Thanks for reading! It's time for a flashback now, and we'll pick up with Sam, Dean and Gwen again next chapter. But what happened when Aggie found John?

1999

Red and blue lights from a police car flashed outside the window of the dilapidated old home. It had been on the market for over a year, and potential buyers had stopped coming to tour six months ago. There were rats in the basement and roaches in the kitchen, and the slow, steady drip of a leak through the roof. John had seen worse. It wasn't the fraying condition of the home's internal structure that kept it on the market. It was the cold spots, the rattling walls, and the moaning in the basement.

Of course, John Winchester wasn't idiot enough to plan to sleep inside the haunted home. His car was parked safely outside the property line, a blanket and pillow already set up in the back seat. He could get a motel, but even living on fake money, he had to be frugal. Juggling credit cards was a tricky business.

Which was why John always kept his head down when he saw the flashing lights. It didn't matter if he had broken any laws recently, he found it good policy to avoid the men and women in blue. John paused in the pouring of a salt line to twitch the curtain closed, just in case. Then he pulled back the corner to peer outside.

The lights glinted off the hood of his car. Three people surrounded the vehicle; two in uniform, one woman in a tailored pantsuit with silver earrings that glinted sharply in the light. She pointed to the car and gave an affirmative nod. The officer said something into his radio. All three circled, peering in the windows. John didn't twitch, waiting. After a few minutes, they piled back into their car and drove away.

o0o

The spirit had fought well, but John Winchester fought smarter. A neat circle of salt with one small gap, and the thing was trapped. Lights flickered through the entire house, but the spirit was going nowhere. And now that John had gotten a good look at it, he had a pretty good idea who he was dealing with. Time to find a shovel and hit the cemetery.

"You don't make a very good electrician, Mr. Winchester."

A woman about his age stood on the curb by the Impala, arms crossed, feet apart in a stance that said she had a bone to pick with him.

John glanced back at the house. It looked like a strobe light was going off inside. The spirit was throwing a telekinetic tantrum, and it was only a matter of time before something broke that salt line.

"Look, lady, I don't have time for this."

"You will make time." It was the woman who had come with the cops. Her silver jewelry glinted like steel in the light of the streetlamps. She didn't need the suit or the silver to proclaim that she was a powerful woman. It was evident in the sharp lines of her posture and the gleam in her eye. This was a woman used to getting her way.

A teenage girl stood next to her, eyes on the sidewalk, cheeks burning. She lifted her head to say something, but her mother held out a hand and spoke instead. "I am here to speak with your son, or else the police will come back with a warrant to search your car. They may find some items of immense value from my home inside."

"You made up a crime just to get the police to track my car?" John resisted the urge to check is watch. He already knew that there had been plenty of time since the police brigade's departure for her to jimmy the locks and plant evidence inside the Impala.

"You are a hard man to find." She offered no apology. If anything, she climbed higher on the pedestal she seemed to have brought with her. She came to John's shoulder, but somehow he felt as if she were looking down at him from a great height.

Time to even the field. "Look, lady, I don't know you-"

"Agathe Torres. You son knows my daughter quite well. Too well."

There was no mistaking her meaning. John had been chased down by angry parents before, but he had a sinking feeling that there was more to this than a pair of teenagers showing each other too much skin.

"Look, lady, your daughter was just as much a part of whatever happened as Dean was. Go take it up with her." Am I a grandfather? The question wasn't one he dared think about.

"I have no interest in Dean. I am here to speak with Sam."

"Sam?" Sam was too busy yelling at his father and doing his homework to get into trouble with a girl. Besides, he was too young for things to go too far yet, and still blushed red when he got too close to a girl he liked. "Lady, there must be some mistake."

"I'll order a DNA test when our grandchild arrives, but my daughter is certain."

"She hooked up with a boy she knew for less than a month." It was a safe guess. They rarely stayed anywhere longer than that. The girl didn't argue, but she lifted her chin so John finally got a good look. She had dark hair and olive skin, and the small bump around her middle hadn't ruined her slim figure yet. There was a soft, warm look in her dark eyes, the kind a man could fall into and never crawl out of. If anything could steal Sammy's attention, it was standing here in front of him.

