly.
"That doesn't surprise me," a new voice said. Kate visibly jumped as her husband entered the room. Pulling up a chair, Scott joined the conversation. "So, I would be willing to bet that a lot of those accidents Sarah had as a kid were a tad more intentional, huh? I suspected Holly of being responsible for a few of them. The older the girls got, the more vicious Holly became. We did our best to look out for Sarah Jane but Grandma always said we shouldn't say anything unless we had proof. Not sure anyone would have believed us. Holly had a way of acting a lot more innocent than she was. You should ask John about the time she tried to seduce him. And she was only fourteen at the time. I think she already had more experience than he did. Fact is," he grinned, "I am pretty sure of it."
"Yeah," Dean responded, surly, "she is gone now. But she tried to kill Sam tonight. Frankly, I would love to be able to revive her just so I could kill her all over again."
"Is he OK?" Scott asked, concerned.
"He will be." Dean nodded. "He's resting at the moment. Thought since the room is paid for we'd relax for a day or two, if that is OK."
"The room and room service are paid for through the week, Dean. Stay as long as you need." Kate answered. "If Dutton bothers you again…"
"What?" Scott exclaimed. "Did Dumbass…Um, I mean is Keifer Dutton causing problems again? I should call Jean…"
Dean interrupted. "Sheriff Landman already intervened. And she invited us to have a meal over at her mother's diner."
"Oh, yeah, Miss Millie's pies…they are so good. I can still taste them."
Kate looked at her husband askance. "Anything I should be jealous of here?"
"Nope. One woman man, here hon. But if you can ever talk Miss Millie into her deep dish apple pie recipe…"
"You'd never get any work for Tracy Industries done. You would be too busy in the gym." Kate snarked. Smiling at Dean, she nodded. "OK, take care of Sam and get a few days rest before heading back to the road. And like Sarah told you in Boston, the Tracys are in your debt. You need us, just call."
Nodding, Dean looked at the couple thoughtfully. "What are you going to tell Sarah?"
"That her sister's spirit is finally gone and that she can have Paula make Woodbury House available to families in need." Kate smiled sadly. "I don't think she needs to know anymore than that about Holly, do either of you?" Both men agreed and Dean signed off the vid-phone.
Kate went to stand up when she felt the pressure of Scott's hand on her arm. Her husband frowned at her. "Kate, do you really think you should have kept everyone in the dark about Holly?"
Frowning herself, Kate covered Scott's hand with her own. "Scott, in many ways, we are a lot alike. Especially in this – I will do whatever it takes to protect my family. I didn't kill Holly – it really was an accident. But if it had come down to a crazy woman and saving Sarah and Virgil, I would have done whatever I had to. Most of this family couldn't keep a secret like that from Sarah. And now I have to ask you to do so. I love you and I trust you. I know you can keep that secret." Pulling away, she looked at Scott sadly. "I just didn't want you to have to share the burden with me."
Reaching out, Scott pulled Kate into his arms. "Well, Fed…that is what I am here for. Sharing burdens is included with sharing blessings. My brothers and father are my family by blood. But you…You I chose to stand beside me, 'till death do us part, remember?" Kissing her deeply, Scott rested his hand on the back of her neck, feeling a decades old scar where a criminal bent on revenge against her father had shot Kate when she was only nine. "I know you are strong, Kate. It is one of the things I love about you. But when you have reinforcements, strong becomes even stronger."
"My hero," Kate sighed, fluttering her lashes. Scott began to kiss her again, with them both jumping when they heard another voice yell out.
"I found them Jason!" Elizabeth hollered. "Your parents are making out in Grandpa's office!"
Leaning into Scott's chest, Kate hid her burning face. Scott laughed and put a finger under her chin, raising her face back up. "Could be worse. I can still recall traumatizing Virgil not long after we got married…"
Kate laughed as well, and they followed their niece out to rejoin their sons, content that, for now at least, all was well on Tracy Island.
A/N - I know, not much action. We are getting ready to introduce some new players in the game before I cause some more trouble...I mean, bring in some action. Oh, and I take it nobody liked Deputy Dumbass...I mean, Dutton. Good. (Insert evil laugh here.)
Thanks for the reviews (I really love reviews.), and thanks for Little Miss Bump for her substitute beta work. Man, is she tough! And one last shout-out to Sammygirl1963 - you keep me going when I so wanna give up. You are both awesome!!! - CC
