Raising Winchesters Chapter 8, a supernatural fanfic

Raising Winchesters

Chapter 8

When the boys were eight and four, John took them to South Dakota to meet a man by the name of Bobby Singer. While Jim Murphy was an excellent hunter and had taught John a lot, apparently there were certain things that Bobby knew more about. Dean and Sam had spent quite a bit of time with Pastor Jim, so leaving Blue Earth was hard on the boys. Particularly on Dean.

In the first three years of Dean's mainstream education, he had gone to five different schools. Staying with Jim provided Sam and Dean with more consistency than they had experienced in years. John would leave the boys there for weeks at a time and even when they went on the road with their father, they never stayed away from Blue Earth for very long.

So, when John told Dean that they would be leaving and not returning for a long time, Dean didn't take it well. He had been making excellent progress in school and had been thriving while living with Jim. Dean's teachers were impressed with the change they had seen in the boy, both scholastically and emotionally. He had started out pretty far behind scholastically, but eventually moved to the top of the class. And his behavior towards his fellow classmates and any authority figure had greatly improved. Of course, every time the boy left with his father caused a setback, leaving them all concerned, but once Dean was back in Jim's environment of consistency, he would quickly recover.

Once John made up his mind to go to Bobby's, Jim tried to talk him into leaving the boys with him so that Dean could finish out the school year. But, John refused. He was anxious to get on with his training, so getting to Singer was a top priority. And leaving his boys behind for such an expanse of time wasn't going to happen. John knew that his boys deserved better, that uprooting them so often wasn't healthy, but the thought of leaving them for more than a few weeks was distressing. He knew he was being selfish, but he didn't care.

The night John told Dean they were leaving was awful. He could tell how disappointed his son was to learn that they were leaving and that disappointment grew to unimaginable levels when he told Dean they wouldn't be coming back. Dean hadn't ever been prone to throwing tantrums, knowing that his father wouldn't put up with it, but he threw the tantrum of all tantrums that night.

From the second his father's words truly sunk in, Dean was inconsolable. John was surprised to see the boy burst into tears and even more surprised when Dean suddenly started picking up whatever was closest to him and lobbing it at him. Sam, who had been watching television in the next room, stood in the doorway, completely confused at the sight of his big brother throwing things at their father. Seconds later, Jim entered the room as well, wondering why it sounded like a tornado was rumbling through his kitchen.

After a few seconds of shocked silence, where everyone was just staring at Dean, John finally snapped out of it and started blocking his face from the things that were thrown at him. By this time, Sam was crying and Pastor Jim had stepped forward and was trying to grab onto Dean. Eventually, Jim was able to grab the boy's arms and pin them down by wrapping his own arms around him. Dean struggled for a little longer until he realized that he wasn't able to break out of Jim's hold, and once he stopped struggling, his sobs echoed in the small room, mingling with his little brother's own cries. Dean's face was red and splotchy as he stared at his father angrily.

"Dean, calm down!" John ordered. "What the hell has gotten into you, boy?"

Jim shot a weary, exasperated look over to John, but the man ignored him, his eyes never leaving his son's.

"I don't wanna leave!" Dean cried. "I wanna stay here!"

"We're leaving," John stated loudly. "South Dakota is too far away for me to leave you two boys here."

"That's not fair! I don't wanna go to stupid South Dakota!"

"I don't care what you want, Dean. We're leaving in the morning and that's the end of it."

"I hate you!" Dean yelled, his words surprising himself almost as much as everyone else.

"Dean…" Pastor Jim loosened his grip slightly on the boy before turning him and pulling him into a hug. "You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do," Dean cried, burying his face into the man's shirt. "I wanna stay here, Pastor Jim. Please?"

John suddenly stepped towards Dean, but Jim put up a hand, silently telling him to stop. He knew John's usual ways of dealing with disobedience, but this was more that Dean simply being disobedient. The boy was truly hurt by the fact that he was once again being uprooted.

"Dean, listen to me, okay? Your daddy needs to go to South Dakota and he's going to be there for a while. The roads aren't going to be easy to drive on soon, thanks to Father Winter, so that means that he can't be driving back and forth. And I'm going to be going on a little trip of my own, so you have to go with your dad."

Dean relaxed a little more at Jim's words and calm tone, but he was still crying. "But it's not fair," he said quietly. "It's almost Christmas and we were going to put up a tree, remember? You said Sammy and I could pick one out and I could help you cut it down. Sammy's never had a Christmas tree before."

