Chapter 5
Disclaimer: Still don't own them, still not making money.
A/N Once again I want to say thank you to Soar for her beta work.
John said goodbye to Frank and walked back to the car. His heart was warmed by the fact that Dean got along with Frank so well. He approached the car and got in the passenger side. John was not sure if he should bring up their meeting so he let Dean take the lead.
"You know, dad, I was thinking," Dean said breaking the silence.
"About what, son?" responded John.
"When we were kids, those few times you mentioned our grandparents and how they were snobs"
"Believe me, they came off that way when I first met them," John said wryly.
"I remember this one time, I had just turned four and..." Dean trailed off, as if he was gathering his thoughts.
John kept mute. His instincts told him that if he tried to push, Dean was not going to continue his train of thought.
"I remember that mo… um, mom had taken me skating. When we were done, we went for hot chocolate. There was this other little girl there, she was asking her mom for some as well. The mother told the little girl that after renting the skates they couldn't afford it. It was a cold day and mom bought four cups. She went to the mother and the girl and told them they screwed up our order giving us two extras and did they want them because she would hate to have to throw them out. Mom was always like that wasn't she?" Dean asked. He turned to look out the window.
"Yeah, she was. Not a mean bone in her body." John sighed heavily in remembrance.
"From the way you used to talk about her parents, I wondered if mom had to be adopted. I mean, she had to get her good qualities from somewhere. Now I know that she's not. Frank seems like a good guy. I guess he saw you as taking away his daughter and it came out as anger," Dean said softly.
John sometimes forgot how perceptive his son was, but he and Frank had discussed just that. He should not have been surprised that his son picked up on it. "Yeah, I guess we misjudged each other, and I used to wonder if Mary was adopted myself," John said. "I..."
John stopped cold when he realized what had just taken place, Dean had spoken about his mother. He usually had to be backed into a corner before that would happen and then he would get terribly upset. After what he had just revealed, John saw that Dean was in fact okay. John knew how big a breakthrough this was for Dean. He didn't care if it took a man he had despised until today for it to happen, not that John expected Dean to open up completely, he was not even sure if Dean had realized what he said. John's heart went out to his son even more.
"I am glad I got to meet the real Frank," John continued. "You're right, he doesn't seem like that bad a guy."
"What about Margaret, do you think you read her wrong too?"
"No, son. She is a snob. She defined the very word, trust me on this okay, kiddo? Frank said that she's out of town and Dean, I want you to promise me something. If you do meet her, do not take anything she says to heart okay? She's a bitter old woman who gets off on putting others down," John said looking Dean in the eyes to emphasise his point.
"She can't be that bad," Dean stated.
Once again, John was reminded of how much Dean was just like Mary. She had looked for the good in everyone.
"Promise me, Dean," John demanded emphatically.
"Okay, okay. We better go get Sam before he decides to take up permanent residence and the librarian decides to adopt him," Dean said quickly changing the subject.
Dean started the car and they went to pick up Sam. They found him waiting for them on the front steps. Sam was glad to see that his father and brother seemed to be in good moods. He hadn't gotten as much research done as he had hoped, he was too worried about Dean. He wanted to get his father alone and grill him about that meeting.
They drove back to the motel and Sam filled them in on what he had learned.
"I found out that the couple, Paul and Anna Connell, had not been living in the house long. The house was actually custom built. They apparently bought the old one really cheap and then had it torn down. They got it cheap because the previous owners, David and Shelly Williams, were killed there. I guess they thought that they could get rid of the bad memories. Like the Connells, the Williams also had one child, a son, and he was nine as well. They were killed in the same manner as the Connells. Before the Williams, the house was owned by Mitchell and Wilma Smith. Once again, they had a nine year old son and they were killed as well. That's as far back as the records went. Apparently, there was a fire in their storage room and they lost everything that hadn't been put on computer. We're gonna have to check the town records, I'm willing to bet there's more."
"This is definitely our type of gig. It sounds like a spirit. Now we just have to figure out how far back it goes and then salt and burn the bones," said Dean.
"We also have to figure out why," John added. "I mean, what are the chances that every time the house was sold, it was sold to a couple who fit the profile? Sam, did you find out who the real estate agent is? We are going to have to talk to them."
"It's a local company called Blackburn Realty. It's run by a guy named Jeff Butler," Sam said
"Did you say Blackburn?" asked John.
"Why? You know the guy or something?" questioned Sam.
"That's the company we bought our house from. They show houses all over Kansas. It's part of the Blackburn Group. It's a major finance company and the one that your grandfather ran," John explained.
"You're kidding, right?" asked Sam in disbelief. What were the odds that the one hunt that they picked tied into the man Sam wanted nothing to do with.
