Thank you Blondie 50000 for your feedback! Yup we finally have some John and Gemma having a little talk. I can't wait to bring 'the men' home but first Gemma and the kids deserve a little fun too.

I hope people enjoy!

Thanks

Val

Chapter 19

"Sweetheart, breath." She heard John command before she took a shaky breath. Once she felt the wave a dizziness pass, she pulled out the chair and sat down.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

She heard him bark out a laugh. "As good as one can be when and angry spirit forces you towards rotting floorboards in an abandoned house, so you end up crashing through the floor, down into pit with smooth walls so there's no way to climb out. I lucked out and only ended up with a couple of cracked ribs."

"Oh John," Gemma cried as she imagined what he had gone through.

"I'm fine Gemma." John told her when he heard her crying. "Bobby, Caleb and Rufus found me last night. Caleb patched me up. They went back this morning to salt and burn the bones of that bitch spirit. We're leaving as soon as they get back. We should be back at Bobby's late afternoon on Friday."

"Friday," Gemma said as she looked down to Bobby's calendar.

"I know Sweetheart, Sunday is the beginning of the lunar cycle. We'll be back in time." He promised her. Bobby told him this morning that a couple of nights ago that Gemma had told him that she had begun planning to bring the children to her parent's home if they weren't back in time.

"Right," she murmured. "John, let me get the boys…"

"No Gemma," he said quickly. "I'll talk to them tonight when Bobby calls them. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Okay," she said hesitantly.

John sighed, "Look Gemma, I just want to say I appreciate what you've been doing. Bobby said you didn't hesitate; you were there as soon as he called. Considering how we left things…thank you."

"Of course I would be here. Even if you and I weren't sleeping together I would be here. A hunter's family needed help and no matter what we all stick together."

"Right…right…you're a good friend Gemma." she heard him murmured and with those seven little words she felt her heart break. She really wasn't going to be anything more than a friend with benefits to John?

She thought she could accept that but that was before she spent time with the boys. Not only was she in love with the elder Winchester, she was in love with his boys. She was foolish enough to imagine that he would come back, and they would somehow build a life together.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard him say, "look Bobby and the others just pulled up. Can I ask you to do me another favor…can you prepare the boys for me to call them tonight and to ummm prepare them for when they see me on Friday?"

"See you?" She asked. No matter what she needed to take care of these children until their father and uncle returned.

"I was down in that pit for two weeks…I had lucked out that there was some water coming in that I could drink from a cracked water pipe, but I only had a couple of protein bars to ration…I'm down around 30 pounds."

She swallowed as she imagined what John must look like. John Winchester was a big, muscular man but a 30 pounds rapid weight loss was going to make him look sickly…gaunt. "I understand. I'll prepare them and explain what to expect."

"Good," he told her as she heard a door opening over the line and several male voices. "Alright gotta go." He said as she heard Bobby ask him if he was ready. "Tell the boys I'll talk to them tonight." He said as he hung up, not giving her a chance to say goodbye.

Sighing Gemma took a minute to collect herself before she headed back into the kitchen to let the children know that their father was safe and the men were on their way home.

SPNSPNSPN

Bobby rolled his eyes as he looked at the man sitting in the passenger seat of the Impala. "You're an idjet…telling that woman she's a good friend. She's the best thing to happen to you in since your Mary died and you're too damn afraid to take that chance with her."

John shot his friend a withering look. "Don't need you're input Singer."

"Really, then why did you tell me then…huh?"

"Shut up!" John said in annoyance because he was the one to volunteer what he had said to Gemma and deep down he knew he told Bobby because the older hunter was the only one who would call him on his bullshit. He glare at his friend when he heard him chuckling at his expense.

SPNPSNSPN

Dean and Sammy were bouncing in anticipation of hearing their father's voice after him being gone over three weeks. Jo was just as excited; she may have her 'Uncle John' wrapped around her little finger but the big hunter hung the moon and the stars as far as the little girl was concerned.

After Gemma had gotten off the phone, she had gone and gave the children the good news. Once she was able to get them to calm down Jo had asked if they could make a second cake for Uncle John. Soon they were all piled into her car to go to the store to picked up the ingredients for the cakes. She had also decided to pick up food she knew wouldn't be too hard on John's stomach too.

She remembered that her old college roommate Cathy had battle Anorexia Nervosa and knew the diet her doctors had put her on to help her gain back weight in a healthy way. Gemma made sure she got plenty of chicken, turkey, fish, eggs and vegetables. She wasn't sure how he felt about them, but she also made sure to pick up a few avocados and coconuts because of their healthy fat contents and he would need a lot of healthy fat in his diet.

When they turned down an isle that had beach paraphilia Gemma remembered that two days earlier while out on her morning run she had found a small pond around three miles from the salvage yard and decided that a picnic would help occupy the children the next day.

The three children watched curiously as Gemma grabbed a large Styrofoam cooler, a large water cooler jug, paper plates, utensils and napkins. They all grinned when they saw her pick up a few pails with shovels, a blow-up beach ball and a few large beach towels.

"Gemma, are we going to the beach?" Sammy asked hopefully.

"Well we're not close to the ocean but how does a picnic at a pond sound to you guys?" She asked.

"Really?" Jo asked as she practically bounced up and down in excitement.

The woman nodded her head. "Yes really," she told the little girl as they stood in front of the sunscreen section and she grabbed a high SPF waterproof bottle of sunscreen. She stopped when she saw arm floaties. She frowned as she turned and looked at her charges. "Okay I need you three to be honest with me. Do you know how to swim?"

Dean nodded his head, "I do, Dad taught me how to swim when I was little, but Sammy doesn't know how."

"Okay," Gemma said as she looked at Jo. "What about you Missy?"

The little girl shook her head, "No Ma'am."

"Alright then, floaties for you and Sammy it is." She announced as she grabbed a couple of packages.

She looked around trying to think of what else they may need when she rolled her eyes at her own foolishness. "Do you kids have bathing suits?" She asked. She smiled as the three kids all sadly shook their heads no.

"Oh well," she said dramatically. "I guess there's only one thing we can do once we finish here… we'll need to go to Walmart and buy bathing suits."

TBC