Chapter Three
He could tell as soon as he looked at his adopted sons that they weren't themselves.
He could see it in the darkness barely hidden in their eyes and the almost predatory gait with which they walked. In the way Dean's eyes flitted from place to place, taking in everything around him and carefully logging what could be used as a weapon. In the way Sam stayed exactly half a pace behind and to the right of his brother, his hazel-green eyes not nearly as focused as they should've been.
Most of all, it was the strange combination of shock and grief that flashed across their features before being covered by small genuine smiles.
He thought about waiting until they got inside, but instead he handed them both a silver flask of holy water and frowned. Both men took a swig and handed the flask back, Dean grinning at him.
He didn't smile back. "What's wrong with y'all? Yer lookin' at me like you seein' a ghost."
Sam gave him a small sad smile.
"Let's go inside. Trust me you'll want to be sitting for this."
Bobby frowned, but knew if Sam was telling him that and Dean wasn't protesting, then it was probably serious. He turned and headed inside, grumbling under his breath.
Once they were all inside and seated in the living room he turned and scowled at them. For a moment, they ignored him, glancing around the room with nostalgia written in every line of their bodies, then they looked up at him, something broken shadowing their eyes.
"What the hell have y'all gotten yerselves into?"
Dean sighed, running a hand through his short hair, and suddenly he seemed older than his twenty-seven years.
"What do you know about time travel?"
Bobby looked between them, wondering if this was a joke. Then he took in the expression on their faces and slumped in his seat.
"Balls."
"How touching."
Sam stiffed slightly as Lucifer's voice sounded from the arm of the sofa beside him and he had fight to keep his attention on Bobby instead of the smirking apparition.
Dean sent him a worried look and he leaned closer to him away from the devil who chuckled.
"Now, now, Sammy. It isn't polite to ignore someone when they're speaking."
He gritted his teeth, pressing insistently on the old scar on his palm. Lucifer rolled his eyes at him.
"You already know that won't work. We've been over this already. Stone #1 is broken and has been since you decided I should help find Dean."
Lucifer moved closer to him and he could almost feel the heat of his body against his arm. He jerked, moving closer to Dean.
"Sam?" Bobby asked concerned and sharp hazel eyes snapped up to meet his worried blue eyes.
"I'm fine."
"Ohh, lying is bad, Sammy. Maybe you need to go to timeout."
Dean grabbed his arm tight enough to bruise drawing his attention away from the apparition's taunts and he smiled gratefully.
The older man gave a small smile back and loosened his grip with a nod, Bobby watching them suspiciously the entire time.
"What aren't y'all telling me?" He asked and Sam swallowed thickly.
"The future we come from…the world's gone to shit to be honest. I'm not the sanest person in the world."
"Understatement!" Lucifer sang and Sam flinched.
"Is he still there?" Dean asked softly and their adoptive father's brow furrowed.
"Who?"
The brothers shared a look, one full of pain.
"Lucifer."
Bobby glanced between them and seeing their serious expressions he repeated his earlier sentiments.
"Balls."
Dean snorted and pulled Sam closer to him, keeping the younger man focused on the real world instead of the devil haunting him.
"It all starts after Jess died…"
Something was wrong with his sons.
He had no clue how he knew this but somehow, he had a feeling that something was happening to his boys, all three of them. It was a tightening in his chest that left his heart racing and the cold ball of dread building in his stomach with each passing moment. In the steadily growing need to have his boys with him that led to his current location.
Kate Milligan's driveway.
Two years had passed since he'd been able to stop in and see his youngest son, but between looking for the YED and checking up on Sam while he was at Stanford, he'd barely had time to do so.
Just another failure to add to the list of ways he'd failed his sons.
Steeling himself, he exited his car and walked up to the door, knocking firmly. Soft footsteps sounded on the other side of the door before it opened and he found himself staring into innocent hazel green eyes.
Adam.
The child stared up at him for a moment, something indiscernible in his gaze, then he smiled and hugged him.
"I missed you, dad."
John smiled softly, hugging the teen back, ignoring the spiteful voice in his mind that sounded a lot like Sam that reminded him of how he'd told fourteen-year-old Sam that he was to old to be hugged anymore.
When he pulled away, Adam was looking up at him with a slightly sardonic smirk on his lips.
"Mom made dinner." He stated then turned to head back inside. John followed him, his eyes widening as he noticed the discreet protections in place around the house.
Neither Kate or Adam knew about the supernatural. So why were the protections in place?
Had Sam and Dean found out and come to visit?
He glanced at his son, who was rambling about the woodshop class he'd started in school, blinking when the boy started talking about a necklace he'd made for him, hoping to give it to him on his next visit.
He smiled and gestured for him to go get it, trying and failing to ignore the unease building in his chest.
It only grew when Adam placed the handmade necklace in his hands.
It was a wooden Celtic knot, delicately carved, with tiny runes and words etched into it, a thin leather cord strung through the charm. The runes weren't any he recognized but the look in Adam's eyes when he handed him the jewelry told him the boy was aware of his true job.
"Adam?" The teen shook his head and placed two other necklaces in his hand, one, a Celtic knot similar to his own and the other a full moon with the shadow of a wolf carved into it.
"Who are these for?" He asked somehow knowing the answer. His dread became full blown panic when Adam responded.
"My brothers."
TBC…