"It shouldn't be a problem though, right, Dad? Frank said he was retired. It won't involve him," Dean said in a hopeful tone. He didn't want his grandfather to find out what they did for a living.
"I don't know. It shouldn't, but Jeff is the son of Conner Butler. Jeff must have taken it over from his Dad. Conner was sweet on your mother and Margaret was really pushing for the two of them. She wanted to arrange a marriage, sort of like the one between your grandparents. Jeff hated me because she dumped him faster than a hot potato after we met. Conner wasn't too thrilled either. He figured his son would take over as CEO after Frank retired," John said with a touch of pride in his voice. He smiled at the memory that Mary had chosen him over the rich guy.
"I thought that arranged marriages went out with the dark ages," commented Dean.
"Son, you'd be surprised at what takes place in the word of high finance, it's way easier dealing with the supernatural," John snorted. "The thing is, Jeff knows me. If I went there, he would probably recognize me. I gave Frank one of my pictures of you both as well. It was from the day you graduated high school, Sam. You haven't changed that much. Conner and Frank were good friends and it is possible they still are, he could end up showing Conner the picture. It's possible we could even run into Frank at the office. He would wonder why we were there."
"Maybe we should rethink this hunt, dad," Sam said.
"We can't," Dean stated with conviction. "If we stop, someone else could die. We can't let that happen."
Once again, John's first though was That's my boy. John knew that Dean did not share his and Sam's primary motivation for hunting. Sam and John wanted revenge, Dean wanted to help people. His number one priority was keeping families together, so that they didn't have to go through what his went through.
"Dean's right For now let's just concentrate on getting the rest of the records from the town hall and go from there. If we can find out enough information from them, we might be able to avoid the real estate office," John said.
"Sounds good," both Sam and Dean replied in unison. A big grin lit up John's face. He loved it when they did that.
John, Sam and Dean hashed out theories with each other for awhile. A couple of hours later, Dean announced he was starving and was going to get something to eat. He took the keys and left. It was the opportunity Sam had been waiting for. He grilled his father on the meeting with Frank.
"Sam, I'm telling you, this was really good for Dean. I haven't seen him so laid back in awhile. The two of them really hit it off. Do you know what happened in the car after we left?" John asked.
"No, what?" asked Sam, his curiosity piqued.
"Dean told me something he remembered about Mary. He didn't get upset or on edge about it. I think that Frank is giving your brother something that he really needs," John explained.
"What's that, Dad?"
"A chance to be himself. Think about it, Sammy, you and I both know that our whole lives, Dean has been my son, or your brother. Frank didn't know anything about Dean when he met him, no preconceived notions or expectations. With him, Dean was just Dean."
"I get what you're saying." Sam sighed. "I'm still surprised that Dean mentioned mom. I can't think of a time when he did that without having to be prompted or backed into a corner."
"Sam, after your mother died, I had such a hard time coping. Whenever Dean brought up your mother, I would get upset. Dean tried to avoid that, so he stopped mentioning her altogether," John said with regret.
"I figured that was the reason," Sam added.
"Frank spoke about Mary a few times today, and he was remembering a couple of happy times. Dean sensed that. He knows that Frank likes to talk about his daughter, therefore that gives Dean a no pressure situation. Am I making sense to you, because I'm not sure if I am even understanding what I said myself?" John asked.
Sam chuckled "Yeah, Dad, believe it or not, you are. I guess that I just don't like it. I don't want Dean to get hurt," Sam added, his tone turning serious.
"I think your grandfather's on the up and up, Sam. I know the two just met, but there was genuine affection on both sides. Trust me, kiddo, if I thought for one second he was out to hurt your brother, then I wouldn't have agreed to even ask you boys about meeting him," John said, matching Sam's tone.
"I trust your instincts, Dad, but I don't trust him. What if Dean finds out what happened though? You know what that would do to him. I don't think he could take it."
"Frank won't tell him." John replied emphatically. "He wants to be part of your brother's life, yours too if you would let him."
"Maybe when hell freezes over," Sam muttered. "Okay, so you say Frank won't tell, what about his wife?"
John felt himself fill with paternal pride at the way his boys protected each other. "Frank said that Margaret's out of town."
"I'm still worried. Margaret can't be the only one who knows the full story. What's to stop him from finding out from someone else?" Sam was not willing to let the matter drop easily.
"I'm worried too, Sam," John admitted honestly. He hoped he was doing the right thing. He hadn't stopped to think about what Sam said. How many others know (knew) the truth?
"The last time I saw Dean make a connection to someone that fast was when we met Bobby. This is something that Dean wants and I won't take it away from him."
