Chapter Fourteen: A Family Is A Family

Dean was ready to leave Mark's house when Bobby pulled up the driveway in his pickup truck at five minutes to eight the next morning.

Once Billy's remains were nothing but blackened bones and ashes, the boys had quickly and quietly filled the grave back in with dirt and gravel before returning to Mark and Eric's house, exhausted, bruised but relieved and proud of themselves.

Before Dean fell asleep on the living room floor, surrounded by his friends who likewise had just dropped where they stood once they were inside, he spoke to Mark.

"We did it," he whispered, his eyes feeling as though they were weighted down with lead, "We really did it. Sammy's safe."

"Did you have a good time?" Bobby asked as the twelve-year old clambered into the passenger's side of the cab.

"Great time!" Dean exclaimed happily, excited to tell his brother the good news, that Billy Jenkins was gone, once and for all.

The mechanic smiled, "I'm glad you had fun, son."

The boy gave a lopsided grin.

SPN

"Are you feeling all right, baby?" Karen asked Sam, placing the palm of her hand against the eight-year old's forehead as he sat at the breakfast table, pushing his scrambled eggs around on his plate without eating them.

"Yeah," the boy replied, looking up and smiling at Karen and her mother who was sitting across from him, stirring sugar into a cup of tea.

The eight-year old hadn't had much sleep the night before; he had been much too worried about his big brother to release himself into the blissful void of unconsciousness.

Sam had wanted to go with Bobby to pick Dean up from his friend's house but Karen had insisted he stay and eat, since he looked peaky.

"When's Dean and Bobby coming back?" Sam asked and stabbed an egg with his fork.

"Soon," Karen replied, "Why don't you eat something?"

Instead of eating, the boy put his utensil down and pushed his chair back, "May I be excused?"

Karen opened her mouth to answer but before she could speak the front door opened and Sam was up and out of his seat in a flash, shouting his brother's name.

"Dean! Dean! Dean!"

The eight-year old flung his arms around his older brother and squeezed as though they had been separated for many nights instead of just one.

"Hey!" The twelve-year old exclaimed, "I'm glad to see you too."

"Did you do it?" Sam muttered, his face pressed against Dean's chest so that he couldn't see Bobby's wry smile or his brother's eye roll- though he didn't really mean it, he loved Sammy- because he was just so happy that his sibling was safe.

"Is he gone? Did you do it?" Sam repeated, his words muffled as his face pressed into Dean's chest, and he smiled when he felt the vibrations in his brother's torso as he laughed.

They had done it. Billy was gone. Dead. Double dead. He was gone and never coming back.

Sam squeezed his brother even tighter and felt his eyes prickle with tears.

"Hey Squirt, you're not getting all mushy on me, are you?"

The boy shook his head, wiping his face against Dean's t-shirt before looking up at him.

"Nah, I'm good," Sam assured him, feeling his face heating up with embarrassment.

"Did you have breakfast at your friend's?" Karen's voice asked from behind the brothers and Dean told her that he hadn't.

"I'll make you some scrambled eggs," the woman told him before turning her attention to the younger Winchester.

"Come and finish your breakfast, Sam, before it gets cold."

Now that the eight-year old knew that the danger was passed and that his brother had returned to him in one piece, Sam returned to his place at the table and ate his lukewarm eggs with gusto.

SPN

Karen felt her heart swell at the sight of the people sitting around her kitchen table, enjoying their breakfast: her husband, her mother and her two sons, and felt for the first time that her life was complete.

She smiled as she leaned against the counter, just savouring the feeling while her family members were preoccupied.

Although Bobby had been skeptical at first about adoption, and then skeptical about adopting the Winchester brothers, Karen knew that taking those boys in had been the best decision of her life, other than marrying her husband.

Karen's smile faded slightly. As a little girl her mother had taught her that arrogance was wrong, that pride oftentimes came before the fall, and Karen still believed Eileen's words. She was just so happy to have her family complete, after so long feeling as though something vital was missing in her life. In her life, Karen had little to be proud of and she decided that a small amount of hubris couldn't hurt.

SPN

"Breakfast was delicious, as always," Bobby complimented his wife as he stood, taking his breakfast dishes to the sink.

"It's just eggs," Karen replied, demure.

"What do you boys want to do today?" Eileen asked, sipping at another cup of tea with sugar.

"I haven't been to the movies in a while," Karen mused, "Would you two like to go see one?"

Bobby saw both Sam and Dean's eyes widen in delight.

