Author's Chapter Notes:
Hi
Another little update to move us closer to the end. Agnes had a job for John and Sam has stress.
Class Is In Session
John was sitting on the edge of a bed dressed in little more than a hospital gown while Agnes poked and prodded him. His hunt with Jim had not gone well. Concussion and two broken ribs were testimony to that.
"There's some nasty bruising on your back and shoulder as well." Agnes had finished examining the ribs and had moved on to the other various injuries that he had dotted across his skin. "Do they hurt?" She pressed her fingers into one of the more livid bruises on his back as she spoke and caused him to draw in a little hiss of breath.
"Why do doctors always ask that while they're prodding?"
"Because we are really all sadists and we like to cause pain, but if we asked before and you said yes we'd look bad if we carried on anyway, which we would." She smiled at him. "I take it you let them throw you into the wall just to get your shot at the healing hands too? Complete my hat-trick of Winchesters?" She slid her hands down his side, smiling at the little tremor that ran through him. "If you wanted me to feel you up, all you had to do was ask."
"I didn't let the damn vamp do anything, I think that would have required me to be capable of speech and since it had it's damn hands on my throat……I don't mind if you want to let it heal on its own. No skin off my nose."
Agnes laughed at the look on his face. "At least it wasn't it's teeth and that last part would have sounded more convincing if your lip wasn't sticking out as you said it. Roll over and lie down."
John drew her a long look. "Woof." He still obeyed the instruction.
She smiled at that. "Good boy." Patting his head, she pulled the gown forward, exposing his back to her again.
He tried to turn far his head far enough to see what she was doing to him. "Is this gonna hurt?"
"Why?" She lent over him. "You scared John Winchester?"
"Only of you. I get the feeling that you're still mad at me about the book, even if you did make me pay for the most ridiculously overpriced meal that I've ever eaten."
"I'm not mad at you using the book, I'm mad at how you used it…..and I did…didn't I?" She put her hands on his back and he jumped at the touch. "Sorry, I've always got cold hands, crap circulation, what can I say. I'll be gentle with you."
It was the first time that Agnes had used her power on him without the intent to hurt him he realised, and although it was just this side of painful he couldn't help also realising that he was now very aware of his state of undress and of her touch. "You ok?" There was a warmth that was spreading through him as she shifted her hands slightly and eased the pain from the bruising and he wasn't sure that it was all just from the healing.
"Yeah." It was all he could manage, his eyes now shut, almost enjoying the burning sensation that was running deep inside his skin.
"This bit is going to be painful…I wasn't going to…but I might as well heal your ribs while I'm here. Don't like mending bones….to much feedback from it. You hurt, I hurt. Consider yourself privileged." She slide her hands onto his front and pressed, killing the pleasant sensation and driving a stabbing pain through his lungs.
His breath hissed through him. "Hurts….a little."
Her laugh was soft and at his ear. "It hurts more than a little John, I know that. I'm almost there." He felt her lips press a soft kiss to his temple and then her hands and the pain were gone. "So." She walked over to the window and stood flexing her fingers to get rid of the last of the sensation in them. "Two little vamps got the jump on the great white hunters then? Slipping John?"
"No, I was just too busy watching Jim didn't get hurt that I forgot to watch my own back." He paused. "Guess I'm kind of used now to Dean always having it. It's strange to go on hunts without him there; especially when he was the one that set the damn hunt up in the first place and then bailed."
She didn't like the little edge in his voice. "If you're mad at anyone it should be me, Dean was on his way when I scheduled some interference for him, he wanted to go but Julie-Anne and I had other ideas for him." "
You two managed to stop Dean going on a hunt?"
"Julie-Anne can be very persuasive when she wants and hey…I'm a witch remember. I could get anyone to do anything I want…if I wanted to use my power that way. Which I don't."
"Really? You could? Then why don't you just magic me into agreeing with my youngest?" A thought crossed his mind. "Or better still, him into agreeing with me?"
Agnes snorted. "Because it would take more time and effort than it's worth. It'd be easier just to kill you. And don't think that thought hasn't crossed my mind."
John smiled. "Annoy you do I?"
"You have no idea." Agnes crossed the room and sat beside him.
"You know what they say about that don't you?" His smile grew easier and she liked the way it softened his face. And then she pushed that thought far away.
"Down boy." She punched him playfully. "Get dressed. I've got a job for you, and Jim too if he wants, while your boys are busy studying."
John grabbed his shirt and slipped off the gown. "I still can't believe that you managed to get Dean's head back in a school book."
"Dean has something to prove, even if he doesn't realise it. It'll be interesting to see what the scores are on the mock tests."
"Yeah, real interesting."
Something in his tone annoyed her. "You think your eldest can't get a good score on the test?" Agnes studied him as she spoke and he shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.
"I didn't say that, but when Dean wants to learn something; he does it hands on, he studies people not books."
"Not like Sam?"
"Not like Sam at all. Dean'll bored in less than a day."
"Mmmm…..care to bet on that?"
He didn't rise to the bait. "Nope, 'cos if I do then you'll tell him that I think he'll give up, and then he'll stick at it just to prove me wrong. I use that tactic on him too you know; have done for a long time. It's what kept Dean in school as long as he was. It's alright for him to think that he can't do something, but when other people do, especially me….well that's when you see the real Dean. It never really worked as well on Sam, but then he doesn't care what I think of him."
"You'd be surprise there I think."
John shrugged. "Maybe." He stood and pulled his pants up and started to fasten his belt. "You said you had a job for me?"
"It's not technically a job, I just thought that if you're going to be stupid enough to try summoning spells then maybe I should teach you how to do it properly."