"And you believe her when she says she's sure?"

"I'm sure," the girl said.

Agathe's eyes narrowed. "The DNA will be tested, and when it is, I will see your son in court."

"No. You won't."

"Excuse me? I've more than demonstrated that I can track you down."

"Sam is sixteen. He's too young for you to drag into court for child support. He's too young to be a parent, period. I don't want him anywhere near your daughter ever again."

Agathe's lips twitched. "Sixteen?" She repeated. Then she shrugged and squared her shoulders. "He will be eighteen soon enough."

"You really think you can track us down again in two years?"

"Gina thinks Sam will be interested in their child. I may not have to." Agathe eyed the car, then turned back to John. "I'll find him soon enough."

"No you will not. Sam is sixteen. He's a minor. This is my decision, and I say Sam doesn't need to know."

"Yes he does! This is Sam's baby too." Unfortunately, that was entirely true.

"And what do you think you will get from him?" Most girls, if they didn't want to get married, didn't want the father to have much to do with the baby. He gestured at the home behind him. "Did Sam tell you anything about our life? I doubt it." Sam had outgrown the phase where he tried to tell others about the supernatural a long time ago. These days, he hid from that part of their lives as much as possible. "We move every month. We live in motels. My work happens mostly at night. Sam has two years of high school left, and when he is done-"

John didn't know what he would do the day Sam came of age and no longer had a need to stay with his father. "He won't be in any position to help you." John turned to Agathe and added, "Even with a court order in place. You want to tell Sam, get him involved? Most mothers know better. Most mothers want me and my sons out of town and away from their daughters as fast as possible."

"So Sam will not be taught to take responsibility for his actions?"

John bristled. "From the look of it, your daughter is older than my son. If anyone took advantage, it was her. I will deal with Sam. You will never see him again. Raise the child as you will. I think you would prefer that, wouldn't you? Because if you insist that I or Sam help support the child, I will insist on a custody battle."

Agathe's response was a subtle clenching of her fist, but John saw the small gesture. He had her. "No contact. Ever. I am assured of that?"

"But I-"

"Absolutely." This time, John meant every word.

Agathe nodded. "Very well. Stay away from us. Come along, Gina." Agatha gripped her daughter's arm. Gina dragged her feet and raised her voice in protest, but John didn't hear what she said. He slammed the car door shut and drove away as fast as he could.

He'd driven two hours before he realized he forgot to salt and burn the bones and had to turn around.

o0o

She was waiting outside of the motel. Her shirt was tight, showing off the small but unmistakable bulge in her belly. One look at her, and Sam would know. It was probably her intention. When she saw John approaching, she lifted her chin, a defiant gesture that said she wasn't going anywhere.

John had assumed that, should either of his sons leave any progeny in their wake, it would be the parents of the teenage girls giving him trouble. He had handled Aggie, parent to parent, and she had seen reason. Handling teenagers? Well, John's current situation with Sam was proof that he still had a few things to learn about that.

At least the kid hadn't run away again. Yet.

A pregnant girlfriend in another state was a recipe for disaster. Sam would be gone faster than John could get a shot off. Not that he would shoot at his son. It was just a metaphor. Although somedays, he felt a good scattering of rock-salt in the rear might be just what the kid needed.

Sam would try to be a parent. He would drop out of school, get a job, and try to do the right thing. With all his talk about wanting to be 'normal', he would jump at the excuse. That, and he was a good kid. He would love that child, and do his best to help the girl. There was no doubt in John's mind.

When the demons came, and they would come, the girl and her child would die. Demons had left a trail of carcasses in their wake before in pursuit of Sam. John didn't know what they wanted yet, but he knew they would be back.

Just as surely as he knew this girl would be back. He still didn't know how she had found him again. No, he did. He ran a hand over the Impala's hood. She was a distinctive vehicle, and that fact had given John trouble with the police more than once. Yet he still refused to giver her up. She was the last constant in their lives, the last bit of home, the last reminder of Mary.

Mary? What would she think of becoming a grandmother? Likely, she would already be planning a baby shower. She would have a list and credit card ready to purchase everything the baby could need.

