John Winchester came close to losing his children more than once.

Chapter Seven: The car – Part Two

John sat at the diner down the street from the hospital, his journal open before him. Sam sat by his side, looking gloomy and distraught. The waitress came to his table, putting two plates in front of them. Sam made a face. He thought he had made it clear to his dad that he didn't want anything to eat. He needed to be at the hospital, with Dean, but John had insisted that Sam came with him while the doctors ran all the tests they needed to run.

"Would there be anything else?" the waitress asked, smiling at them.

"Do you have a payphone?" John asked and the waitress nodded.

"Around the back." She said, and John pulled out a ten dollar bill out of his wallet.

"I'm going to need some quarters." He told her.

He stayed there for three hours, calling every name in his journal, every connection he had, and every name they have given him. He had to find a way to protect his sons. Whatever he's been doing so far obviously wasn't working. Running away wasn't enough. That thing promised it would be back, and it kept its promise. John would be damned if he let that thing hurt his boys.

At last, one of his connections came through. He had to take a little trip, but it would be worth it, John thought. He tried asking Sam about the man in Dean's room, thinking that if his son knew about it before, there was a chance he'll know about it now, but Sam just shook his head, forking the cold food left on his plate, and reminded John again that he had been asleep.

"Sammy, listen to me." John said as they got out of the diner. Sam looked up at him. "I need to go somewhere." Sam wrinkled his brow.

"Where?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter. I'll be gone for a couple of days." John said assertively.

"But dad…" Sam began to protest as John opened his truck, taking a couple of guns out and handing them both to Sam.

"You know what to do, right?" John asked, making sure.

"Yes, sir. But…"

"Shoot first, ask questions later, Sam." John reminded him.

"Dad, you can't go!" Sam insisted. John sighed.

"I have to, kiddo. Something's out to get your brother. I need to find a way to protect him. Do you understand?" John asked, and Sam gave a little nod. "Good. Now let's go back, see what those doctors have to say about your brother." John said.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Sammy?"

"What's after Dean?" Sam asked apprehensively.

"A soon to be vanquished son-of-a-creature." John answered as they walked back to the hospital.

"Why is it after him?" Sam asked again. John sighed. That was classic Sam. Always with the questions. Dean never asked this many questions. He simply did whatever John had asked him to do.

"I don't know, Sammy." John answered his son.

"Don't stay away for long." Sam said in a small voice, and John stopped. He caught hold of Sam's arm and hugged him.

"You know I'll take care of this thing, right?" John asked his youngest.

"Yes, sir."


John drove as fast as he could. He hasn't slept in days. He was tired, so tired, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he knew for sure that thing was never going to come after his son again. And there were other things to worry about. Other, less supernatural things. The doctors seemed less than pleased by Dean's test results. That boy had a thing with tests. He hated them. Sometimes, John thought Dean would fail tests just on principle.

The doctors suspected brain damage. John suspected something else. Sam kept the salt circles around Dean's bed intact, making sure to draw them again every time the cleaners left the room.

John's heart nearly stopped when he came in Dean's room to find an old man lying in the bed. He grabbed the first nurse that crossed his way, and nearly cried in relief when she told him Dean's been moved from the ICU. He thanked the nurse for showing him where they moved his son.

It was a just after six in the morning. John watched his sons sleep, and kept thinking that it wasn't supposed to be like that. It wasn't supposed to be so hard. He still remembered Dean from before Mary had died. He doubted if that innocent little boy even existed anymore. And Sammy… John sighed. Sammy never had a real home in his life. This wasn't what he wanted for his sons. But at least, finally, he could protect them better.

He stroked Dean's cheek, relieved to see the tube gone from his throat. Dean stirred at the touch, but didn't wake up. Just as well, John thought, reaching in his pocket and taking out a necklace. This was the reason for his little trip. He carefully put it around Dean's neck. The guy he got it from promised it would shield his son from the eyes of his pursuer, make Dean invisible to the evil that seemed to be watching his every step.

"Dad?"