"Yeah!" the eight-year old exclaimed happily, "Can we?"

Dean nodded, "You'd really take us to see a movie?"

Karen smiled, "Of course. Mom, would that be all right with you?"

Bobby's mother-in-law nodded in agreement, "That sounds like a great idea, Dear. The only TV I watch nowadays is Murder, She Wrote with the ladies from the bridge club."

"There are a few playing at the theatre," Karen continued, her cheeks noticeably rosy, from excitement Bobby guessed, "For children. There's Hook, or The Addams Family, or that turtle movie, um…"

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" Dean offered and Bobby smiled because he was sure the boy knew exactly what 'that turtle movie' meant.

"Yes! That was it!" Karen exclaimed.

"Can we see that one?" Dean asked, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"

"Sure," she said, "Why don't we go after lunch and make an afternoon of it?"

"Sounds good," Bobby agreed, smiling at the boys.

"Can we go play?" Sam asked, looking to him for permission.

The mechanic nodded, "Have fun."

Both brothers shot off their chairs and ran upstairs, laughing and shoving at each other playfully.

Karen smiled as she watched the boys leave the kitchen before she turned around to do the dishes.

"Hon?" Bobby called to his wife from where he sat at the table.

"Yes?" Karen asked without looking at him.

"I think adopting those two boys was the best thing we ever did," Bobby told her, meaning every word.

"Besides marrying each other, of course," Eileen added, causing her daughter and son-in-law to chuckle.

SPN

Sam huddled on his bed, gripping his stuffed animals in his arms tightly.

"Tell me about it, Dean, please," he begged of his brother as soon as they entered the bedroom and were out of hearing of the adults.

The twelve-year old shrugged, "Nothing really exciting happened, Sammy."

"I don't care," the younger sibling argued, "Tell me anyway."

Dean sighed but still looked reluctant.

"Were you scared?" The eight-year old asked.

"Hell yeah I was scared!" Dean told him, "I thought we were going to be caught by someone or Billy would show up and attack us."

Sam gulped and nodded, "Did you see him?"

"I did," Dean confirmed, "And he looked just like the kind of jerk you'd expect to pick on little kids."

Sam, his green eyes wide, nodded.

Now that he'd already began, Dean continued to tell his brother the story about how he and his friends had gone to the school in Eric's car to dig up and burn Billy Jenkins' remains.

His eight-year old brother hung on every word, gasping when Dean told of how the ghost had appeared and thrown him into the chain-link fence at the corner of the baseball diamond, he smiled grimly when Dean described how Billy's spirit burnt up as his earthly remains caught fire.

"Monday morning," Dean said, "No one will ever know what happened."

"Except us," Sam replied.

The twelve-year old sat down beside his sibling and put an arm around his shoulders, "Yeah, except us."

Sam fell silent for a long moment, leaning against his big brother as he squeezed his stuffed toys tightly.

"Dean," he muttered.

"Yeah, Sammy?"

"Do you think there's other ghosts?"

"At the school? Nah," the older brother replied confidently.

"No, I mean… out there," Sam corrected, pointing out the bedroom window, "In other places."

Dean glanced down at his brother's face, trying to gauge his mood.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully, "Maybe… probably not."

Sam's brow furrowed, "But if Billy Jenkins could came back as a ghost, couldn't other people?"

The twelve-year old frowned. He couldn't argue with that logic.

"I guess," Dean said slowly, "But don't worry Squirt, they won't get you. I won't let them."

Sam scowled at his brother.

"I'm not worried about that," he insisted, his eyes narrowing before he glanced out the window again, his expression smoothing.

"But… maybe… if ghosts are real," he began, quietly, almost as though he were talking to himself, "Couldn't other monsters be real too?"

Dean drew his little brother closer to him, "I don't think so, Sam. I've never seen any monsters. Only the ones pretending to be nice people."

The eight-year old looked up at his sibling, wide-eyed, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

Both brothers lapsed into silence for a long moment, each immersed in his own thoughts, before Dean spoke up again.

"Wanna build with some LEGO?"

Sam nodded, left his stuffed animals on the bed and slid to the floor. Dean stood and grabbed one of the LEGO kits and opened it, dumping the multi-coloured bricks and bits onto the area rug.

Soon all thoughts of monsters and ghosts were forgotten as the brothers as the brothers worked together to build the LEGO police station, featuring both Batman and Superman action figures as the cop-shop denizens, capturing imaginary villains and rescuing the dames- the stuffed rabbit and teddy bear from Sam's bed- that they didn't even notice when Karen opened the door partway and told them that lunch was ready.

