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After all the angst, pain etc I am going for the LOL's in this chapter. We have two great comedians in Hope and her Dad so I figured, let's make Cole and Sam pay!

The kids are such a reflection of their Dad and Uncle it's great and we also get the welcome return of Johnny as he comes to break the news. Even so, he does it in his own inimitable style. I love it!!

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"I can't believe it." Dean said. It took a lot to put a smile on his face nowadays but this did the trick. "After all these years, we finally get to meet Big Foot."

"Yeah it's great Dean." Sam scowled as they trudged side by side through the snow. His back had taken yet another beating, his feet were frozen and he was pissed off.

"Who rattled your cage?"

"I'm fine." He responded with a set jaw.

Dean paused and recognized the look. "Hey, are you ok?" He pulled at his brothers' arm, concern flashing in his eyes.

"Yeah."

"Don't bullshit me. You're hurt." He started to check him over and Sam batted his hands away.

"Get off me!"

Sam wasn't normally so defensive. "What's wrong?"

He started walking away. "It's nothing, just the cold weather."

Dean frowned. "Since when?"

"Since we got here, other people age Dean, we can't all be Dorian Gray."

"Who?"

"Never mind."

Dean caught up to him. "It's not like it's my fault…I can't help it. You should have said something."

"And maybe you should realize your brother has a metal rod in his spine before you ask him to lift a truck out of the snow."

Dean could have kicked himself. He had been so wrapped up in his own issues he had neglected Sam. "God, I'm sorry. Maybe you should go back. I can take Harry and the Henderson's."

Sam smiled and threw an arm around his neck in a playful tussle. "I don't like feeling old but I'm not pissed at you."

Dean was relieved and shoved him away as Sam gave him a nuggie. "Good, cos I don't think I could deal with that too. C'mon, I'm lookin' forward to meeting your evil twin."

"Hilarious."

"What are the odds? I mean…we're in Alaska fightin' the Abdominal Snowman."

Sam chuckled. "You mean Abominable."

"That's what I said Dude." As they walked on they finally saw some footprints. "Jesus, they're almost as big as yours."

"Man-sized you mean?" Sam laughed at his face. "Some of us do have feet bigger than a five year old."

"All my bits are in proportion."

"Keep telling yourself that Dean."

They paused when they heard Nitro barking. Dean whistled loudly and cocked his gun when the dog bounded through the snow. Sam grimaced as he leaned down to ruffle his fur. "He's been swiped."

Dean checked the wound. "He'll live. Where is it boy?"

Nitro set off back through the snow leaving a smattering of blood in his wake. They would have to end this quickly and get him back to base to patch him up Dean thought to himself as he watched his brother move gingerly. It was like his eyes had finally been opened to how tired he was looking. Sam had the look that most new fathers shared but he always worried too much and it wasn't helping.

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Cole was in the middle of the motel room floor doing push ups as Hope sat on the bed doing research. "I don't get it. So many nasty injuries, suicide attempts and two majorly gross success stories. How did this not make the national press?"

"Cover up? A town that loves football so much might not want to believe in a curse." He grunted.

"You think that's what it is? Like some weird Voodoo thing?"

"Could be. When was the first bad injury?"

"Last season a linebacker called Dessman got a hit that had his knee pointed ninety degrees in the wrong direction."

"Damn, that had to hurt but that could happen on the field."

"Only no one can explain it, everyone said it was a normal tackle. It shouldn't have happened."

"What else?"

"The usual teen stuff, it just seems to have escalated recently. We need to talk to some more people, someone seems to be out to kill off the teams and it's not like we can draw up a list of frenemies."

"Huh?"

"You know what I mean, everyone pretends to love them as long as they're delivering the goods but who really gives a shit? They're a bunch of Nazi's."

He sat up and looked at her. "That's a bit harsh."

"Really? Neither of us have ever been bullied in High School but it's survival of the fittest and they're top of the food chain. They just pissed off the wrong person this time."

"We just have to find out who. You wanna hit the diner?"

She was about to answer when there was a knock at the door. Cole got to his feet and grabbed his gun from the nightstand and nodded at Hope who checked the spyhole. "Chill, it's just Mistress Pom Pom and her sidekick."

