John sat heavily in the chair next to the couch and watched the young man before him sleep. He had listened to what Cade said, and as it continued to rattle around in his brain, it started to fit in the way that Johnny had acted towards them, 'seems like more and more crazies are taking an interest in him now.' He thought about that and came up with the same thing over and over, 'He thinks we're one of the crazies.'
Knowing that he wasn't going to get any sleep, Dean was content to watch over his family, real and what appeared to be extended. He couldn't stop thinking about what they had been told, and it seemed unreal to him. His whole life he truly believed that whoever took Sammy had done it so he could be a part of some family somewhere, not because of some unknown reason that seemed to be filled with more questions than answers. One thing he did know, he had no doubt that they owed Cade more than they could ever repay. Looking up he saw Cade guide Ellie into the living room, and he couldn't help but smile at the little princess.
Cade knew that it was past time to put Ellie to bed, and normally she'd be uncooperative being out of her routine, but tonight she sat quietly while he dressed her in her pink Little Mermaid pajamas and brushed and braided her hair. It was very rare that she would let anyone do anything other than brush it, unless it was Johnny; then she would sit for an hour if that's how long it took. Relishing the moment, he had asked her if she was ready for bed, but she started walking to the door and he wasn't going to let this moment slip away. When they walked into the room he saw Dean smile at her and Mary look as if she saw the most beautiful thing in the world. "She wanted to tell everyone good night before going to bed."
As they all watched, Ellie stood in the middle of the room swaying to that silent music that she listened to, then suddenly stopped and went to the couch pausing only for a moment before she climbed up and laid her head on Johnny's bare chest listening to his heart beating then quietly closed her eyes. Not opening his eyes, Johnny reached over and grabbed the afghan off the back of the couch and covered her with it while wrapping his arms around her, keeping her cocooned.
Smiling at such a sweet sight, Mary went over and turned off the light switch, keeping a couple of lamps on so they could still see what was going on, before settling into an old overstuffed wing-backed chair, letting her mind drift to what could have been's.
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The sounds of movement brought him out of his drug induced sleep, and he wasn't sure if he was ready yet. Feeling a familiar weight on his chest, Johnny didn't even bother to open his eyes; he knew she was already awake. "Hey Ellie, how'd you sleep?" Not getting a verbal answer, he was content that she hadn't stopped her humming on his account. Taking in the sounds of the room, he heard the window unit on which meant the stove, and lights were off and it had to be mid day at least. Thinking about the solar panels on the roof, he added that to the Things That Need Fixed Before I Leave list. He had been happy to hear that Cade had managed to get the money for the panels, but after a wind storm blew through, they hadn't worked right since which meant something came loose and he needed to figure out what.
"You know she's been waiting for you to wake up all day, wouldn't even let me change her out of her pj's." Cade said, holding out her clothes and waited for Johnny to take them.
"Sorry about that, what did you give me anyway?" he asked as he nudged Ellie into a better position.
Smiling, Cade shook his head, "No can do, my own secret cocktail. Now, help her get dressed then you have a date with an angel of mercy."
Having no idea what he was talking about, Johnny just watched Cade as he grabbed his keys and headed out the door, barely hearing the 'be back with dinner' before the door closed. "Looks like it's just you and me kiddo." He said as he helped Ellie get dressed. "How about you get your brush and I'll do your hair today, ok?"
Mary had just walked in when she saw Ellie walk towards the stairs and Johnny trying to get off the couch. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, wondering what had possessed him to try that on his own.
Startled, Johnny fell back against the couch cushions in shock. "You're here!"
"Uh huh, last time I checked. Cade went into Flagstaff for some food and supplies, John and Dean managed to fix that old blue truck and he was just looking for an excuse to try it out, and last I checked the guys were up on the roof finding out what happened to the solar panels."
Mulling over what she said, he smiled, "Yeah, he loves that truck. The Mazda works, but if it's a choice, it's his Ford every time." He watched as she silently agreed and then set down next to him with a hand full of gauze and a bottle of pills. Curious, he continued to watch until she had everything arranged. "Uh, not that I'm complaining, but what are doing here?"
Smiling, Mary looked at the young man before her and could tell there was more to his question than what it seemed. "Well, first I'm going to change your dressings. Cade decided to pack your wound instead of re-stitch it, and I think the sooner we get started, the better our chances of Ellie not seeing it will be." She saw his expression change slightly and knew that she had hit a soft spot; it didn't take a genius to know that if you wanted him to do something that he normally wouldn't worry about, bring Ellie into the picture.
"Ouch, not fair Lady." Johnny groused, wondering if maybe he was still asleep and just having a really vivid dream; drugs will do that, he knew that from first hand experience.
As she took care of the wound, she started talking again, trying to keep his mind off what she was doing. "As for the other part of your question, let's just say we all came to an understanding…of sorts." At his puzzled expression she smiled, "We've come to an agreement that we don't push and he doesn't kick us to the curb." She wanted to say more, but the sound of Ellie's bare feet on the hardwood floors turned her attention away from the conversation. She had watched as the little girl had laid silently all morning waiting for Johnny to wake, and was amazed at how content she was, as if she knew that she was right where she needed to be.
Looking over, Johnny saw Ellie walk in with her brush and a doll. Surprised, he smiled and whispered to Mary, "Looks like a good day."
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John and Dean watched as Cade jumped into his truck and sped off down the road like a kid with his first car. Smiling, they continued to trace some of the problems that they had already found. After talking to the other man, they found out that he had got the panels from a construction site and the person who had installed them had been more on the shady side than not. Apparently he hadn't told Johnny that, knowing how upset the younger man would be. Johnny was under the impression that Cade had gotten a reputable electrician, and the other man didn't want to admit to his mistake of not checking references.
