Chapter 29
Bobby watched the reunion from the door to the panic room, his arms crossed as he leaned against the doorway from the outside. Kind of odd to call it a reunion, they'd been living together for three weeks, but for Dean to suddenly remember who he was and who they were made a big difference to them all. He went back upstairs to find Missouri rolling out pie dough on the counter.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Comfort food," she said. "I have a feeling we're going to need it from all the emotions that have been boiling around up here and down there."
"Missouri, they're happy," Bobby protested.
"And good emotion can be as wearing and traumatic as unpleasant emotion can." She shook her head. "It'll be done in a little over an hour."
They puttered around for a while, Missouri baking while Bobby went back to work in the library. He opened one of his books and then paused, his mind recalling something that he'd just sort of sailed past during the crisis. What had Castiel meant when he said that the glyph was incomplete? Bobby pulled out the photograph of the glyph on Dean's right side. There was nothing visible to indicate a lack of completion. On the other hand, it and the damaged one on Dean's left were the only one that didn't seem to have invisible extra additions. He'd assumed before that the reason for that had to do with the glyphs themselves, but they knew now, from some of the work Dean had done with Missouri, that several of the glyphs had taken more than one session of cutting. Perhaps he'd needed specific components for the remainder of the glyph on Dean's right, or maybe he'd moved on to the left because he'd realized the potential drawback of the demon protection glyph on Dean's back and was in a hurry to resolve the potential issue. Or maybe the spell required a specific time of year, or that the remainder of the glyph be fully healed before additions were made. While not endless, the possibilities were many and varied, and Bobby knew he couldn't think of them all.
Whatever the reason for it was, Castiel said the glyph wasn't complete, and that was important in Bobby's quest to identify it. He started searching, and he didn't come up for air until he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Uncle Bobby," Dean said with a half-smile. "When'd you get rid of the dump truck?"
Bobby blinked at him, astonished. "I sold it in '93, I think," Bobby said, suddenly remembering Dean and Sam climbing all over a dilapidated dump truck on their last visit before the abduction. "You remember that?"
Dean shrugged. "I'm sorry I called you a perv and a drunk truck driver," he said.
Bobby stood up and caught Dean in a rough hug. "You think I cared?" he replied gruffly. "Hell, kid, you could have called me a lot worse and I would have been just as glad to see you."
Before the moment could get any more maudlin than it already was, Missouri let out a yell. "Fresh apple pie!"
Bobby gave Dean a quick squeeze then followed him into the kitchen. John looked like he'd been crying for the past hour, but that was no shock. Sammy's eyes were red, too, and so were Dean's.
Bobby went and grabbed a tub of vanilla ice cream out of the freezer. They sat down around the kitchen table, eating hot apple pie à la mode. Dean was telling a story about his freshman year of high school when Sam broke in. "Wait, what are we going to tell everyone at school? They think we're cousins."
"How many stories have you made up, squirt?" Dean asked.
Sam shrugged. "Not a lot. I just told people your parents died in a car crash."
"We're not telling anybody anything until after the 24th," John announced. "I do not want the state of Georgia noticing that they let an underage kid out of their foster care program until that kid is no longer under age."
Dean's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "I'm not eighteen!" he exclaimed. "Son of a . . . gun." Bobby saw the slight glance at Sam before Dean edited his language and was amused. As if Sam didn't use those words often enough himself.
"Why do you think I didn't get you much of a present?" John said. "I was saving it for your real birthday, hoping to be able to give it to you."
Dean turned to him, his eyes a little puzzled. "So far as I knew, we were strangers. I was surprised that Sammy even baked me a cake."
"I didn't know yet, then, either," Sam said.
Bobby tilted his head. "Oh, so you've already had a birthday cake this year?" Dean nodded, brows knit. "Too bad. I figured on getting an ice cream cake, but I guess you won't need one now."
"He's got five whole birthdays to catch up on," Sam said. "I think we can have another cake."
Dean tilted his head. "Does that mean I get five whole years' worth of birthday presents?"