He looked at her, a stunned expression on his face. "You're going to teach me summoning spells?"
"I know that you took copies of my book John." Her eyes dared him to lie to her.
"I did, Dean burned them."
Agnes walked over to the mirror and started examining her hair.
"What are you doing?" John stood and walked towards her.
"Looking for the buttons that you clearly think are in the back of my head. You would have known that Dean would have known that you'd make copies. You made more than one, tell me I'm wrong John? Lie to my face."
"I promised Dean that I wouldn't summon it."
She had her answer with his lack of denial. "Yeah? Well I promised Julie-Anne that I'd stop sleeping with men with screwed up emotional issues and I still slept with you…so…."
"I won't use it unless I have no other option." The truth of that statement shone in his eyes. "I promised him."
"I believe you but when you do have to use it, and you will at some point John, 'cos I know you, least you'll do it right this time."
"I did it right the last time." John was annoyed at her put down.
"You were in the middle of the damn devil's trap John, that is not doing it right!" She picked up her bag and headed to the door. "We'll start tomorrow, little things and then we'll work our way up."
"You're going to help me?" He still couldn't quite believe it.
"I'm going to hopefully show you how not to get yourself killed John. Guess all the Winchesters are going back to school." She smiled sweetly and left him sitting there with a pleased if troubled expression on his face.
---
Sam shook his head as he tried for the tenth time to make heads or tails of the question in front of him. "I don't get it. Analytical reasoning my ass."
"What one is it you're stuck at?" Paul lent over and looked at the test paper that they were all working through.
"Nine. What has people on buses got to do with law school?" Sam sat back and rubbed at his head. He was tired and stressed and he couldn't get his head round this question.
"I think I skipped that one, too much straight forward thinking!" Paul laughed. "Give me the reading comp questions any day."
"I know, they're much easier…."
"Guys, can you shut up and just get on with it!" Dean raised his head and glared at the other two. "Number nine? Really? You guys can understand question eight but you can't just look at nine and know that the answer's C?" He looked at his brother. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one."
Sam was studying the paper in front of him. "It's C?"
"It's C. Now can we just move on and get this over with?"
Paul slapped his hand off his forehead. "It's C, why didn't I get that. It's staring you in the face when you look at it. Thanks Dean." He put his head down and went back to work.
"Sam?" Dean was looking at his brother. "What is it?"
"I'm tired. I need a little break. You guys want something to drink?" He stood and headed for the kitchen before either of his companions could answer.
Dean pushed back his chair and signalled to Paul to just carry on. "We'll only be a minute."
"Ok, and if the offers stands….I'll have a coke."
"One coke. On it's way." Dean walked in to find Sam sitting on the floor in front of the fridge.
"What?" He turned and slid down beside his brother. "Stop stressing about this test. You'll pass it, you know that you will."
Sam started to chew on his nail. "How do I know that? That's a really simple question and you got the answer just by looking at it yet I couldn't see it."
"That's 'cos you're trying to hard, you're looking for obstacles that aren't there; and I don't have any pressure on me. It's not me that wants to get into college. You can do this Sam, just relax and it'll come. Agnes real 'mock' test isn't until the weekend and it's only one question." He stood and dragged his brother back to his feet. "So get back in there and finish the rest and I'll get us all something to drink."
"Thanks Dean, it's just…that if I don't pass this then I'm stuck, you know. I don't want to be stuck Dean." He paused at that, a little guilt filling him. "I'm sorry."
"It's ok. I know what you mean Sam….now scoot, before the wicked witch gets back and thinks that I've been letting you slack off." Dean stepped forward and pulled his brother into a half hug, one arm loosely draped round Sam's neck.
"Like that could ever happen, you learned how to be a slave driver from a master." Sam smiled at his brother.
"Well then don't make me crack the whip, I will if I have to." Dean pushed Sam out of the kitchen and then raided the fridge for some cans of coke before he headed back out to join them.
They were still sitting there when Agnes and John returned, the former stepping forward to greet them and the latter making his way out to the yard again to go talk to Jim.
Dean raised his head as Agnes walked towards him. "How's it going?"
"Fine, apart from Sam and Paul cheating all the time and asking each other the answers." He grinned sweetly at his little brother's face.
"We did not." Sam looked at Agnes. "It was one question!"
She laughed. "Ok. Give me the papers and I'll get Frank to look at the answers and report back on how he thinks you're doing."
Dean pulled them together and handed them to her. "Dad not wanting to join the study group then?"
She hadn't even thought that he had seen his father walk in. "No, he's got his own study group going, him and Jim. With me as the teacher."
Dean raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
"Glad we got Dean." Sam muttered it under his breath but she still swiped his head for the remark.
"I got you boys something to help with the studying, just in case you were struggling." She rummaged in her bag and pulled out three copies of a book, throwing one to each of them. She didn't know if it was Dean's laugh or the other two faces that set her off laughing herself.
"Funny lady." Dean snatched his copy of LSAT's for Dummies from the table. "Now if school is officially out I am going to say hi to my dad and then….", he leant over to Agnes with the dirtiest smile that she thought she'd ever seen. "…I'm going go do things with your daughter that'd make you and her blush if I told you."
She lent back and caught his hand as he went passed. "Just don't use all my sauces this time."
Agnes turned back to find Sam and Paul looking at her open-mouthed. "Don't ask."
Sam shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Oh, believe me, I wasn't going to."
Chapter End Notes:
The LSATs for dummies didn't come out until 2005 but I could resist taking a little liberty and putting it in here! Mary x