"For Dean, I will go along with it," Sam conceded finally.
Shortly after, Dean showed up with the food. They all dug in hungrily. The conversation turned back to the hunt and they divided up the tasks they wanted to accomplish the next day. Just as they were finishing up, John's cell rang.
"Hello," answered John.
"Hi, John, it's Frank."
"What's up?" John asked.
"I'm actually calling to talk to Dean, but I realized that I gave him my number and I didn't have his. Can I speak to him?"
"Hold on." John called Dean over. "It's Frank, he wants to talk to you," John said handing over the phone to his eldest.
"Hi Frank, is everything okay?" Dean asked, a hint of excitement at speaking to his grandfather lightening his expression.
"Things couldn't be better. I have two tickets to a charity auction. I was supposed to go with my friend Conner, but he had something come up at the last minute and he can't make it. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."
Dean did want to get to know his grandfather better, but he couldn't think of something he wanted to do less than go to a charity auction. He was also supposed to help his dad and brother with the hunt tomorrow. He was trying to think of a way to let Frank down gently, until he heard what Frank had to say next.
"Oh sorry, I forgot, you're not familiar with the Blackburn Charity Group. They auction off classic cars and I got my eye on a '38 Cadillac convertible."
Now Dean was really torn. He had a passion for cars. "Hold on, let me check with dad. Can I call you back in about 10 minutes?"
"No problem Don't worry if you can't, I understand it's really last minute."
Dean hung up and John could tell by the look on Dean's face that he was struggling with something.
"Dean, kiddo, you okay? What did Frank say to you?" John asked in a worried tone He looked at Sam and he just knew that his was ready to let loose the 'I told you so'.
"Dad, chill," Dean said. "We can say for sure that Frank and Conner are still friends, apparently they were supposed to go to an auction tomorrow, but Connor had to cancel. He wanted to know if I wanted to go with him. It's an auction for classic cars."
John allowed himself to relax. John guessed that Dean really wanted to go. Truth be told, John wanted to go as well. He had been to one of these auctions with Mary and the cars were works of pure beauty. John knew what Dean was struggling with, he didn't want to disappoint his father and brother by bailing on the hunt.
Sam read the situation too. He still was not comfortable with everything, but he would do anything for his brother.
"Dean, there's only so much we can do until we know the whole story. No one's in immediate danger, the house isn't even back on the market yet. Why don't you go with Frank, you hate research anyway," Sam suggested. "You'd have way more fun looking at cars. Just don't buy any, okay?"
"I agree with Sam, son. Before we get to heavily into this hunt, why don't you take a day and enjoy yourself. You deserve it," John added.
Dean knew that John and Sam were right. All Sam's research pointed to the house. No one was living there and he really did what to go see those cars. He called Frank back.
"Hi Frank, it's Dean. I would really like to go with you tomorrow."
Even though Dean couldn't see it, Frank's whole face lit up. "Great, I'll pick you up around noon tomorrow. Do you have a suit? It is a formal event."
"I do, but I hate it and noon's fine. We're staying at the Super 8 Motel, room 5."
"Don't blame you. I'm tired of them, but it's the rules. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"
"See you then, bye."
"Bye, Dean"
Dean looked up, he didn't miss the smirk on his father's face.
"I guess he told you about the suit did he?" John asked, his smirk breaking out into a full grin.
"You knew about that?" Dean asked sourly.
"Yeah, and the look on your face was priceless." John replied, a full belly laugh erupting from him.
"Sure, laugh it up. Just think, tomorrow I'll be surrounded by chargers and mustangs while you get ink stained fingers from old newspapers and motion sickness from the microfiche machines." It was Dean's turn to smirk.
"You're both insane, you know that?" Sam added his two cents worth.
The next day, Frank came to pick up Dean. Sam had left to get coffee, he was avoiding Frank for as long as he could.
"Morning, Frank," greeted John. "Dean should be out soon. He's just getting dressed"
Dean came out of the bathroom and Frank felt that his grandson looked rather handsome in a suit, thinking that the batman tie would was a nice addition. Dean was worried when he saw Frank looking at it, wondering whether he had made a mistake. Sam had given him the tie for his birthday, and it was his favourite"
"I can change it," Dean said.
"That's okay, you don't have to. I like it." Frank opened his coat and revealed his Donald Duck tie. "Mary gave it to me for father's day one year. It's my favourite"
John could not get over the fact that this was Mary's father. He didn't ever remember the man having a sense of humor. He watched as Frank and Dean drove off. John was with his boys on a hunt, he and Sam were continuing to get along, and Dean was more relaxed than John could remember him being in a very long time. Like Frank yesterday, John was happier than he felt in a very long time.
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