Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW.
Previously on Supernatural- He held his breath as the door creaked open and the stranger stepped inside.
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Dean hugged Sammy close to him as the woman shuffled into the room. Feeling his little brother tense at the stranger's entrance he reached up and began running his free hand through Sammy's hair to sooth him. Dean listened intently to every sound in the room while attempting to come up with a plan of attack should one be needed.
Ms. Brookins walked into the little boy's room and went straight over to the desk. Opening the top drawer she dug around inside for a few seconds pushing aside baseball cards and toy cars until her hands felt the rounded shape she was seeking. Pulling out the yellow can Nan shouted "Gotcha!" She then started toward the bookcase near the window calling, "Here fishie, fishie, fishie."
"Fishie? You've got to be kidding me!" Dean quietly groaned rolling his eyes.
Ms. Brookins stopped and stood silently for a moment. "Hmm, I must be imagining things. I could have sworn I heard a voice just now." Shrugging her shoulders she walked the rest of the way to the fish tank and opened the lid. "Here you go little fishies. Time to eat!" She watched the fish swim up to the top of the water and snatch the flakes of food for a while before setting the can of fish food down beside the tank and turning to leave. "I'll be back tomorrow little ones. I've got to go finish watering the plants. Bye fishies! Be good." Nan glanced around the room once more and then walked out the door.
Dean blew out a deep breath as soon as he heard the door shut. Glad the danger was gone he leaned back against the closet wall and settled in to wait with Sammy snug at his side.
On the Minnesota, North Dakota border
Pastor Jim hummed along with the Christmas music playing on the radio. He knew it was Bobby's turn to have John and the boys over for Christmas but he just couldn't stand the idea of not being with the boys on Christmas day. So he had left his congregation in the capable hands of his junior priest and hit the road. If the road and weather conditions held out they should be at Bobby's by nightfall. Jim couldn't wait to see the boys' faces when he and Caleb got there. After all it had been about six months since they had last seen each other. And that had only been for a few days. This would be the first Christmas they were all together and Jim was determined to make this the best Christmas ever. He had every detail planned out. Christmas morning the boys would open their presents and play while the men talked. He would help Bobby fix a traditional Christmas dinner. Then they'd sit around the table and have Christmas dinner even in he had to hog tie John, Bobby, Josh, and Caleb to their seats. He would insist that they go to church that morning but he wasn't sure the church could handle all four hunters at one time. It just might fall down from the shock. Smirking at the image of those four sitting in a church in suits and ties Jim shook his head. It'd never happen. Jim glanced at his sleeping passenger as they passed the North Dakota sign. "We're almost there." He thought as he pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal.
Back at Matts
After he heard the front door shut, Dean silently counted out five minutes just to make sure the woman was gone. "Come on Sammy, let's get out of here." He said. Not hearing a reply he looked down and smiled at his now sleeping little brother. Dean reached out and opened the door bathing the closet in sunlight. He then carefully slid out from beside Sammy and leaned his brother up against the wall. Dean walked out of the closet and turned down the sheets on the bed before going back for his brother. Leaning down he picked Sammy up and carried him to the bed. He gently laid his brother down and pulled the blankets over the sleeping boy. Dean brushed Sammy's bangs off his face and then walked out of the room and down the stairs to make a few calls.
Dean walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. He quickly dialed Pastor Jim's number and waited for his dad's friend to answer. Getting the answering machine instead he waited for the beep and left a short message hoping that the pastor would return home soon. Hanging up he decided he might as well try Bobby. The old hunter just might be back from his hunting trip with Josh. Dean once again picked up the phone and dialed the very familiar number. He wasn't surprised to get the answering machine. He left a message telling Bobby his location and number and then hung up. Phone calls made Dean decided to check the kitchen and see if he could find the makings for another casserole. Checking the refrigerator he found the shredded cheese and butter he needed. The cabinets over the sink had corn flakes and plenty of soup. That just left the hash browns. The small freezer at the top of the fridge only had ice cream and breakfast food. Knowing the family had to have a bigger freezer somewhere Dean walked over and opened the basement door clicking on the light. He walked down the rickety stairs and glanced around the room. Spotting a big freezer in the far corner he made his way over and opened the lid. After digging through the contents twice he came up empty handed. He was just about to close the lid when a bag of tater tots caught his eye. They weren't exactly the same as hash browns but maybe he could make them work. He grabbed them and a pack of hamburger meat and quickly walked back up to the kitchen. He had a casserole to plan.
