Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing. Don't like, don't read!
Previously on Supernatural- Dean knelt down and embraced his little brother snuggling him to his chest. Sammy was safe!
SPN
Dean kissed the top of Sammy's forehead smiling as the toddler's head dropped on his shoulder and tiny hands latched onto his shirt. "Hey buddy. Daddy's here, you're safe now" he cooed allowing himself a moment to just enjoy holding his little brother in his arms. Once he had calmed down a little he reluctantly ended the soothing silence and set about trying to get some answers. "You okay, Sammy? She didn't hurt you, did she?" he asked. Frowning when he felt the boy's head nod against his shirt he pulled the youngest Winchester back so he could see Sam's face. Spotting the bruise one small cheek Dean saw red. "Who did this?" he questioned ghosting a finger over the injury.
"Bad man hit me." Sammy quietly replied.
Surprised by that answer Dean asked, "What man, kiddo?"
"The man tat huwt ganma and tated me." Sammy explained.
"Oh great. The witch has friends." The eldest Winchester thought. Filing that information away for later he ran a hand across his face and took a deep breath. He had to keep it together for Sammy's sake. "Are you hurt anywhere else, Sammy?" Dean queried.
"Uh huh, I falled and huwted my knees and hands" Sammy said showing his daddy his hands, "and, and…" Stopping Sammy dropped his gaze to the floor.
"What's a matter Sammy? What did that b-witch do to you?" Dean demanded.
"Her, her p-panted me daddy." Sammy tearfully admitted launching himself at Dean. "I sowwy daddy! I sowwy! Me didn't mean to say a…" Sammy threw a hand over his mouth.
Knowing the toddler didn't have the vocabulary necessary to truly explain what was done Rose decided to intercede. "Mr. Harvelle, I don't think you can call what she did to him spanking." Rose clarified.
"Oh and how would you know what she did?" Sheriff Mills challenged.
"Easy, I saw the damage." Rose replied. At the sheriff's motion for more the young woman began to explain. "When I found Sammy by the woods, he was covered in dirt and mud and his hands and knees were scraped and bleeding. And by the time he got to my house he was also hungry. So I decided to give him a bath before I fed him. That's when I saw the bruises. The little guy's behind is black and blue. She didn't spank Sammy; she beat him.
"She what?" Dean growled. Feeling his little brother stiffen at his tone Dean quickly tamped down his anger. There'd be time to take care of Shirley and her friends later. Right now he needed to concentrate on the frightened little boy in front of him. Wrapping his arms around the sobbing toddler Dean softly whispered, "Its okay Sammy. You didn't do anything wrong. Daddy's not mad you, buddy."
Sheriff Mills proudly watched the father/son reunion. She was thrilled her police work had led to this child abduction ending happily; too many cases didn't. Now all that was left was to arrest the kidnappers and tie up loose ends starting with…the officer glanced over at the auburn haired woman in the room. "Ummmm, Ms."
"Please call me Rose." The younger woman suggested.
"Alright, Rose I have a few questions for you. Can you tell me why you brought the Harvelle boy down here after you called us?" Sheriff Mills asked as she pulled out her notepad and pen.
"I brought him here to keep him safe." Rose replied. "I heard someone pull into my drive a little while after I called the station. I knew you hadn't had time to get all the way out here so I went over to the window to see who it was. Sammy was in my arms and he started screaming "bad lady" as soon as he saw an older woman get out of the pick-up truck. I backed away from the window but she saw us before I could get out of sight. She ran up on the porch and started pounding on the door." Rose explained. "I couldn't take a chance on her getting inside and taking Sammy again so I rushed to the back of the house and went through the hidden entrance. I knew she wouldn't find us here."
"What about…"
"Sheriff, I know you probably have a ton of questions you wanna ask but can you save them till we get back in the house?" Dean asked cradling his brother to his chest. "I'd really like to get Sammy somewhere warm before he catches cold."
