Chapter Six
Autumn bounced down the stairs. Athena was asleep the three little girls curled around her with their dollies, Sam was outside with Shadow, the black lab, playing fetch, Dean was sitting in the living room on Sam's computer. So Autumn resolved to scrub out the pots and pans she'd left out to soak the night before. She could hear Martha talking to Sam, no doubt asking a hundred questions a minute. How the woman could get on to her daughters for doing that when she did it too was beyond Autumn. Little Nick would be on his mother's hip chubby fingers tangled in her hair and drool dripping down his chin soaking his bib, he got that from his father. Billy-Jack had done nothing but drool until he was five.
Autumn quickly lost herself in a day dreams, a mixture of memories and fantasies, that she'd willingly played host too most of her life danced through her mind. The back door slammed shut and Billy-Jack came in a Bud already in his had at ten in the morning. He tipped his hat at her before going to the fridge to replace his soon to be empty beer. The little hairs on the back or her neck stood up. Mr. and Mrs. Morton were locked in their bedroom wrapping Christmas gifts, that would start showing up under the tree next week. She was alone and he was drinking. This wasn't going to be good.
"So it's those Winchesters again? When are you going to give it up?" Billy-Jack sat down his Bud Light.
"Go back to the barns, Billy-Jack." Autumn tried to ignore her ex.
"No, why don't you remind me why these worthless, scumbags mean so much to you."
"Maybe, because, unlike you, they are honorable, respectable men, doing something with real worth." She rinsed her pan before placing it on the rack to dry.
"Right. I googled them. Dean's dead and charged with murder. Did you know that?"
"Things happen, you wouldn't understand."
"Why is that? You think I'm some stupid redneck?"
"Yeah, but that's not why you won't understand." she smirked slightly. "Go see to your chores."
"You think you're funny? You walked off and left us high and dry. No explanation. Just POOF gone!" she could hear the anger in his voice but didn't let him under her skin. She finished up the dishes and went to wipe down the counters. "Nothing to say for yourself? You aren't going to deny you screwed us over? My family gave you everything you have. Yours was shit! Your mama was faulty work, and that old man of yours… Don't get me started on him!" he was really starting to push Autumn's buttons but still she shut him out. If she could manage to finish the tasks she'd set out that morning to perform she wouldn't have failed so horribly at being a good daughter. She might not have left the way he said she had, if only she could do the same chores she had grown up doing. "Come on Autty, give me something to run with here! Think you're so much better than us now? Is that it? You've got a savings account with three or four zeros, and a pimped out ride. You're a big shot writer now, right? What about what you were before! Think you can just walk away from us? From me?"
"You've got a wife and kids, Billy-Jack." she reminded. She didn't bother to mention the fact that he'd left her. That he'd been the final factor in stay verse leave. She just tried to stick to the most obvious points. He'd never understand the emotions behind everything else.
"Right, screw a drunk girl end up tied to her for the rest of your damn life." he stepped forward cornering her between the sink and the stove, and up against the counter. "You know you're the only girl for me." his breath reeked, and it wasn't just that watered down piss water that passed for beer, in his book, either. "Come on. Martha will never know. Why don't we just go have a little fun? Or will that toy you're dragging around, like some sort of prize pig, have a cow?" Autumn shoved him away, and was thankful for once in her life that he never expected girls to have any strength at all. Freed from the corner she started out of the room looking for the safety of numbers. She smiled in Dean's direction when he looked up from Sam's laptop where he was searching for their next hunt. "Walk away! That's right! You're still a stupid whore and you always will be." He yelled after her. Dean stood up and started towards her and she frantically recalled the tears that were ready to spill. "Just keep going dumb bitch. Walk away. Leave!" Dean didn't stop at her though he made sure to let his arm brush hers. He made it into the kitchen and Billy-Jack's next string was cut off when he was slammed against the wall.
"You have anything else to say?" nothing about the way he spoke or stood gave away the depth of Dean's anger.
"You think she's all pristine don't you? Think she's some little daddy's girl, a mamma's little angel. The kind of girl that won't ever let you past second without a ring and vows. She's one of the most messed up girls I've ever" Dean punched him one.
"The correct answer was 'No, Dean. I don't have anything else to say.' You don't deserve to know her. Being in the same room as her should be the greatest honor of your pathetic life."
"She's got you whipped. Wrapped around her little finger." Autumn stood in awe at the sight of her ex pinned to the wall by Dean. She wasn't sure what this said about him, or whatever it was that was starting between them. But again his fists met Billy-Jack's face.
"I'm not wrapped around her finger, I just don't like little boys who disrespect a woman." Dean growled.
"She's the disrespectful one. Walks around like a normal human being." Dean pulled him out then slammed him against the wall again.
"You just don't know when to shut up do you?" But before Billy-Jack could prove Dean right Betty Sue Morton came in.
"What the hell are you doing to my boy?" she asked pushing past Autumn and pulling at Dean to let go of her baby.
"Nothing, ma'am. Just teaching him a little lesson." Dean released Billy-Jack who didn't manage to catch himself and landed on his butt beer bottle falling from his hand and rolling across the floor. Rage to match the fury of a hurricane built in the older woman's eyes.
