Chapter 11

Bobby opened the small door for the garage so he could go in and open the bay door to let the sunshine pour in. Dean looked around at the cars at various stages of repair that sat in the bays. Bobby moved to the car on the end and looked into the engine bay before turning to find a tool from the toolbox sitting nearby.

"Do you know anything about cars?" Bobby asked the boy as he stood at the front of the car watching him.

"Not really, I did learn about small engines from my adopted Dad," Dean replied eyeing the car engine.

"That's good," Bobby replied thinking this was the most Dean had said since the death of his adopted parents. "Well, a car engine is similar, just a few more parts to deal with. See, here are the spark plugs, water pump, carburetor, filters, belts, and radiator. This one needs the radiator flushed and an oil change. Do you want to help?"

Dean nodded his head yes and looked under the jacked-up car as instructed. Bobby showed him where the drain plug was and sat a bucket under it to drain the antifreeze from it. Dean removed the plug and waited as it drained into the bucket. Bobby handed him a watering can half full of water to pour into the radiator and run through.

"Not bad, go ahead and put the plug back and we'll refill it with antifreeze," Bobby told him. "Here, use the creeper, roll under the car, and look to the left. Do you see the drain plug for the oil?"

"Yes."

"Not sure if you can break it, so let me get under there and loosen it, and then you can take it out." Dean moved from under the car and let Bobby take his place. He had a breaker bar and socket to loosen the plug enough that Dean could take it out. "Okay, here you go and watch it, the oil will drain out quickly and get all over you if you are not careful."

"Okay," Dean replied accepting the breaker bar and laying back down on the creeper to roll under the car. He was careful and finished taking out the plug. He jerked back when the stream of dirty oil ran from the car into the pan Bobby set in place.

Bobby paid close attention to the boy hoping this distraction would help him. He seemed like a resilient lad that would hopefully bounce back quickly after what he had been through. He was pleased to have found an interest with him; maybe this would make it easier to tell him about the monsters that were out there in the dark. He didn't know if Dean would question him about his adopted parents' deaths or not and there were still questions, he needed to ask Dean.

"Do you want to tighten the plug?" Dean asked, breaking Bobby from his thoughts.

"Sure Dean," Bobby replied. "If you look on the shelf over there, you'll find oil. If you get five quarts of 5W20 to go in the car and a filter, number 4692. We'll go ahead and replace that too."

"Okay," Dean replied looking around and seeing the shelves along one wall and seeing the oil. He walked over and made sure he had the right oil before picking up three bottles to take back to the car. Dean went back and got two more bottles sitting them on the towel on the fender for Bobby. He watched as Bobby poured the oil in until he came to the last bottle and only put in half.

"Dean, I want you to watch underneath to be sure there is no leak."

"Alright," Dean said squatting down to look under the car as Bobby reached into the car to crank it.

Bobby let it run for a few minutes until Dean popped back up with a thumb's up and he turned it off. "You did good Dean. This car is done, and I can call the owner to pick it up. Here, clean your hands and we'll check out the other car." Bobby took the Goop and squirted some in Dean's outstretched hand and in his own. They rubbed their hands together to rid them of the dirt and grim before wiping them on rags. Bobby let the car off the jacks and got in to move it out of the garage.

"The owner of this car says there's a strange noise under the hood," Bobby told Dean as they moved to the next car. "Let's turn it on and see what we hear. It needs to warm first." Bobby sat in the driver's seat, cranked the car, and got out. He went around to the open hood and stood by the fender leaning closer to listen to it run. "What do you hear Dean?"

Dean moved to the front of the car and leaned closer, cocking his head to the side and concentrating on the running engine. He listened to the rumble and how it sounded, trying to pick up on what could be off about it. After a few minutes, Dean looked at Bobby when he picked up a sound that didn't seem right.

"You hear it too?" Bobby asked Dean to get a nod from him. "It's running rough and knocking. Probably needs the spark plugs changed, filters checked, or maybe the fuel injectors need cleaning."