He frowned as she opened the door. Tyler stood looking at them as Cole put the gun under his pillow. She was joined by the well built male cheerleader who stared at Cole's shirtless body in open admiration. Tyler glanced at Hope's boxers and tee.

"Well isn't this cosy?"

Hope shrugged and smiled. "Home sweet home, you wanna come in? I'll ask the butler to put some champagne on ice."

"Cute."

Hope stepped back and Tyler walked in looking around the dingy room in distaste until she got to Cole. She seemed to inhale him as she stared at his bare chest. "News on the grapevine is you're the new QB. You know what that means?"

"I have to read the play book?" He asked brushing the hair from his eyes.

She smiled. "I'm your rally girl."

"My what?"

Hope slammed the door. "She's your bitch Cole. Welcome to the land that feminism forgot."

The overexcited butch blonde almost pushed Tyler to one side as he introduced himself to Cole. "I'm Max, it's an honor to cheer for you."

"Oh purlease." Hope muttered. "Did you come here to fawn all over my brother or do you have a reason?"

Tyler crossed her arms. "You're on the squad but you have to be cheer-ready for the pep rally on Friday, so you need extra practices."

"Ok."

"Max is going to take you through the paces."

Hope clapped. "My very own Queerleader, it's my birthday every day!"

"Less of the queer!"

"I get it. Your interest in my bro is purely to do with football, way to hide the obvious there."

"God you're a bitch." He said.

"Looks like I found my target demographic then. Ok, when do we start?"

"Half five."

"Where?"

"The gym."

"I'll be there Elton."

He stared at her slightly afraid then glanced back at Cole and waved as Tyler sneered at Hope and pushed him out of the door.

Hope slammed it shut and looked at her brother. "See what I mean?"

"The only bitch in this room is you."

She rolled her eyes. "You are so clueless. You're in your own little world, when are you going to realize that this is how you deal with people like that."

"I'm just not into that stuff."

"Good for you. I just got called a bitch, why?"

"Because you are?"

"I'm snarky, I'm sarcastic and I tell the truth. I'm dad in a skirt, only people think he's funny. That's injustice."

"So you're a feminist cheerleader? That's an oxymoron."

"You're the moron."

Cole shook his head and laughed at her. "Let's go get something to eat sis."

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Dean and Sam followed the trail of footprints and eventually found the creature. They were crouched behind a log not too far away watching it. Sam had his arms around Nitro to silence him. They stared at it for a second just watching as it piled twigs in front of itself.

"What's it doin'?"

Sam huffed as he stared at the massive hairy creature. "I think he's building a fire Dean. This is unbelievable." He whispered.

"Yeah, I'll get right on the phone to Ripley's." He leaned forwards and cocked the Colt.

Sam grabbed his arm. "You can't just shoot it."

"Why not?"

Sam frowned. "Just 'cos."

"Brilliant reasoning Einstein, it's a real shame you never made it at law school.

"He hasn't done anything."

"He?" Dean rolled his eyes. "Jesus Sam. He threw you around and almost skewered Cujo. We can't let it roam around. What the hell's it going to eat?"

Sam thought about it. "I guess, but it's such a shame. He could be the missing link."

Dean stared at him. "To what, your quest to find your biological family?"

"Just think, a species that has existed outside of ours for millennia."

"And this is why I swear you're adopted."

"Let's just think about this."

Dean faced him. "What?!" He said in a stage whisper. "You wanna knock him out and make him our bitch? I was just jokin' about Harry and the Henderson's before."

"He might have a family somewhere."

"Sam? I love you, but you're a freak."

The Sasquatch eventually got a spark from the two rocks it rubbed together and stoked the fire until it lit properly. Sam was in awe, it looked like a real man only covered in hair and absolutely huge. He kept a hand on Dean's arm to stop him from alerting the manimal to their presence. He felt sure it knew they were there but wasn't threatened.

The Sasquatch stood and walked quite normally over to a cluster of rocks covered in snow. He bent down low and picked something up in his arms.

Dean's breath caught in his throat as he watched and felt Sam's grip on him tighten.

"Are you seeing this Dean?" He asked.

"Yeah, and I don't freakin' believe it."

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Hope stretched and yawned. She was used to early starts and physical exercise but Max had really put her through her paces. She had found out some stuff but was late for class and had to show or it would cause no end of grief. She had thrown on jeans and a tee but her hair was still wet from the shower as she opened the door to the classroom.