"That's it! I've tried. Autumn I swear to you, if I've done anything these past few days I've tried. I've tried to keep my mouth shut about how you're ruining your life. Going to hell in a hand basket and taking your sister with you! I've tried to ignore the way this cretin has treated MY son. But this is the last straw! Get that filthy drooling dog out of my yard! Get these spawns of the devil out of my house! Get the hell out and don't come back!" Autumn's jaw dropped. She'd never expected to hear these words. Her shock lasted a moment too long. "OUT! GET OUT!" Martha and Sam came in, Nick crying from the sudden panic in his mother. Athena and the girls tumbled down the stairs and Mr. Morton hobbled in.
"Betty what's going on?" He asked.
"I'm done! I've had it up to here!" her hand sliced through the air above her head. "All they do is cause problems and I'm not doing it any more. God, I'm sorry. But these girls can't be helped. You can't save them! Jack get them out of my house now." she ordered her husband. Mr. Morton took his wife by the shoulders and started leading her off.
"Girls you need to leave now." he told them sympathetically.
"But why do you have to leave?" Kendra asked swinging her legs.
"Because Grandma wants us out." Autumn explained. They'd finally looped back around in the questioning. All three girls had perched on the edge of the bed clutching their dolls.
"But why?" Kelly asked.
"Girls go say good bye to Uncle Sam and Uncle Dean." Martha instructed the girls. All three of them jumped down and ran to the rooms where the Winchesters were. "You want to stay over at my place tonight?" she asked once the girls were safely out of hearing range.
"No, we'll hit the highway in fifteen minutes there are motels right off every exit. We'll be fine." Athena told her.
"I know, I just worry about you girls. Out there all alone." she giggled "You're not alone though are you? You've got those strapping young men to protect you, right?"
"You are a demented freak you know it?" Autumn asked.
"I might be a demented freak but you're butthead." Martha teased, finally succeeding in making Autumn smile.
"You've spent too much time in play land, Martha." Both Autumn and Athena hugged their friend before grabbing up the last of their bags and taking them out to the mustang. Dean and Sam were at the top of the stairs saying their good-byes to the triplets. Autumn looked back over the bedrooms to make sure they hadn't left anything. She'd even emptied out her floorboard.
"Call me when you get settled for the night." Martha told them reaching around her girls to hug Sam.
"We will."
"If you need anything just holler." she hugged Dean.
"We will." she stopped and looked the four over.
"Autumn, if that little wound of yours doesn't start looking up in a week get to the hospital and have it checked out."
"I will." Martha nodded.
"No bad reports okay? If I get a call from Mommy saying you girls were bad I'll tell Santa not to come to your house." Athena told the girls squatting down to their height.
"You have to leave?" Kelly whined.
"Yes, Kell. Tell you what," Sam joined Athena at the girls' level. "When you get a little older we'll come back and take you girls for a road trip okay? But you have to take care of Mommy and Baby Nick. You promise you'll do that?" all three girls nodded.
"We promise." Kayla told him. "Is Daddy mad? He scares me when he's mad." Autumn was fighting back tears. She hated leaving Martha and the kids when Billy-Jack was upset. She knew she couldn't protect them but she still wanted to be around.
"Mommy has my phone number okay, if Daddy scares you I want you to call and I'll come back and set Daddy straight." Dean promised the girls. Kayla threw her arms around his legs.
"You're not a butthead." she whispered. Dean smiled and pulled her away from him wiping away her tears.
"Yes I am. All boys are buttheads. So you stay away from them for a very long time okay?" Kayla giggled.
"Okay."
"Come on. We need to hit the road guys." Autumn said hugging everyone one last time.
Dean led the way out to the cars. John was already waiting in the driver's seat. They pulled out of the driveway and were out of sight of the little farm in no time. Athena reclined her seat and stared at the interior light while her sister turned up the radio. Sam was driving so Dean shuffled through his cassettes before finding one he found suitable. Just as Autumn had said it took them fifteen minutes to hit the highway. None of them had settling in for the night in mind. Distance was what they wanted. A great deal of distance between them and the Mortons.
Sam suddenly veered off the road making Dean jerk awake. The younger Winchester only managed to get the car in park before grabbing his head. Dean knew that look, the pain and terror in his brother's eyes were telltale signs of a vision. He looked at his watch as much to time the length as anything else, they'd been driving a little over three hours and were getting dangerously close to nightfall for a vision. Sam was beyond his help right now. The familiar red mustang pulled off behind them and he could see the two girls arguing in the rearview mirror. When the vision finally released, Sam he looked at Dean and let out a long colorful string of curses.
"We've got to go back."
"What? Why?" Dean couldn't put everything together fast enough.
"He's coming. He wants Nick. He's going to get them if we don't go back."
"Slow down Sammy. Whose going after Nick?"
"HE's going after Nick. The demon."
"Damn it!" he jerked open the car door and went back to the Daemons. "We're going back."
"We can't." Autumn told him.
"I didn't ask Autumn. We're going back. The demon is going to be there. When does Nick turn 6 months old?" Athena and Autumn looked at each other trying to calculate the date exactly.
"Tonight." Athena said looking back up at Dean.
"Shit!"
"Get your ass back in that car. I'll see you back there." Autumn didn't stay put long even long enough for Dean to step out of the way. She slammed the car into reverse then pulled back into the traffic. Dean ran back to his car.
"Let me drive." Sam slid over to the passenger seat without hesitation. Dean climbed back into his Impala and joined Autumn in the mad race back to her home.
A/N: Insert evil laugh here. So here's your big cliff hanger. I'll have the next chapter up asap but I don't know when that'll be. The next bit has to be just right. But yea anyway I'll leave you to your wait now. R&R