Chapter 9
Disclaimer- I still don't own them, just playing.
A/n: Thanks to Soar for her awesome beta work, and thanks to SilverStorm06 for the description of Sam and Dean's tempers.
Over the next week, things continued to go well for the Winchesters, even John and Sam seemed to be getting along. They had a few arguments, but they were mostly superficial, such as where to go for dinner, or what to watch on TV.
Dean and Frank had gotten together on a few more occasions and the bond between the two men had deepened. Frank had even joined the Winchesters for dinner one night. Sam was civil to their grandfather, but Dean could not understand why Sam didn't want to forgive the man. John knew, but he couldn't explain the reason to Dean. John watched the interactions between the three men and came to the conclusion that, while Dean's temper may burn hotter, Sam's burned longer.
The only thing that was not going well was the hunt, they ran into roadblocks at every turn. To make matters worse, the local paper confirmed that the house was now back on the market, the Ames' wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. John thought about pretending to be interested in it, but the problem with that was the neighbourhood the house was located in. It was listed at a bargain basement price, but even that was way more than John could afford and if he were to run into Conner or Jeff, they would know that. It was looking more and more like they would have to go with Dean's plan.
In the mean time, John, for the first time in very long time, was getting to be a father to his boys. He was enjoying it immensely and he didn't want to give it up, he was even contemplating renting an apartment. If Sam wanted to go back to school, the University of Kansas was not too far from here. He could give Dean a real home. Maybe the two of them could even open their own garage.
John had his doubts though. Would Sam stay here, or would he want to go back to Stanford? Would Dean be happy settling down? What about Mary? John still wanted to avenge her death. She deserved that. John also knew that the Demon had plans for Sam. Even if he decided to forget that yellow-eyed son of a bitch, he knew it would not forget about him. Would those plans put Frank in danger? Dean would never forgive himself if something happened to his grandfather, John was certain of that. He came to the conclusion that he wouldn't make any decisions until after the hunt. Besides, resolving that it was more urgent now. Someone could be in danger if the house sold.
To that end, John had instructed Dean to only try to get the information if it was in a way that came naturally. He didn't want to arouse Frank's curiousity.
"Hey, Sam, are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Dean asked.
"No, I want to finish my book. Oh, and Dean, I would advise against doing your Nicholson impression. You wouldn't want to scare Frank off," Sam commented.
"You just have no appreciation for talent," Dean countered.
"I do when I see it," Sam replied.
Before Dean could come back with a response, there was a knock at the door. Sam grinned. It wasn't often he got the last word.
Dean confirmed that it was Frank and opened the door. He greeted his grandfather enthusiastically. After exchanging the usual pleasantries with Sam and John, the two were on their way.
"Cool, Grandpa, you bought the Porsche. Can I drive?" asked Dean.
"Since I know where the restaurant is, I'll drive there and you can drive home, okay?" Frank countered.
"Deal. Where are we headed?" Dean hoped it wasn't some place too fancy. He had limited funds.
"I thought we would go to Angelo's. It's a little Italian place that I know of. Nothing too fancy," said Frank as if he had read Dean's mind. "They are a little on the expensive side, but don't worry, I got it covered."
"I'll pay for the movie," Dean offered.
"Deal," agreed Frank.
They arrived at the restaurant and were immediately shown to a booth near the entrance. Dean had just picked up his menu and was trying to decide what to order, when he heard his grandfather greet someone. He almost choked when he saw it was Michelle Ames and her husband Peter. They had a little boy with them and Dean knew from the pictures that this was Steven Connell, the son of the couple that had been killed. Dean's heart went out to the little boy.
"Hi, Frank, how are you?" asked Peter.
"I'm good. How are you guys doing?"
"Good days and bad," answered Michelle. "We just had to get out for a bit. The phone's been ringing off the hook and I thought it would do Steven some good to breathe a bit of fresh air. It's been so rough on all of us."