"Yes, yes of course" Sheriff Mills agreed turning to go back down the tunnel.
"Follow me." Rose instructed starting in the opposite direction. "I'll show you the shortcut back into the house."
Falling into step behind Sammy's rescuer Dean walked through the tunnel glancing from side to side gawking at all the intricately carved totems and drawings covering the stone walls. "Who did all this?" he asked ghosting a hand across a stone bear face.
"My great grandfather and his brother" Rose answered. "They grew up in a rough neighborhood. Break-ins, muggings, and murders were part of their daily life from the time they were Sammy's age. The brothers never felt safe anywhere; not even in their own home. They swore when they were grown they'd build the perfect house, one where they'd be safe from any kind of evil. And this is that house."
"They didn't do a very good job. Those hooligans got in easy enough." Sheriff Mills pointed out.
"That's my fault, not theirs. The front door used to be solid steel. I changed it to a normal wooden door when I moved in. I thought I didn't need the protection." Rose told the others. "And just so you know, that's the only place they could have gotten in. The walls are all made with three inches of iron behind the wood and the windows are solid Plexiglas. My dad added those for my grandfather. There were no windows originally."
"Sounds like your great grandfather and his brother thought of everything." Dean observed as he squeezed through the opening behind a huge wooden cabinet. Finding himself inside the hallway of the cabin he smirked. He'd have to tell Bobby about this place.
"They really did." Rose agreed. "The escape tunnel and room were added after one of their friends and his family were trapped in a house fire. The whole family was killed. The brothers couldn't stand the thought of something like that happening to their wives and children. They started the escape tunnel immediately. The room was kind of an afterthought. I think they decided they'd need a safe place to stay if the house burned. They kept a fully stocked pantry down there as well as blankets, lanterns, even a first aid kit. They could have easily spent two or three months down there if they needed..." Rose's voice tapered off. "OMG!" she gasped taking in the destruction in what used to be her living room. Kneeling down she silently surveyed the broken pieces of her life. Shaking hands reached out gingerly grasping a chunk of pink and white china. "My mom's Georgia plates" she whispered tear filled eyes looking up at Dean. "She saw them in a window of this little antique shop one year and fell in love with them. Dad got her one every Christmas and birthday until she had the whole set. They were her most cherished possession."
Dean righted the recliner and sat Sammy on it telling him to stay put before squatting down beside the upset woman. "I'm so sorry Rose" he apologized putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of us."
"Speaking of hurt" Sheriff Mills interrupted, "Who did all the blood come from?"
"Blood? What blood?" Rose inquired. Following the sheriff's gaze she saw the pool of blood in the middle of the room. "That's not from Sammy or me; we were already in the tunnel before they got in and there wasn't anyone else here except…Oh God no!" Jumping up she frantically rushed towards the kitchen shouting, "Lucky! Here kitty, kitty!" A tiny ball of fluff barreling out of the other room had Rose sighing in relief. Picking up the black kitten she hugged it gently. "Thank goodness, you're alright!"
Dean let out a relieved breath happy that Sammy's rescuer hadn't lost her pet to Shirley's temper; she'd lost more than enough at the witch's hands. Feeling a tug on his pants leg he glanced down to find Sammy staring up at him with the saddest eyes he'd ever seen. "What's a matter, kiddo?" Dean asked as he picked up the youngster. Seeing an unfamiliar tattered stuffed toy in Sammy's hands he gave the toddler a confused look. "Where'd you get that, kiddo?"
"Wosie gived it to me." Sammy stated handing the busted toy to his daddy. "Gostie bote. Daddy fix it?"
Dean looked at the stuffing sticking out of the toy ghost and shook his head. "Sorry buddy. Daddy can't fix this." He regretfully told his little brother. Seeing the baby's hazel eyes start to tear up he swiftly added, "But I bet your grandma can sew him back together for you. And speaking of grandma we need to call her and let her know you're okay. Grandma and grandpa and papa were all worried about you."