Both boys stood up eagerly- they had been so focused on their make-believe adventures that they hadn't noticed how hungry they were- and followed Karen downstairs.

"I hope tomato and rice soup is okay," the told them, "I thought you'd like to get popcorn and soda when we go to the movies."

"We like soup," Dean assured Karen and Sam nodded in agreement even though the woman had her back to them and couldn't see.

The brothers followed the woman into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table with Bobby and Eileen.

As Karen ladled out tomato soup and handed a bowl to Sam, the boy recalled his manners and thanked her.

Picking up his spoon, the eight-year old slurped the steamy soup once everyone had been served.

Sam was lifting his second spoonful of soup to his mouth when the chiming of the doorbell startled him, causing the hot liquid to slide off the utensil and splash back into the bowl.

"Now who could that be?" Karen wondered out loud as she set her spoon on the table and stood to answer the door.

Sam's gaze slid to his brother's.

Maybe someone saw Dean and his friends at the school last night and he was going to get into trouble for vandalism or something.

The eight-year old strained his ears to hear what was being said at the front door but he was too far away. Footsteps on the hardwood floor announced Karen's return, with the person who had rung the doorbell following.

"Sam," Karen said, introducing the man, "Dean, this is Mr. Kinley. He's from Child Protective Services. He works with Ms. Norris at the orphanage to make sure you're enjoying your time here."

Sam ducked his head, his hair hanging in front of his face to shield his scars from the prying eyes of the stranger.

He knew about the people from CPS and knew they were supposed to help kids but they always made Sam nervous. Maybe it was how serious they always were. No person from CPS Sam had ever met smiled. Sam guessed that they didn't really have much to smile about.

"This shouldn't take long," Mr. Kinley told them, "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you and your husband first."

Bobby slid his chair away from the table with a grunt and followed Karen and Mr. Kinley out to the living room.

"Go on boys," Eileen said, "Eat your soup before it gets cold."

Sam picked up his spoon but he no longer had an appetite.

What if Mr. Kinley decided he and Dean shouldn't stay with the Singers? Sam didn't want to have to go back to the Brighter Days House; he just couldn't.

Dean seemed to be thinking the exact same thing; he was stirring his soup around without taking a bit, chewing on his bottom lip.

The eight-year old looked up when Karen and Bobby returned to the kitchen and sat down.

"Mr. Kinley would like to speak with the two of you," Karen told the brothers.

Sam looked at Dean.

"Go on," Karen spoke up again, "He's waiting."

Sam felt his mouth go dry and the soup in his stomach curdle with nerves but Karen was smiling so everything was probably okay.

"C'mon Squirt," Dean muttered and the eight-year old followed his brother into the living room.

The boys had been through this sort of thing before, when they'd been living in various foster homes… just not usually this early on.

The eight-year old sat down on the couch beside his brother, close enough so his side pressed tightly against Dean's.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions about living here with Mr. and Mrs. Singer," Mr. Kinley told the boys.

Dean nodded, "We've done this before."

The man pursed his lips and looked down at the open notebook in his lap.

"Do you feel safe here? Are you ever frightened of Mr. or Mrs. Singer or the house or yard?"

Sam, his bangs hiding his face, sucked in a sharp breath but Dean answered quickly.

"No, Bobby and Karen have been very nice."

"We're not scared of them," Sam muttered, feeling as though he should say something.

Mr. Kinley nodded and wrote something down in his notebook.

"Do Mr. and Mrs. Singer argue? Do they ever argue in front of you?"

Both Dean and Sam shook their heads. Even though they both knew Bobby and Karen fought- and they had heard them- they waited until later at night when the brothers should have been asleep.

"You boys are sharing a bedroom, yes?" Mr. Kinley said in a way that made it obvious he knew the answer to his own question.

"Yes," Dean replied, "We have bunk beds."

The CPS agent nodded, "Would you mind taking me to see your room?"

Sam looked at Dean but the twelve-year old shrugged, "Sure."

"You stay here, Sammy," Dean told the eight-year old and Sam reluctantly remained in place. He knew they both didn't need to show Mr. Kinley their room.

As his brother and the agent made their way upstairs, Sam wondered why the man hadn't just asked Bobby and Karen to show him the bedroom. Maybe to make sure they weren't just showing him a decoy in case they actually made the boys sleep in a closet or something. Sam shuddered at the thought.