John rolled his eyes and didn't answer. Sam laughed and said, "Dad doesn't usually give much in the way of birthday presents, Dean, or don't you remember?"
Bobby glanced over at John, wondering how the man would react to that statement. John's expression was sober and dismayed. He glanced at his watch and said, "It's time for you boys to be going to bed."
Sam looked rebellious right up until Dean sighed tiredly and said, "Sounds good to me, old man." He stood up. "Come on, Sammy. I don't think we're getting out of going to school tomorrow, and I know you don't want to fall asleep in Mrs. Parsons' class."
"Mrs. Parsons?" John asked.
"She teaches English," Sam said. "Dad, how long are we staying here?"
"A while," John said, his brows knitting. "Why do you want to know?"
Sam shrugged. "I was thinking about going out for the debate team, but if we're leaving before the end of the school year, there's no point."
John opened his mouth, then closed it. "Do you have to know tomorrow?" he asked. Sam shook his head. "Give me a day or two to think about it, okay, tiger?"
Sam blinked at him. "Sure."
The boys gave them each a hug, and Bobby was surprised to see Dean hug Missouri. So far he'd avoided all contact with her that wasn't related to their work on his history. Then he grabbed Sam by the back of the neck and guided him out of the room. "Hey, Sammy, do you remember when I stole you a Barbie?" he asked, and Bobby met John's eyes with a startled expression. John just shook his head and shrugged.
Missouri started to pick up the dishes, but Bobby put a hand out to forestall her. "I got it, Missouri," he said. "Go get some rest."
She smiled wearily at him. "Thanks, Bobby. Good night, John."
When they were alone, Bobby turned to John. "So, what are your plans?"
"Plans?" John asked.
"The ones that you need a day or two to think about?" Bobby prompted.
John opened his mouth, then shut it again. "You know how you weren't sure you wanted me to take Sam out with me back in '94?"
Bobby nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said, wondering where this was going.
"I was thinking it might be good for both of them to have a little more consistency," John said, and Bobby raised his eyebrows. "I've got to find this demon, Bobby, but I'm not sure I want to take Dean with me on that hunt."
Bobby's eyes widened. "Hell no, you don't want to take Dean with you."
"So, is it okay with you?"
Bobby shrugged. "I was going to suggest it if you started talking about taking them out with you again, but I hadn't thought about the demon aspect of things."
John stood up and started clearing the dishes. "Have you got any lore on a demon named Azazel?" he asked.
"Sure, John. Tons. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that the fact the ancient Hebrews used to present a goat to God and then release it into the wilderness 'for Azazel' tells us much."
John grimaced. "Not a lot," he said. "Damn it, who is this bastard, and what does he want with my boys?"
"Boys?" Bobby repeated. "Plural? Don't you mean Dean?"
"He killed Mary in Sam's nursery, Bobby," John pointed out. "I can't believe that's a coincidence. He was there for a reason."
"But he took Dean."
"I'm aware of that," John said in a brittle voice. "But I can't believe that he was in Sam's room for no reason." He put the dishes in the dishwasher with unnecessary force. "How much have I told you about that night?"
"Everything, I thought," Bobby said, knitting his brows. "What do you mean?"
"I was in the living room, I'd fallen asleep in front of the TV," he said.
Bobby nodded. "Yeah, you told me that."
"And I woke up when I heard Mary on the stairs, calling Sammy's name." He shook his head, turning around to lean against the countertop. "The demon wasn't there for Mary, Bobby. He was there for Sammy."
Bobby sat back, stunned by the implications. He hadn't really put it together like that before. No wonder John was so damned paranoid about his boys. "Why your family?" he asked, and John shook his head, his jaw clenched, looking down at the floor. "Or is it only your family?"
John looked up. "What do you mean?"
"Well, we know it was a demon because we know about these things. Is it possible that there's something bigger going on? I mean, one little family from Kansas exciting all this attention from demons and angels seems a little far out, but if there's a wider plan of some kind, maybe you're just a piece of it."