"Sammy tall! Sammy tall!" the toddler squealed reaching for the cell phone in Dean's hands.
"Hang on a minute quick draw. Let me dial first." Dean chuckled. He pressed Bobby's contact number and waited for the older hunter to pick up. "Hey, Bobby, I've got someone that wants to talk to you." He greeted before passing the phone to the excited youngster. He walked over to the recliner and took a seat to wait. Settling his little brother in his lap Dean listened to the little boy chattering away to Bobby for a moment before turning his attention to the two women on the other side of the room. Noticing the cagey gleam in Sheriff Mills' eyes he grimaced. Wondering what the officer was up to he scooted out of the chair and headed towards the women. He got there just in time to hear the sheriff's next question.
"Um hmmm, right. Tell me, how do you know Mr. Singer?" Sheriff Mills haughtily asked.
"I don't know anyone by that name." Rose denied her face revealing that she was being truthful. "Who is he? Is he the man from the pick-up?"
"No, he's the man the sheriff has been persecuting ever since Sammy was kidnapped." Dean accused glaring at the smug officer. "I told you already, Bobby had nothing to do with this! Even if you didn't believe it before, you should now. Just take a look around; Rose said all this happened after she called the station. You and I both know Bobby has been at the house with you or your men all afternoon. Which means he couldn't have done this."
"He could have an accomplice." Sheriff Mills pointed out.
Seething Dean marched up to the Sheriff getting right in her face. "Dammit!" he yelled. "Don't you ever…"
"Daddy! Daddy!" Sammy interrupted as he ran over to the two quarreling adults. "Papa wanna talt to oo."
"This ain't over." Dean spat. Taking the cell phone from Sammy he walked a couple of steps away from the officer and then put the instrument to his ear. "Yeah…but…but…but Bobby…alright fine…yes sir…yes sir…yeah, bye Bobby" Dean clicked the cell closed and stuck it back in his pocket. He tossed another glare at the sheriff before picking up Sammy and retreating to the recliner.
Grinning triumphantly Sheriff Mills turned back to finish questioning Rose. However the sound of several cars pulling into the drive prevented her from saying a word. Going over to the front door she watched the squad cars stop behind hers and the officers pile out. She motioned to them and then waited for the men to cross the yard and come onto the porch. Stepping away from the door and prying ears she quickly and quietly explained the situation to her deputies. After giving the men specific instructions, Sheriff Mills sent them off in different directions to search for clues. Once that was done she walked back into the house and addressed her charges. "Mr. Harvelle, it's time to go. We'll take Sammy to the hospital to get checked out first and then I'll…"
"No, Sammy's not going to the hospital. I will not let some stranger poke and prod my son. He's been through enough." Dean broke in crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm afraid I must insist Sammy get checked out. I need to know what if any injuries he sustained while he was missing." the sheriff countered before smiling sweetly at the young man. "Don't you want to make sure he wasn't injured by the so called bad lady?"
"Yes and we will. Just not there." Dean shot back. "Sammy's got a regular pediatrician. If anybody's going to be examining my son, it's going to be Dr. Isaac."
"Mr. Winchester, its well after five. You're not going to find any doctor's office open this late." Sheriff Mills reasoned.
"Not a problem. I'll just call Dr. Isaac's cell and let him know we're on our way." Dean told the officer smirking at her disgruntled expression. Pulling out his cell he punched in the doctor's number. "Dr. Isaac, its Dean W-Harvelle…yeah we found him. That's what I'm calling you about…You got it. Look I know it's late but can you…a little over an hour away…you sure?...alright, see you in a little while. Thanks man." Flipping the phone shut Dean glanced over at the Sheriff and grinned. "Dr. Isaac said he'd meet us at his office."
Mentally cursing her bad luck Sheriff Mills simply nodded. Clamping her mouth shut she turned and trudged out the door. Her hopes of getting the toddler checked for signs of abuse dashed the angered woman began plotting. Bobby Singer was going down. She would see to that.