Cole sat up as all eyes in the room turned to her. It was obvious she wasn't wearing a bra and all the girls glared as she smiled at her brother. The teacher wasn't there and so she rushed through the room and sat down excitedly next to him.

"Hope." He growled.

"What?"

"Where's your bra?"

She frowned and looked down her top as the Panther next to Cole sniggered. "I guess I forgot it. Listen, I think I may know what's going on."

Cole smiled, he would never change her and the best he could hope for was to keep her from popping someone's eye out with one of those things. "What?"

"Too much." She said as the door opened and Principal Hackett walked in. "I'll tell you later. What class is this anyway?"

"No idea." He said as he lounged in his seat flipping the empty table attached to the arm.

The Principal addressed the class. "Ms Frobisher is sick today so we have a substitute." There was a loud volley of cheers and whistles which he tried to calm with his raised hands. "I trust you'll treat Mr….Rosenbaum with the utmost respect whilst he's with us." He turned to leave. "They're all yours."

Hope sat up abruptly and slapped Cole's arm frantically. He glanced up at her and saw her expression of shock. "What?"

She smiled and he looked to the front of the class as the new sub was writing his name on the whiteboard. "I am Professor Rosenbaum…apparently." He shouted and turned around with a flourish.

Cole sniggered into his hand as the class stared at his Uncle Johnny in shock. He must have arrived on his motorbike because he was still wearing his leather pants with a vintage 'Celine in Vegas' tee.

He rubbed his hands and sat on the edge of the desk swinging one steel toe capped boot as he looked at them all. His face showed no recognition when he saw them and he got into his role. He must have been the first sub to get their attention immediately. "So boys and girls, what are we studying?"

One girl at the front of the class spoke up. "English."

He slapped his hands together. "Fantastic, I already speak that."

She coughed and held up a book. "We're doing literature."

"Right." He grabbed the book and looked at it. "This looks a bit grim." He frowned as he flipped it over. "Translated from Russian? That's why." He tossed it over his shoulder and clasped his hands on his knees kicking his feet. "Let's talk about you."

"Huh?" One of the geeks at the front asked.

"Ya know, your hope's, your dreams…who's going to ask you to prom?"

They looked at one another. "We're gonna kick ass Friday!" The guy next to Cole shouted to rapturous applause and high fives from the back.

Johnny shrugged. "Why, what's happening?"

"The Panthers man!"

"You mean Football?"

"Yeah!"

He groaned and stood up. "Ok, I'll bite."

"We got our new QB and we're gonna rock." Said a girl in the corner as she glanced at Cole and blushed.

"A what now?"

"Quarterback…..Sir." Hope answered.

"And who pray tell is this great man?"

Hope pointed her thumb in Cole's direction as his face reddened and he sank lower in his seat. Johnny sidled down the aisle towards him. "Well, well are you the man of whom they speak?" He asked bizarrely.

He coughed and shifted. "I guess."

Johnny grabbed a bicep. "Nice work there Ninja." He winked. "So, English lit. Not something you want to say three times in a row whilst drunk but nevertheless..." He shouted as he went back to the front.

He watched as they practiced saying it to themselves and finally got the joke.

He pointed at the jock next to Cole. "What's the last book you read?"

"Playboy!" He answered getting a high five.

"Isn't it a bit hard to read with all the pages stuck together?"

Everyone laughed.

"How about you?" He pointed at someone else.

"Pride and Prejudice." The girl answered shyly.

"Get over it. I think I just proved that all men are wankers, the sooner you realize that the happier you'll be."

The girl looked close to tears as her illusions shattered. "Another great literary figure created. Mrs Haversham!"

"Who?"

"Great Expectations by Dickens!" He said dramatically. "Mrs Haversham got left at the altar and retreated into a room and stayed there in her wedding dress until she died years later surrounded by cobwebs and shattered dreams."

"That's so sad."

"Yeah, well in those days they didn't have Margarita's and Dirty Dancing, whatcha gonna do?"

Hope snorted sounding just like her mom making Johnny stop short and stare at her oddly. He recovered quickly and walked over to a bookshelf in the corner. "Let's see…Lots of Shakespeare here."