"I'm sorry, Dean," Jim said simply. "Maybe you can get a tree at Bobby's."

Dean looked over at his father, but his face immediately fell at the look on the man's face. He knew that his dad didn't buy into all the sentimental things like birthdays and holidays. To John Winchester, there were far more important things than Christmas trees and birthday cakes.

There was a long silence between them all until Sam's small voice broke it up. "It's okay, Dee. I'll help you find a tree. Please don't be sad."

Dean looked over at his little brother and gave him a small smile. He tried to avoid looking at his father, but his eyes quickly shot over to the man when he heard him clear his throat.

"Are we through with this nonsense, Dean? You're way too old to be acting like this."

Dean nodded his head slightly, but was quickly reminded by his father that a verbal answer was expected. "Yes, sir," he said quietly.

John walked over to his son, who was now standing nervously next to Pastor Jim. Jim reached out a hand and grabbed John lightly on the arm. "John….." he tried, but the man ignored him.

Instead, he grabbed Dean by the arm, turned him to the side and placed two hard smacks on his backside. "That's for throwing a tantrum like a little baby," he said. He landed two more hard smacks before turning Dean to face him and releasing his arm. "And that's for throwing Jim's bible at me!"

Dean quickly wiped the tears from his eyes with one hand as he rubbed his backside with the other.

"And believe me, boy…. If you ever act like that again, you and I will be having a much longer conversation. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, get upstairs and start packing up your stuff. We're leaving right after breakfast."

Without a word, Dean turned to leave, grabbing Sam by the arm as he passed him.

The next few hours were tense for everyone in the house. Dean could hear his dad and Jim talking downstairs and he knew they were talking about him, since he kept hearing his name. And he knew that Pastor Jim was most likely trying to calm his father down.

Dean felt guilty for telling his dad that he hated him. He loved his dad, but he sometimes just got so mad at the man. And Dean wouldn't ever admit it to anyone, but he sometimes wished that Pastor Jim was their father. He wished that his little brother didn't have to grow up living out of motel rooms and eating at greasy diners. Pastor Jim made sure that they had clean clothes that actually fit them and shoes that didn't have holes in them. He read to them every night before bed and helped Dean with his homework. He was the one that taught Dean how to tie his shoes and how to skip a rock across the river. Pastor Jim had time for them. He played with them and taught them and took care of them. He made them feel safe.

Not that Dean didn't feel safe with his father. Dean knew that his father was a hero and that there wasn't a single monster that could hurt them when he was around. He knew that his dad loved them, too. But, John didn't have a lot of time for them. He was always busy hunting something or researching something and all of that work left little time for Sam and Dean. He knew that John also tried to make sure they had clean clothes and food to eat, but the man really didn't pay attention to how fast his boys were growing. He didn't seem to notice that Dean's clothes were too small for him and that his hand-me-downs were too big for Sammy. He didn't seem to notice when it was nine o'clock at night and his sons hadn't eaten yet.

Dean was used to taking care of his little brother whenever they were away from Blue Earth, but John didn't always make it easy for him to do that. Even though he was only eight years old, Dean knew how to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for his brother. But, sometimes John was so preoccupied with whatever he was hunting that he didn't notice that their groceries were all gone. Sometimes, he forgot to give money to Dean so he could do their laundry. And sometimes, he forgot that his sons were only eight and four years old.

Dean did the best he could, but sometimes it wasn't enough. Living in Blue Earth was easy, though. In Blue Earth, Dean could just be a kid for a change. He didn't have to worry about things like food or clean clothes. He didn't have to worry about Sam when he got the sniffles. And he didn't have to worry about monsters.

Living in Blue Earth was all he ever wanted, but now they were leaving.

By the time it was time for bed, Dean had packed up all of his and Sammy's stuff, not that they had a whole lot. He had the two duffel bags sitting by the door, ready to go as soon as their dad told them to. He was sitting on the bed, resting against the headboard as he read a story to Sam. Sam, who was still picking up on the sadness that permeated through his brother, was being uncharacteristically quiet, but Dean hadn't really noticed. He was trying to focus on what he was reading, but his mind kept returning to the fact that they were leaving in the morning.

By the time he was finished with the book, Sam was sound asleep. Dean quietly and carefully pulled himself out from under his brother, who had fallen asleep with his head in Dean's lap. Dean adjusted the blankets around Sam, making sure that his brother was tucked in tightly. Sam always slept better when he was tucked in. Once that was done, Dean made his way over to the small window seat and sat down. He pulled the curtains open a little and stared up at the almost full moon. Sadness filled him again at the thought of leaving and he didn't even try to stop the tears from falling.