There could be no baby shower here, but John could provide for this child. He could save her life by keeping her away from Sam. All he had to do was convince the girl. She was stubborn, she was resourceful, and she didn't get along with her mother.

He recalled how they had stood apart, rigid in each other's presence, very little warmth shared between them. Was that how he and Sam looked to outsiders? There was not necessarily a lack of love, only of understanding.

"I'm here to see Sam." Gina's words came out in a rush as soon as John came close enough.

"He's out." Dean had taken him to the arcade to blow off steam after the most recent fight. John couldn't even remember what it had been about. Something to do with blood spatters on Sam's homework and not enough time to study for a quiz.

"I'll wait." Yes, she probably would.

"What do you want from him?"

"Nothing." Her tone was flat, no trace of defensiveness. She wasn't after money at all. "I just want him to know. He's the father. He has a right to know." She shifted and settled a hand on her belly. Could she feel motion in there yet? If he placed his hand there, would he?

"What is your plan then?" John could guess.

Gina shrugged. "Stay with my mother, I guess. Get a job."

"Do you want to go to college?" Sam seemed to want it so badly. It could be a common point of interest. Something besides looks had drawn them together. Her personality wouldn't matter to Dean, but it would be all the difference to Sam.

"I did." She sounded like she'd lost a fight, her voice a sad whisper. "I do. Mom says I still can, if I sign the baby over to her. She'll take care of," She glanced at her stomach, "Her. She'll take care of everything. But I have to study business at a school she chooses."

Ah. He had been right. I hate my mom, you hate your dad, let's make out in the backseat while we talk college plans. Is that how it had happened?

"And what do you want to study?"

"Photography." Her answer was swift and sure. Perfect.

"And what would you do if you didn't have to live with your mother?"

Gina's eyes grew wide. "What?"

"What would you do if you didn't have to worry about the money? Most kids your age can wait to leave home, and you seem as ready as any."

"I am!" She blurted, then pulled back warily. "Why?"

"I can rustle up some money." It wouldn't be hard. He had a small collection of cursed objects that would fetch a fine price on the black market. He'd just acquired a very valuable rabbit's foot that would do nicely. The trick would be getting it back again once sold. But that was no different than the risks he ran every day on the job. "I can get you enough to pay your tuition. You could go to any school you want, study whatever you want."

"And give my baby to you?"

"No." He'd lived with one infant in the backseat. He would not do that to another. "Your mother won't turn the baby away. She'll keep it, no matter what you do."

Gina didn't argue the point. "I don't want her to raise my child."

Too bad. College and children didn't mix well. It was possible, but without her mother's support Gina would need-

"Enough money to pay tuition could be enough to get us through for a few years. Get us through until I can get a good job and get her into school so I won't have to pay for a sitter anymore." Smart girl. He could see the balance tipping as she ran numbers in her mind. Did she know how much rent and food would cost, how much diapers would run?

"More than enough. If you talk to the right finance man and invest a good sum, you can get a monthly stipend for a long time. I can get you the money."

Gina eyed him warily. John continued, "I can even set up the trust. One thousand dollars a month until the child turns eighteen. But." He let the word drop hard and slow. This point must be absolutely clear. "Sam never knows. You cannot contact him. Ever."

"Ah!" Gina let out a short, sharp breath, as if she'd been stung. "That's-"

"Those are my terms. Do you want control over your own life?" Had Sam found a girl as stubborn and frustrated as himself?

"It's all I've ever wanted."

John wanted to hug her tight. He wanted to settle her down in his home, the one he didn't have, and watch his grandchild grow up. His arms ached to hold that baby. But instead, he held out his hand. "Then do we have a deal?"

Gina placed her hand in his. "Deal."

He would never see his grandchild. He would never know her name. But she would be safe, and she would be free of the Winchester family curse.

"Where are you going to live? I need to make sure Sam and I never pass through."

Gina grinned. "Jackson, of course."

"I thought you would have wanted to get as far away from that place as possible."

Gina's smile grew, and suddenly John saw how much she resembled her mother. "No, I'm going to live just down the block. I'm going to make her watch me do everything she said I couldn't."

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