"Yeah, he sucks!" Someone shouted.

Johnny cocked his head in agreement and pulled a book from the shelf. "He was also pretty hot on role play, cross-dressing and porn. Lemme guess, just like a normal Saturday night for you guys right?" He smiled and sat down again, getting into the role of teacher. "Books are great and you know why?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Why?" Cole asked.

"Because they tell us about how people once lived. A painting or a picture can capture a moment in time but words, they really suck you into people's lives and into their feelings. And the beauty and pain of them is...words last forever, even after the page is gone they stay here." He pointed at his head. "You read a book and that thought stays and you pass it on."

Hi face was serious now as he watched all the young innocent faces in front of him. He suddenly felt old and introspective as he held the book in his hands.

"Ya know, one of my best friends recently asked me a favour. He's an amazing guy, I mean, if you were gonna write a book, he'd be your hero. He's strong, he's badass, and so hot…" One of the jocks made a noise as Johnny looked at his niece and nephew. "…and he's really, really cool."

He stared around the room. "This man is a warrior but he came to me and he told me that he was in love." There were some stupid sounds around the room. "He was so in love that he wanted to write a letter to the woman that had made him feel that way. He had never written a letter before and he didn't know where to start even though he'd been married to her for almost twenty years and had two amazing kids with her."

"What did you tell him?" Asked a girl as she leaned forwards.

"I gave him this book." He held it up. "It's the love letters Napoleon wrote to his wife Josephine from the front line." He opened it to a random page and read. "Oh my adorable wife, I don't know what fate has in store for me, but if it keeps me apart from you any longer, it will be unbearable."

"Sounds like a pussy to me." One jock said.

Cole sat up banging his chair legs loudly as he glared at him. "Just listen to him ok?"

Johnny looked at the boy, because that's what he was. "You ever been in battle sport? I mean, apart from against another team wearing pads?" He smiled. "In Napoleon's day they didn't have any padding or referees, all they had were their wits and their bravery. Imagine how it feels to be cold, hungry and far from home. You will latch onto anything that makes you feel warmer. That is why some of the greatest warriors in history were also the greatest poets." He held up the book again. "Napoleon was fighting indescribable odds but the whole time, whilst he tried to win that war his wife Josephine lay dying at home."

The class was silent as he opened the book and started to read. "So, it is true that you are pregnant. Murat has written to me; but he tells me that it is making you ill and he thinks it unwise for you to undertake so long a journey. So I must still be deprived of the joy of holding you in my arms. I must still spend several months far from all that I love! Is it possible that I shan't have the pleasure of seeing you with your little belly?"

"That's so romantic." The Austen fan said.

Johnny stared at Cole and Hope as he closed the book. "Isn't it just?"

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"What are we going to do Dean?" Sam asked as the Sasquatch laid Jo down in front of the fire and tried to keep her warm.

Dean was wide-eyed. "Invite them to a neighbourhood watch meetin'? I don't know man! Do you think they're….ya know?"

Sam shrugged as he held Nitro's muzzle. "I don't want to think about it."

"I know I'm a tough act to follow and all but this is ridiculous." The Yeti had his arms around Jo and she seemed perfectly at ease. "Maybe it's like a Fay Wray deal?"

"King Kong? Seriously?"

"I dunno man but she's practically boinkin' a monkey!"

"She's not….boinking him Dean. He's keeping her warm. Nitro would do the same if you were freezing to death."

Dean stared at the dog and frowned. "I don't think I'd be quite so receptive Sam."

"And you haven't spent almost twenty years locked in a cage!" He whispered.

"Well we can't just leave 'em here and something tells me if we try to take her he's not going to be too cool with that."

"Well we can't just kill him, he's not doing anything wrong!"

"Yeah, ok….let's just take him out for a bite to eat. Look at him Sammy! He's hairy, and I don't mean Tom Jones hairy! It's gonna take more than a Brazilian and a nip tuck to get this guy presentable."

Sam growled at him. "I'll talk to them."

"Are you crazy? She's on demon LSD and he's a freakin' caveman!"

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe it is more your gig." Sam smiled and stood up. Dean made a grab for him but he shook him off.

Dean made a noise in his throat that wasn't unlike a caveman and followed Sam who kept a firm hold of Nitro.