John seemed to consider this notion for a moment. "I'll have to give it some thought. But if the boys can stay for a while, I can look into it."
Bobby nodded. "They can stay as long as they need to, John, but they need you. Dean will need you to be around."
"I'm not leaving tomorrow," John said. "I'm not leaving until it's time to take Missouri home."
"But when you go, you're going to have to come back more often than you did when you left Sam here," Bobby said, reflecting that he should have come by more often then.
"I have to find that demon, Bobby," John said intently.
"Yes, you do, John, but your boys need to know where you are and that you're safe. Otherwise, they'll worry, and they might just come after you." He shrugged. "And Dean's had you back for less than a month."
John buried his face in his hands and was silent for a moment. When he looked up, his eyes were wet. "Things are different, now. I was looking for Dean, then, and I believed I had some chance of finding him. Now . . ." He shook his head. "Bobby, two angels are hovering around my son, and when things went haywire down there with Dean, Castiel got there before us because he sensed demonic magic. This is . . . I don't know what it is, but it has to stop. I refuse to allow my sons to become fodder for some argument between heaven and hell."
"Damn straight," Bobby said. "Now we've just got to find out how to stop them, cuz saying it don't make it so."
"And that's going to involve field work. One of us has to go out, and frankly, Bobby, I have more experience in the field."
Bobby nodded and stood up. "In the meantime, we need to get more research done. We've got to find out how powerful this Azazel is. We already know he's old if he shows up in Leviticus." John shuddered, and Bobby sympathized. "Get some sleep, John. We need to get our rest."
"That's going to happen," John muttered. "I'm going to go look in on the boys and then I'll go to bed."
Bobby went upstairs and tried to calm his mind for sleep, but the thought that heaven and hell had shown such intense interest in those boys from conception forward made it challenging. What could they know? They had to have a reason to focus so hard on two little boys, and Bobby wasn't sure how to find out what that reason was.
John trotted down the stairs and walked over to shake Dean's shoulder. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead," he called. "You don't want to miss the bus."
Dean blinked up at him blearily. "Dad!" He smiled, and it was like the sun coming up. John grinned down at him, feeling almost as thrilled as he had the first moment he'd recognized his son. Dean's brows knit. "The bus? Oh, school, right." He looked around. "Where's Sammy?"
"Showering." John tousled Dean's hair. "Breakfast will be ready in a couple of minutes." He turned to go, but when he reached the door, Dean spoke.
"Dad?"
John turned instantly. "Yes, son?"
Dean gave him a grin that was almost embarrassed. "Just trying to make it feel real."
John felt his eyes burning with emotion. "See you upstairs," he said, and he left so Dean could get dressed. When he'd gone down to check on them the night before, he'd found them in the midst of reminiscences and hadn't interrupted them despite the lateness of the hour. Nothing short of separating them could have stopped them, and he wasn't separating them, not for anything.
He saw them off, resisting the urge to summon them back and keep them home. Resisting an equally strong urge to walk with them to the bus. He stood in the doorway, watching them till they were out of sight. He sensed rather than saw Bobby come up behind him.
"They'll be fine, John," Bobby said.
"We need help."
"What do you mean, John?"
"Jim. Caleb. Ellen. Joshua. Daniel. Maybe even Rufus." He turned around to find Bobby staring at him with wide eyes. "I know, I don't typically ask for help, and I know all of those people have had issues with me in the past, but this is big. It's bigger than us. Angels and demons . . ." He shook his head helplessly. "I don't even know what that means."
"Jim's back home, but he's not mobile," Bobby said. "I could probably get Joshua and Daniel to come here. Rufus is unpredictable these days, but he knows everything, God knows how. And Ellen . . . a lot depends on whether or not she's got reliable help."
John nodded. "I was thinking I might drive out to see Jim today. It's a four or five hour drive, right? I might end up staying the night, but the boys would understand."
Bobby's eyes narrowed. "You're talking about leaving for a day without warning them in advance?" he demanded.