"Hi, Sammy." John smiled tiredly at him.

"When did you get back?" Sam asked, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"Just now." John answered. "How is he?" Sam came to his feet, glancing at his brother.

"Annoying." He said, and John smiled. Annoying was good.

"He woke up?" Sam nodded.

"Just after you left." He said. "It was a little weird." John looked at him.

"Weird how?" he demanded. Sam shrugged.

"I overheard the doctors saying that he probably won't wake up, that he'll never be the same." Sam started and John looked apprehensively at Dean. "I thought, hey, so maybe he'll stop being so cocky, but he hasn't. He's worse." Sam grumbled. A small smile flashed on John's lips, but quickly vanished. He looked at Sam, still waiting for an answer to his question. Sam sighed. "There was something here." Sam said, and John's heart rate doubled.

"What?" Sam shrugged.

"I don't know. I didn't see a thing. I just felt… I don't know, strange. Good." He said, staring blankly for a moment. John had to call his name to get him to focus again. "I don't know." Sam said again. "He was doing really bad, and then… he wasn't anymore. He was okay." Sam finished.

"Just like that?" John asked, raising a brow.

"With the flickering lights, and the scraping sounds and all that other stuff. Oh, and the salt was gone." Sam said, scratching his head. John stared intently at him.

"What do you mean the salt was gone?" he demanded. Sam shrugged.

"I don't know. I was standing right there. It was there one moment, and then it wasn't. Like it melted or something. And the room got real hot all of a sudden. I was going to check it out but…"

"But what, Sam?" John demanded. Sam looked at Dean and didn't answer. "Sammy?" Sam took a deep breath.

"I think I heard mom." Sam said in a small voice, not looking at his father. "She told Dean it wasn't the right time. That he had to stay with me a little while longer, and that she'll be back for him when the time was right." Sam's voice was barely audible. John's heart raced. "I think mom told him it was okay to wake up."

"And that's when he woke up?" John asked, and Sam nodded, and then looked up at his father.

"Dad?" John looked at him questioningly. "Do you think… You think mom was really here? That she's watching over us?" Sam asked in a strangled voice.

John hesitated for a long moment. "I do." he said at last. He didn't have the heart to tell his son the truth.

"Hey, would you be quiet? Some people are trying to sleep, you know!" John nearly screamed in joy at the sound of his son's voice. He reached over and caressed Dean's cheek, and Dean opened his eyes. "Dad." He said, and closed his eyes again, too tired to keep them open. "You got the job done?" he asked in a small voice. There was no resentment in his son's voice, no accusation, just genuine interest, and John couldn't help thinking again that his boys deserved much more than that.

"Even better." John said, "I got something for you."

"Does it come in a disposable package and says extra cheese on top?" Dean asked, opening one eye, "Hospital food sucks!" John laughed.


Dean was doing considerably better. The doctors told John that he would probably be released from the hospital in a few days, but John still had the feeling Sam was keeping something from him. Sam seemed a little embarrassed when he called him on it.

"What is it, kiddo?" John asked, and Sam wouldn't even look at him.

"I couldn't do it." He said at last in a tiny voice.

"Do what?" John inquired, and Sam squirmed.

"He keeps talking about that damn car," Sam said, trying to both catch and avoid his father's stare. "I couldn't… I didn't have the heart to tell him that its… well, resting in pieces…" John smiled. But apparently, Sam was right. John thought that Dean would be a little upset about losing the car, but Dean was pissed off. John thought it was lucky the other driver wasn't there, or he would have taken a trip of his own to the ICU.

Seeing Dean was doing better, John forced Sam to get back to school, and he himself returned to the job of exorcising an extremely mad ex-boyfriend who insisted on trying to run his ex-girlfriend over with his classic, black '67 Impala, and a work of art at that. The boyfriend had died in a car accident, falling off a cliff, and the body was never recovered. He would have to find it and torch the bones, but first, John went to check on Dean at the hospital.