Dean listened to Bobby explain what he was doing as he pulled the wires from the plugs and started checking them. He showed him the buildup on the spark plugs and decided they needed changing. Dean watched as Bobby gauged the plugs, replaced them, and attached the wires back. Bobby showed Dean where the filters were located and how to check them. He looked at the fan belts for wear and cracking before cranking the car again. Dean listened and could tell it was running smoother now. Bobby had Dean sweep the garage out and helped gather the trash and take it to the dumpster at the side of the building.

"How 'bout we stop for now and go get some lunch?" Bobby asked Dean after he looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

"Okay," Dean replied putting the broom and dustpan away. He waited outside the door while Bobby closed the bay doors and joined him. They walked back toward the house in silence, side by side.

spn

"Do you like salads Dean?" Bobby asked him.

"Yes," Dean replied washing his hands at the sink after Bobby finished.

"How 'bout a chef salad then for lunch?"

"Okay, I can help. I know how to cook."

"Why don't you set the table and I'll get some eggs on boiling?" Bobby got the eggs from the fridge and a pot to boil them in. He got them cooking and got out the other vegetables to throw together the salad.

Dean went to the cabinet and got down bowls and looked in the drawers until he found silverware. He set two places at the table and turned to watch Bobby adding items to a large bowl. He cut up a tomato and added it as he waited for the eggs to finish cooking.

"There's salad dressings in the door of the fridge. Hope you like either Ranch or French; that's what I bought."

"Ranch is good."

"Dean, can you answer a couple of questions for me?"

"I guess."

"How old are you?"

"Almost ten."

"What's your last name?"

"Winchester."

"Dean Winchester, ummm…Okay," Bobby surmised. He was already thinking about registering Dean for school and knew he would need to get a birth certificate for him to do that. "Where were you born?"

"Lawrence, Kansas."

"That's good, I have a friend that lives there. She can get your birth certificate for me so I can get you in school this fall. What grade are you in?"

"I skipped a grade, I will be going into seventh grade."

"You must be pretty smart to do that. After we eat, I need to talk to you about some things. They may be a bit scary, but if you're going to be staying here, well, it's things you'll need to know."

"Okay. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure kid."

"Who killed my adopted parents?"

"That's something we'll discuss after we eat, how 'bout that?" Bobby suggested.

Dean thought about it and nodded okay. He was wondering what Bobby needed to discuss with him and pondered on who would want to harm his adopted parents. They were liked by everyone they had met, and he never saw anyone having ill feelings toward them. He didn't think it was a robbery, it was too violent.

"Okay, let me peel these eggs and get them cut up and we'll eat." Bobby drained the eggs and added cold water to the pot to cool them before peeling them. He cut the eggs and added them to the salad before taking the bowl to the table. He found crackers, got out a water for Dean, and poured a cup of coffee for himself. "Dig in Dean, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

Dean accepted the bowl and dished out salad into his bowl. He poured some Ranch dressing over it and mixed it before taking a bite. He took a few crackers and ate one, keeping his eyes downcast as his thoughts raced. He didn't know anything about this older man, but that he killed whoever killed his adopted parents and was willing to take him in instead of sending him back into the system. He knew there was something different about him but didn't know what it was. He hadn't had time to explore the salvage yard or house but hoped the talk they were going to have would clear things up. Dean didn't try to make conversation and was happy Bobby wasn't either.

"Why don't you go sit on the deck and enjoy the sun while I clean up?" Bobby suggested when he saw Dean had stopped eating. "I've got one phone call to make, and I'll join you out there. We'll talk about things, and I'll answer any questions you have, if I can. I'll be honest with you kid, I won't lie to you. I figure that's the only way this will work."

"Alright," Dean mumbled taking his plate to the sink before heading out on the deck. He found some chairs out there and took a seat as he looked across the yard at the stacked, crushed vehicles. He let his eyes roam around noticing the other buildings sitting back behind the rows. Movement caught his eyes and he stared hard at something at the edge of the wrecks. It moved again and he realized it was a small rabbit trying to find clover to eat. He relaxed back into the chair and watched the creature hunt his meal. He hadn't let his guard down yet, but he already had a feeling about the older man and knew he was safe here.

A/N: Dean is settling in and is going to get The Talk. How will he take it? Will he believe Bobby? I do like reviews/comments. NC