"It's important."
Bobby crossed his arms, straightening his shoulders. "All right, if you're going, you'll have to stop by the school and have those boys called out of class, and you'll tell them that you're going to see Jim and that you'll be back tomorrow. You will not stick me with that job. Again."
John glowered at Bobby, but he knew it was a fair complaint. "Fine. Then will you call the others for me, ask them to come out here?"
"No," Bobby said, and John stopped on his way to the stairs. He turned around and looked at Bobby in surprise. "You have some asses to kiss, John, and I am not doing it for you."
"Neither Caleb nor Joshua is mad at me right now, and I stopped by Ellen's on the way to pick up Missouri."
"You did?" Bobby asked, blinking.
"Yeah." John shrugged. "What you said got me thinking, and I couldn't make myself drive past."
"Good," Bobby said, and John suppressed a surge of irritation at his sanctimonious attitude.
"So, please, could you give them a call?" Bobby still looked reluctant. "Seriously, Bobby, I also don't really want to explain anything over the phone, or I'd have told Jim already."
Bobby grimaced. "Fine, but you stop and talk to the boys – both of them – or I will shoot you when you get back."
"Right, right," John said. "I'll do it, I promise."
Bobby nodded, and he went into the library. John went upstairs, grabbed his go bag and headed out. He stopped by the school and the secretary gave him an anxious look when he asked her pull his son and his nephew out of class. She made the calls and then looked up at him. "Is something wrong, Mr. Winchester?"
"Nope." He gave her a nod, then went outside to wait for the boys. Dean got to the front of the school first, and he came towards John with a worried look. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I'm just going to leave town overnight," John said. "I'll be back tomorrow, but I have someone I need to talk to."
"Who?" Dean asked.
"Pastor Jim," John said, abruptly remembering that Dean knew him now. "I'd get him to come here, but he was hurt during his last hunt, so I'm going to have to go to him."
"Go to who?" Sam asked, walking up. "What's going on?"
"I'm going to go see Pastor Jim," John said. "I'll be back tomorrow."
"Why?"
"I need to tell him about Dean, for one thing," John said.
"Why not wait till the weekend and we can all go."
John shook his head. "Until we've come up with some better protections, I want you boys staying with Bobby."
"I think that's best," Dean said, and both of them turned towards him in surprise. "Not that I don't want to see Pastor Jim, but . . . I think you're right."
"So, I just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be gone when you get home tonight."
"You never have before," Sam said, and John grimaced.
"Bobby threatened to shoot me if I left without telling you again."
Sam blinked. "Oh."
Dean cleared his throat. "Hey, Sammy, why don't you go on back to class," he said. "I've got something I want to tell . . . Uncle John." Sam scowled and started to speak, but Dean gave him a look that silenced him. John wondered how long Dean would be able to quell his little brother with a look. He doubted it would be all that much longer.
"You'll be back tomorrow?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, tiger." He ruffled Sam's hair and Sam glowered at him before sloping back off into the campus.
Dean waited a moment, peering after Sam, and then turned back to John. "Azazel told me Sammy was important, but he didn't tell me why," he said, and John's mouth went dry. "I was going to tell you when I got home tonight. Last night things got a little crazy, so I forgot to say anything."
"He said that Sammy was important?" John asked, eyes widening.
Dean nodded, looking at least as disturbed as John felt. "He also told me he killed my mother, but you already know that from Missouri."
John put his hands on Dean's shoulders. "It's going to be okay, Dean. One of the reasons I'm going to talk to Pastor Jim is to get his help in figuring out our next move."
Dean shrugged. "Nothing much seems to be penetrating past the sheer coolness of you being my dad and Sammy being my brother," he said in a quiet voice. "Go. Say hi to Pastor Jim for me." Dean walked off towards the school, and John watched him go for a moment.
Finally John tore himself away and went back to the car.
Please note: A couple of comments I've received have made feel I should say that there are still 7 chapters after this one. We are on the final leg towards the end, but there's still quite a bit to go.
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