After a few minutes, Dean and Mr. Kinley were making their way back downstairs, the older Winchester talking animatedly about Sioux Falls Elementary and all the friends he was making there.

"And you? Are you enjoying your new school?"

Sam looked up, surprised that the man had turned his attention to him.

"Yes," the eight-year old replied at once, "I like school."

Dean smirked but Mr. Kinley nodded, "I think that's all I need to know right now."

Standing up, the man made his way to the kitchen doorway and told the Singers that everything looked to be in order and that they should expect him to come for another visit in a few weeks. The adults bade goodbye to the agent and the man saw himself out.

Sam slumped against the couch cushions.

"Phew," Dean voiced dramatically, "Am I glad that's over."

The twelve-year old stood and began to head towards the kitchen.

"Hey, c'mon Shrimp," Dean peered over his shoulder at his brother who hadn't moved.

"What's wrong now?"

"What if he doesn't think Bobby and Karen are good parents?" Sam asked quietly.

Dean sighed and went back to his brother, sitting down on the edge of the couch.

"Of course Mr. Kinley thinks their good," he insisted, "They're better than some of the other 'good' ones we've had."

The eight-year old peeked up at his brother through his hair.

"Oh c'mon Sam-" Dean began but was interrupted by Karen calling from the kitchen.

"Is everything all right, boys?"

The Winchesters were silent for a moment before both spoke in unison, "Yes!"

SPN

Karen couldn't help but smile as the Winchesters' eyes lit up when they entered the movie theatre. Sam was holding onto Dean's arm and shaking the appendage vigorously as he stared around the loud, bright entranceway of the cinema.

The floor was covered in dark blue carpeting brightened up with splashes of yellow and purple. The walls had been painted floor-to-ceiling in royal blue and decorated with posters of current and upcoming movie attractions. To the right was a long, faux-grey granite countertop with six cash registers sitting atop it, with fresh-faced cashiers wearing blue and black uniforms behind each machine. A maze of burnished steel poles and navy blue nylon ribbons assisted in directing traffic when the theatre became overcrowded with anxious ticket-buyers.

To the left was an arcade area with a couple of air hockey tables, a claw machine and four different games. Directly across from the doors was the concession stand, wafting the buttery scent of popcorn towards excited moviegoers.

"Why don't I get the tickets and y'all line up for food?" Bobby suggested, having to raise his voice slightly to be heard above the chatter of other patrons and the music pumping out through hidden speakers somewhere near the ceiling.

"Good idea," Karen agreed, "C'mon Mama, c'mon boys, let's go get something to eat."

The woman smiled as the two brothers ran ahead, coming to a quick stop behind a rather obese man ordering enough snacks for three people.

Karen and Eileen stopped just behind the brothers and the adoptive mother found herself laying her hands on the eight-year old's shoulders. Sam looked at her for a moment from over his shoulder and smiled widely before turning his attention back to his brother.

"Now you boys get anything you like," Karen's mother told the Winchesters, "My treat."

"Mother-" Karen began but Eileen waved a hand.

"It's a Grandmother's job to spoil her grandchildren," she insisted, "And I have many years to make up for."

Karen could only smile and shake her head.

W

Arms full with more snacks than was strictly necessary, the small family made their way into the dimly lit movie theatre.

"You boys sit beside each other," Eileen murmured as they all shuffled into a row and sat down in the center.

As they settled into their seats and organized their treats, Karen heard one of the boys slurp loudly on his soda and again felt a grin spread across her face and her heart swell up with love.

Gently, Bobby nudged her arm with his and offered her some popcorn from the bag he held out. Karen took the offered snack, wondering what she must have done to deserve such joy in her life.

Author's Note:

Chapter title comes from a Skip West song of the same name.

Thanks to Tobymydog, mikeysrevenge, Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010, CatastrophicCarnival, autumnsfire1, StyxxsOmega, JediCat1965, EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester, Trucklady53, Krisuvial, LeeMarieJack, need2no, Souless666, SamDeanLover28, jensensgirl3, Bianca Valdez, BranchSuper, 1hotpepper, SPN Mum, Mistycat, SameenReese, Kas3y, Zeldalsis, AlxM and Guest for reviewing.

I don't really know how such procedures go with children being adopted and the involvement of Child Protective Services other than what I have read about or seen in movies or television. If I have made any glaring errors, I apologize.

Please leave a review and I will try and update quicker next time.