"Hi, Steven," greeted Frank. The young boy just turned his head and hid behind his aunt's leg. "Peter, Michelle this is Dean, he's my grandson."
Dean held out his hand and greeted Michelle and Peter, then he held out his hand and greeted Steven. It was almost as if the little boy could sense a kindred spirit in Dean because he reached out and shook it as well. It surprised everyone, including Dean.
"You have a reservation?" asked Frank.
"No, it was a last minute decision. I wish we had called ahead because it's going to be a while before we can be seated."
Frank looked at Dean and he could read what his grandfather was asking so he nodded his head.
"Why don't you join us?" Frank suggested to the Ames'.
"We wouldn't want to intrude," Peter replied hesitantly.
"You're not," Dean reassured the older man.
Upon agreeing, Peter, Michelle and Steven were quickly seated. As the party made small talk and while they decided what they wanted to order, Dean noticed that Steven never moved. He hadn't even touched his menu.
"Hey, Steven," Dean addressed the boy. "I've never been here before, but I love spaghetti and meatballs, are they any good here?"
Steven nodded and when the waitress came, that's what Dean ordered and Steven said in such a low voice he had to repeat himself twice that he would have the same.
"Poor kid," Peter said. "This has been so tough on him. He's been having nightmares and he doesn't say much. Just yes or no answers mostly."
"I wish there was something we could do to help him more, but he just stays in his room," Michelle added.
Dean had experienced the same thing after his mother's death and because he had stopped talking, people had assumed that he had stopped hearing as well and they constantly spoke about him as if he weren't in the room.
What Dean wanted to say was maybe you could try talking to him rather than about him. He didn't of course.
Dinner continued, as did the small talk. Dean made sure that Steven was always included in the conversation. If you asked both Sam and John, they would say that they each had a moment where they had realized exactly what kind of person Dean was. Tonight, Frank had his turn.
Things had been going well. Peter and Michelle were a little uptight, but they weren't bad people and Dean realized they truly cared for their nephew. Then someone must have dropped something in the kitchen because there was a loud bang. The manager came out and apologized for the noise and explained that no one was hurt. Unfortunately, it scared Steven badly and he screamed and jumped into his aunt's arms, and despite Michelle's best attempts, nothing could calm him down.
"Excuse me," called a lady from the next table. "We are trying to enjoy our meal, could you please shut him up."
"I'm trying," replied Michelle and she turned her attention back to her nephew. "Steven, honey, please it's all right. You're safe."
It had no effect and the little boy continued to cry.
"Lady, get the kid out of here," the snobby lady ordered and turned to her companion. "Really, why do they even let kids in here?
This was definitely the wrong thing to say with Dean around. He really knew what this boy was going through. He turned to the woman.
"Hey, lady, put a sock in it would you. He's upset and your yelling isn't going to help the situation."
"Well, I never," the lady replied, insulted.
"Maybe you should. Have some compassion."
Dean then got up and walked over to the little boy and took a chair so that he was at eye level with the young man.
"Hey, little man, ignore that busybody over there. You know what, it's okay to be scared."
This surprised Steven. Everyone was telling him to suck it up or be brave. This was something different. He didn't calm down immediately, but it was obvious he was listening to Dean.
"When I was a little younger than you, I saw something real bad happen to my, um, my mom. Just like you, I didn't feel like talking and I didn't want to let my dad or my brother out of my sight in case something happened to them. I was really scared, but you know what a wise man once told me?"
Steven had calmed a little more at this point. He just shook his head.
"He told me that being scared was what it meant to be truly brave. If you aren't a little bit afraid, you might take too many risks and get too cocky. The trick is not to let the fear take over."
Steven's cries had turned to sniffles at this point. "How do you stop it?" He asked in a very soft voice. It was so low that Dean almost had trouble hearing him.
"You have to find something to focus on. I focus on my mom. I know that she would understand me being afraid, but I also know that she wanted me to be brave and I think about that every day, and I do my best to be brave for her. Your parents would want the same thing, so focus on them and you'll find the strength you need. Do you think you can do that?"