The Sasquatch looked up as they emerged and immediately dropped Jo and stood in front of her letting out an almighty roar. Nitro strained at the collar and barked rabidly as Sam shushed him.

"Genius move Sam." Dean yelled as he held the colt in front of him.

"Say something Dean."

"Like what? UG?"

Sam half stood and half crouched as he held onto the dog. "We're not here to hurt you."

He glanced at Dean. "Put the gun down."

"The hell I will."

"Dean!"

He grumbled and lowered the weapon. He took his hat off and bent down ramming it over Nitro's head. It blinded the dog to the threat as he lifted it off the ground and calmed him.

Sam moved forwards gently with his palms raised. "We're not going to hurt you, we just want to check she's ok."

Dean followed with Nitro over his shoulder as Sam skirted the fire gently and looked at Jo. "We're her friends. We want to help?"

There was a chuckle that came from the ground. "You always were a soft touch Sam."

"Jo?" He looked at the creature and then back at her as she turned over.

"I used to be."

"Are you ok?" Dean growled, keeping his eyes on Harry.

"I'm free."

Sam suddenly felt more confident as he knelt down next to her. She was a mess but that was to be expected. "We're gonna help you Jo. We'll get you out of here."

She smiled at him. "God, you look just the same Sam, still a heartbreaker."

"You still got that widget in you?" Dean asked.

She laughed. "They got rid of that long ago."

"What?!" He frowned. "Then why'd they keep you?"

"Lost property no one came to claim." She replied sadly. "Hey, I don't blame you, after what I did."

"That wasn't you." Sam told her as he imagined what her life must have been like. "We'll call your Mom, she's still alive."

"Nah. Don't do that, just leave me here."

Sam frowned up at his brother. "We can't."

"Sure you can, you just stand up and walk away, people do it all the time."

"No offense but when you're gone isn't your boyfriend gonna get hungry?"

"Dean!" Sam hissed.

"He's a herbivore."

"That's not what my pooch says."

"Take a look at the blood on mine then. Who attacked who?"

They both looked at the blood encrusted on the Sasquatches fur.

"There are going to be other hunters Jo." Sam told her.

She smiled again. "He'll look after me."

"Sammy, just grab her and let's go."

"No!" She shouted as the creature roared again.

"Calm down, it's ok….we're not gonna take you anywhere against your will. Just give us a second alright?" Sam nodded at Dean who shifted the injured dog on his shoulder and joined him.

"Don't tell me you wanna leave her here with Captain Caveman?"

"What's the alternative?"

"Take her home, shave her legs and call her mom."

"It's that simple." Sam shifted. "She's been held prisoner for almost two decades. She's a mess."

"Ellen can get her some therapy Sam. We're not leaving her here and that's final."

"What about the…"

"Her boyfriend? Kill him." He saw the look. "What do you want me to do Sam?! There's no freakin' choice here. He isn't gonna let her go and it's not like he can integrate."

Sam struggled with it. "Maybe we can…"

"Set up an artists colony for them where they can paint watercolours and make hairy babies? Get real Sammy!"

"I'm not ok with this Dean."

He let Nitro down and grabbed the Colt. "That's why I'm the Sheriff and you're the Deputy."

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Johnny closed the classroom door after all the other kids left and stared at the two remaining. Hope held out a hand across the aisle and Cole took it in his own.

"Is it true?" Hope asked.

He sat in front of them. "Yeah, your dad didn't want to tell you on the phone so he sent me. This whole charade just kinda happened. I'm sorry."

Cole took a deep breath. "Where is she?"

"In Anchorage, Han's with her and so is Brooke. Your Dad'll be with her soon."

"We should go."

"No. That's not what your Dad wants. She's ok for now, we have a while and we just need to leave her in peace until the baby's on its way."

Hope looked at her brother. "What do you think?"

He frowned as he turned to her. "I guess we respect his wishes. Can we call her?" He asked his Uncle.

"Yeah, they set up a line for her. I know her and you'll get due warning. Don't dwell on it, just do your thing." He coughed. "I am excited about this football stuff though, can I come to the game?"

"You're sticking around?" Hope asked.

"Until you tell me to get lost. " He got up and knelt down between them. "You're my kids and I love you both and everything will be ok."

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