He had been sitting there for several minutes when the door opened. Quickly wiping the tears from his face, Dean turned to see the outline of Pastor Jim standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Dean, mind if I come in?" Jim said quietly.

Dean shook his head and waited for Jim to step into the room. A few seconds later, Jim was sitting on the small window seat next to him.

"I just wanted to say goodnight," he said. "And to make sure that you're alright." When Dean didn't say anything, he continued. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, sir," Dean answered.

"Dean, listen….. I know you're upset about leaving, son. I'm upset, too. I love having you and Sam here and I'm really going to miss you. But, it's for the best, Dean. Your daddy needs you with him. And it's not like we're never going to see each other again. I made your daddy promise me that he would bring you back to spend spring break with me. That's only a little over three months away from now."

"Really?" Dean asked, his face brightening. "He said yes?"

"Of course, he did!"

Dean and Jim looked at each other, neither wanting to admit that John's saying yes really didn't mean much of anything. A lot could happen in three months and John definitely wouldn't see returning to Blue Earth as a priority, no matter how much it meant to his son. Before they could dwell on it, though, Jim continued.

"You know you can call me anytime, right? Bobby has my number, so if you ever need to talk or something, just give me a call, okay? And I'll make sure to call every so often, too, just to check in."

"Okay…."

"Dean, it's all going to work out, I promise. Your daddy loves you and he's just trying to do what's right."

"I know," Dean answered sadly. Jim pulled him into a hug and Dean burrowed himself deeply into the man's shirt. "Do you really think Bobby will let us get a Christmas tree? What if he doesn't like us? What if he doesn't want Sammy and me hanging around his house? I heard you tell Dad that he was a real hard-ass."

"Language, Dean," Jim chided. "And don't you worry about Bobby. He's a real softie underneath his gruff exterior. He's going to love you boys."

Dean didn't look completely convinced, but he hadn't ever known Pastor Jim to lie to him.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, Dean. You and Sammy, both. You boys bring life to this house and it's way too quiet here when you're gone." Jim looked out the window, spying the bright moon immediately. "We'll see each other soon, I promise. Until then, I've got an idea. Every night, before you go to bed, look out the window and find the moon. I'll do the same wherever I am and you'll know that I'm thinking of you."

Dean smiled at that. "Every night," he said quietly. "Just like that movie with that mouse, remember?"

"Of course, I remember. We just watched it last weekend," Jim laughed. "Now, you should probably get some sleep. If I know your daddy, he's going to want to get on the road bright and early."

"Okay." Jim was almost to the door when Dean spoke again. "Pastor Jim? I'm really sorry for throwing your bible at my dad."

Jim smiled easily. "Maybe next time you can just throw a cookbook or something. Leave my bible out of it."

Dean laughed. "I think you're supposed to tell me that I shouldn't be throwing things at people, aren't you?"

Jim laughed. "I guess you're right. So, no more throwing things at people, okay?" Jim hesitated again before giving Dean a wink. "Don't tell your dad I said this, but the look on his face when the bible hit him was hilarious. I'll see you in the morning, Dean. Don't forget to say your prayers."

"Goodnight, Pastor Jim."

Dean pulled the curtain shut and climbed into bed next to his brother. He didn't pray often, but he did that night. He prayed that they would get to come back to Blue Earth for spring break. He prayed that Bobby really was a softie. And he prayed that his dad knew that he really didn't hate him.

Author's note: I'm truly sorry for the long wait. I'm sure you all know how busy the holidays can get. I really thought that I would get to the boys meeting Bobby in this chapter, but Pastor Jim demanded some more story time, lol. The next chapter will definitely have the meeting between the Winchester's and gruff old Bobby Singer. Should be fun! Oh, and the movie referenced in this chapter is An American Tail, just so you know. There's a song called Somewhere Out There sung by James Ingram and Linda Ronstadt.

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight
Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that dream somewhere out there

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishin' on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there, if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true

Songwriters: James Horner / Cynthia Weil / Barry Mann

In case you're also following my other story, Watch Out For Sammy, I should have another chapter up sometime tomorrow night. I've hit a bit of a block on that one, but I think I'm working through it.

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I hope you all had a great holiday season and a great New Year. Take care.