"I can try," Steven whispered.
"That a boy," Dean answered as he ruffled the little boy's hair. He then returned to his own seat and a moment later, Steven climbed out of his aunt's lap and returned to his own chair. He gave Dean a great big smile. Michelle and Peter couldn't thank Dean enough and the young hunter felt his emotions getting the better of him so, he excused himself and went the washroom.
"Frank, your grandson is a fine young man," observed Peter.
"He is," agreed Michelle. "It was just amazing. I haven't seen Steven smile in a long time. You must be very proud."
"I am. A man couldn't ask for a better grandson," answered Frank. Frank couldn't believe what Dean had revealed. He didn't know Dean had seen his mother burn to death. That certainly explained why he was so protective of his family. Once again, he began to beat himself up. Mary had been right. Dean would have done the Jackson name proud.
Dean returned and the meal continued. The snobby lady kept throwing dirty looks their way, still insulted that a stranger would speak to her that way but they all happily ignored her. After they were done eating and getting ready to leave, Steven ran over to Dean and gave him a big hug which Dean returned wholeheartedly.
After dinner, they drove to the theater to enjoy the movie. After the movie, Frank tried to tell Dean how impressed he was with the way the young man had handled the situation at the restaurant. He sensed that his words were making Dean uncomfortable though so he changed the subject.
Dean was trying to figure out how to bring up the subject of the house, but for once, luck was on his side and Frank was actually the one to bring it up. He told Dean about how the Connell's had bought it, completely torn it down and rebuilt it. He admitted to Dean that it had always given their company problems.
"Two other couples also ended up being killed and coincidently, they had a young boy as well. Other people we sold it to had so much trouble with it that they never stayed very long."
"What kind of trouble?" Dean asked.
"Weird leaks, pipes busting, rats, trouble with wiring, flickering lights," Frank rattled off the list of complaints.
This confirmed Dean's initial thoughts. They were dealing with a malevolent spirit. Of course, he didn't say that out loud.
"I was talking to Conner this one time and he told me this one couple swore up and down the house was haunted."
"Haunted, why would they say that?"
"There is a legend?"
"Can you tell me? Urban legends are kind of hobby for me," Dean explained.
"It's just a story. Anyway, the neighbourhood where the house is located had always been a more upscale place, and the original owners, the Fitzgeralds if I recall correctly, were one of the few people that didn't lose everything after the depression hit. It made them a prime target for robbers. The house was broken into and the parents were killed in front of their son. The killers were never caught and it's said that anytime someone with kids moves in, the boy's spirit kills the parents in the hope that their killer will be caught."
"Sort of like, if the kid gets justice, then in a way, the spirit does to."
"Exactly. It's just a story though."
If you only knew, thought Dean. Now that he knew the history of the house it wouldn't take much for Sam to find out where the boy was buried. It should be a simple salt and burn.
"You in a hurry to get home, Dean?" asked Frank.
"No, not really, why?"
"They delivered my caddy this afternoon. Want to take it for a spin with me?"
"Sure," Dean agreed. "Just let me call Dad and tell him I'll be later than expected."
Dean and Frank drove around in the Cadillac for a while and then went back to Frank's house. Frank showed Dean some pictures of Mary growing up. He noticed that while Dean didn't suddenly open up, he spoke a little more and even admitted a painful memory of a time when he was in high school and some kids had played a trick on him, and he ended up having everyone laugh at him. Frank's heart broke for his grandson when he found that out. Dean refused to elaborate on what the others had done to him, but Frank was once again impressed when Dean told him how he got the kids to stop picking on him.
The topic was getting too heavy for both of them and they went back to their favourite topic, classic cars. They were both laughing about something when they heard someone enter the room. Frank looked up and greeted the newcomer.
"Margaret, you're home early."
A/N: I hope you didn't think the reason behind the haunted house was too lame. It was the best I could come up with.