A few towns over
Bobby turned on the TV. and flipped through the channels stopping on the local news. He sat down at the table and put out his cleaning supplies and his gun. As he cleaned his gun he thought about the days to come. John and the boys were coming and that meant he'd need to get a big tree and all the trimmings before he got home. He'd leave the decorating to the boys. They loved trimming the tree always saving their special ornaments for last. Both boys an ornament for every year they'd known Bobby. He would take them to town each Christmas and let them pick out the one they wanted. The years they were at Jim's house Bobby made sure to call and ask what ornament they'd like and then he'd get it. He couldn't wait for them to see the ones he found last year. Sammy was gonna love the light up spaceship from Star Wars and Dean would definitely appreciate the Marilyn Monroe figure. He was pretty sure John was gonna have a few words to say about that one. Smiling at the image of John's face when he saw the ornament Bobby glanced up at the television. Bobby dropped the gun onto the table and ran over to the TV. turning the volume up. His butt hit the floor as he struggled to take in the fact that his boys were missing. He sat and listened getting all the information he could before jumping up and banging on the bathroom door. "Josh, get you're a$$ out here! We gotta go now!" he shouted as he banged.
"Hold your horses old man! I'll be done in a minute!" Josh yelled back as he pulled his jeans on and fastened them. Frowning as the banging continued he hollered, "What's the hurry anyway?"
"Dean and Sammy are missing!" Bobby yelled moving over to the table and snatching up his gun and cleaning supplies. He looked up as the bathroom door flew up and Josh rushed out tugging his shirt over his head.
"Well, what are you waiting for, you old coot? Hurry up! We've got two boys to find!" Josh called out as he swiftly threw his belongings into his duffle and headed for the door.
Back at Matts
"Dean, what's that?" Sammy asked pointing at the dish in his brother's hands.
"I couldn't find any hash browns for Uncle Bobby's hash brown casserole so I made his other one." Dean fibbed as he set the steaming dish on the table and spooned some on Sammy's plate. "This is Uncle Bobby's tater tot casserole, Sammy. It's almost the same as the hash brown one. It just has tater tots instead." Dean placed Sammy's plate in front of his brother before spooning some casserole onto his own plate. Sighing as Sammy poked at his food with his spoon Dean picked up a spoonful and blew on it. Taking a bite he was pleased to find that it tasted pretty good. "Try it Sammy. It's really good, honest." Dean coaxed as he spooned another bite into his mouth.
Sammy watched his big brother eat several bites before picking up a small spoonful. He blew on it and then carefully bit off a little piece. Smiling he shoved the spoon into his mouth. "This is great, Dean!" he announced around a mouthful of food. "It's even better than the hash brown one!"
Dean beamed at his little brother's praise. He kept one eye on his brother as he ate smiling as Sammy devoured his food in record time.
"Can I have some more, Dean?" Sammy asked holding out his plate. "Please?"
"Sure thing, kiddo." Dean replied. He took the plate and piled another big helping on Sammy's plate and then handed it back.
"Thanks, Dean" Sammy said with a grin. He quickly dug into his meal savoring each bite.
"Slow dow…" Dean began stopping at the sound of a car in the driveway. Motioning for Sammy to freeze Dean quickly walked over to the kitchen doorway and peered around the corner at the windows surrounding the front door. His eyes widened as two policemen came to the door and began knocking.
With Papa John
John stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to his duffle that was sitting on the bed. He pulled out some clothes and then turned on the TV. for company before he sat down on the bed to dress. He quickly threw on his boxers, jeans, and shirt. Leaning over he pulled on his socks and boots. That task finished John sorted through his weapons' duffle picking out what he would need for the hunt. He zipped up his duffle and stood. Glancing at the television John saw an apartment building fire and shook his head sadly. He hated the thought of anyone being homeless at Christmas. Turning away he walked to the door and stopped. Something about that building was bugging him. Not able to shake the feeling that something was wrong he turned back to the TV. just as two police sketches came on. "Shit! The boys!" he yelled as he raced over and dropped in front of the television. He smiled when he heard the boys were missing knowing that meant they were alive. His smile fell however, as the newscaster reported that he had abandoned his babies and that CPS had been alerted and planned to make the boys wards of the state once they were found. That was followed by a very general description of John that probably fit half the men in town. Next came video of the police canvassing a neighborhood around some barn where a pony had been taken. "That's my boys." John thought proudly knowing Dean had used the animal to get away from the scene. John glared at the police chief as he assured the public that his men would find Dean and Sammy Walker. Determined to find his boys before the cops did John stood and was about to head to the door when a photograph came on the screen. A photo of a '67 impala took over the screen as the reporter droned on about the search.
"Crap! That's gonna be a problem." John thought. Knowing there was no way the impala wouldn't be noticed in the small town John decided he'd have to take the time to go to Bobby's place to pick another car before heading after the boys. He could have just stolen a car but he didn't want to risk being caught in a stolen vehicle. He knew he'd lose the boys if that happened. Grabbing his belongings John quickly walked out the motel room door and climbed into the impala. "Hang on boys. Daddy's coming." He whispered as he peeled out of the parking lot and disappeared down the street.