Dean was in a bad mood. He was depressed about losing the first car he'd ever owned just a couple of weeks after he had gotten it. John suspected there was more to it than that, that the car was more than just a car to his son, but whenever he had tried talking to Dean about it, he would make some stupid joke and change the subject. Another thing that belonged to that one percent that made John so worried about his son.

"Here, I brought you some contraband." John said, sitting at the edge of his older son's bed and handing him the burger. Dean thanked him, grinning, and quickly started on the burger. John watched him carefully. The bruises were almost gone, and it seemed he was feeling much better, but something still bothered John, something was still wrong. "Hey, where's the necklace I gave you?" John asked, realizing all of a sudden that Dean wasn't wearing it.

"Oh, I took it off." Dean said, finishing the burger in two quick more bites. John frowned.

"Put it back on." He said gruffly. Dean looked at him. It was a cool necklace, but still…

"But it's choking." He said, looking up at his dad.

"You'll get used to it," John said authoritatively, "put it back on!"

"But, dad,"

"Put-it-back-on!" John said, emphasizing every word, almost raising his voice. Dean looked at him questioningly, but his look showed no room for compromise.

"Yes, sir." Dean said, grimacing as he turned over to the little table beside his bed and took the necklace, putting it around his neck. John helped him with the latch.

"Dean, you have to listen to me." John said, his voice softer now. "This necklace, it's important. You have to promise me that you'll never ever take it off." He said, looking intently at Dean. Dean looked questioningly at him, but John couldn't bring himself to answer his unasked question. Dean gave a slight nod.

"Yes, sir." He said. John smiled faintly at his son.

"Good. Now I'm going to take care of some business. I'll be back tomorrow, first thing."

"Yes, sir."

"Try to get some rest, would you, kiddo?" John looked over his shoulder to see what his son was looking at and sighed. She was cute, but much too old for his nineteen year old son. She, however, didn't seem to think so. She waved, winking at Dean, who smirked at her. "Dean…" John sighed again. "Just get some rest." He said again, and then left.


A few days later Dean was finally released from the hospital. Sam couldn't understand how someone who had just spent almost three weeks in the hospital because of a stupid car could possibly still be angry the damn thing was gone.

"Oh, come on, Dean." Sam said as he helped his brother to the elevator. "Dad's getting you another car, you know. It's waiting for you right outside." He said, trying his best not to sound as envy as he felt. He had seen the car. He might have considered getting in a car crash himself for a sweet ride like that.

"I don't want another car, I want my car!" Dean snapped crankily.

"You can get a better car if you built it out of Lego bricks!" Sam noted. Dean glowered at him.

"Oh, yeah, what would you know? You don't even have a license!"

"I've been driving since I was thirteen!" Sam reminded him indignantly.

"Whatever, dude."

John waited nervously by the car, waiting anxiously to see his son's reaction. He couldn't believe it himself. The woman sold him the car for practically nothing. She was definitely unaware of its real value. John figured that if he were the woman's ex-boyfriend and he had seen her sell the car like that, he'd probably haunt her, too. John smiled at Dean as he came out of the hospital. The look on Dean's face was priceless. John's chest burst with pure joy. He didn't get to have many moments like these.

"Hey, kiddo. What do you say we take your new car for a ride?" he asked, tossing Dean the keys. Dean nearly missed them. He blinked, looking questioningly at his father. If that was a dream, he didn't want to wake up. John's smile widened.

"Come on, dufus, I've been dying to get in that car, but dad said I couldn't until you did." Sam said eagerly. But Dean was in no hurry. He walked slowly, unsteadily, to the Impala, running his hands over the new finish, and then looked up at John.

"There's no way we can afford it." He said.

"Sammy can have it if you don't want it." John teased him. Dean looked back at the car. The look on his face told John all he needed to know. It was love at first sight.

A/N: Okay, I must admit, these last couple of chapters were definitely my favorites, but this story is quickly coming to an end. Two more chapters left to be written, so I'll go work on it, and you start with the much anticipated reviews. I promise, if it hits 55 reviews with this chapter, I'll stay up all night so I could update it as soon as tomorrow. Deal?