"So, what do you think Dad, we making progress?" Dean asked, trying not to get his hopes up too much, he continued to look the ancient panels over hoping for some inspiration on how to fix the mess in front of him.
Knowing that Dean wasn't really talking about the panels, John answered honestly. "I don't know son, I'd like to think so. What do you say to getting off here and seeing if your mom was a sweetheart and made us something cold to drink."
As they walked into the house they both stopped suddenly at what they saw. Sitting on the couch with Ellie in his lap was Johnny in full one sided conversation mode with the little girl as he brushed her hair.
"…what do you think, maybe you'd visit Cinderella's castle first, or maybe find Snow White? I know… you want to go see Belle before you go off and play with all the other princesses, right? You know, you need to see Mickey too… he'll be jealous if you don't stop in…"
Mary saw them and ushered them through the door. "He's been doing that none stop since she brought in her hairbrush." They watched as Ellie brushed her doll's hair in perfect rhythm to Johnny's strokes, and were amazed at how calm she seemed. Before they knew it, it was over and Johnny was looking at them.
"So how bad did Cade get screwed?" he asked with a knowing grin. Seeing their surprise, he sent Ellie to color before continuing. "He's normally got more brains than that, but sometimes one slips through and he doesn't see it coming. Actually, that's not really fair, more than likely the money was running low and he needed to just get it done."
Sitting down, John watched Ellie sit in front of a window and start to draw, "Well, from what we saw the things shouldn't work at all. The panels themselves are old and it looks like the insides have dirt accumulated, but the real trick is to track down the short that's causing the intermittent problems." Looking back to the young man on the couch, he could see something building in his eyes, but couldn't quite place it. Taking the iced tea that Mary handed him, he wondered about the circumstances of why someone would live so far out without the basic comforts.
As if reading his thoughts Johnny said quietly, "He only accepted this house because it made Ellie happy; no one around to make her nervous. Normally they do ok with her SSI check keeping food on the table, and I send what I can, but sometimes things run a little short."
"So they live in a house that's about to fall down around their ears?" Dean asked, not believing what he was hearing. "I mean she's a little girl, for Christ's sake, and one who doesn't even know you exist half the time, and you're saying that they stay here for her? More like Cade doesn't want to get off his ass…"
Johnny had sprung off the couch and had Dean slammed against the wall before anyone could react. "Don't." he growled, "You don't know him, you don't know what he did to keep her out of a system that shuffles kids like her around and makes them worse, you can stand there and judge me all you want, but don't you dare put him down for doing what's best for Ellie."
Dean stood there stunned while he listened to Johnny, and he had to admit; he had been an ass. He didn't know why he acted that way, but he did know that he needed to make amends – quick. "You're right, I'm sorry. I don't know what life was for him and Ellie, or for you, and I have no right to judge what I don't understand."
Looking into Dean's eyes, he could tell the sincerity of the words, and felt his anger diminish. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his leg that he knew that he needed to let it go completely, before he totally lost it. "It's ok Ellie, we're cool now." He said looking down into the pale blue eyes filled with anxiety. It took a few moments, but finally she let go of his leg and resumed her coloring as if nothing had happened.
Mary was horrified at what came out of Dean's mouth, and to see the reaction from Johnny had terrified her. She couldn't stand by and watch her boys fight, especially over a misunderstanding. When Ellie had intervened, she felt relieved that things weren't going to go to blows, but had to wonder what would have happened if the little girl hadn't stopped them. Looking over at John she could see his concern as well, maybe they could find a way to make things better for the small family before they left; maybe they could convince Johnny they wanted to help.
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Cade couldn't believe how good it felt behind the wheel of his truck again. He'd been lucky that he had a car to fall back on when the truck took a dump on him one day. Now he was able to get back out on the road and take care of a few things while Johnny was recovering at the house. He knew that the house was a wreck, but he hadn't wanted to tell Johnny about the huge shortfall in cash, knowing what the damn fool kid would have done. So instead, he was going to take a little time and try to rectify the situation himself while he was out.
Thinking about all the times that there would be sudden increase in the bank account, made him cringe at the thought of what Johnny did to get it to them. He had known the kid for too long and seen him in every type of situation, from being scared out of his mind, to a half hair away from committing cold blooded murder, but the only time he'd ever seen him happy is with Ellie; that's the way it'd been since the day she was born; which meant he was reckless when it came to a certain little girl.
The day Ellie was born was filled with more ups and downs than a roller coaster. There was the excitement that the baby was coming, and wasn't that awesome that he was a daddy; a fifteen year old daddy, but who cared? Then there was the news that yes, her mother was giving his kid up for adoption, and 'what the hell' seemed to be the question that came to mind. Finally Ellie was born and she was blue, causing everyone to go into a panic, sending him into a crying jag right there in the hospital hallway floor for all to see and only Johnny not judging. The discussion with the caseworker saying that because of the unexplained health issues that Ellie would have to be put on a list for adoption since her 'parents' had backed out, opting for a healthy child instead; which made Johnny yell about her father was standing right there! Hours of phone calls to attorneys only to be turned down once they found out his age and no living relatives to help him take care of an ill newborn. Standing next to Ellie's crib while the doctor's explained that his baby girl was going to pull through but they had no explanation to why her oxygen levels had bottomed out, or why she had spent the first three hours of her life in respiratory distress and on life support. Finally able to rock her until she would almost fall asleep only for her to start fussing again, and only drifting off while she was in Johnny's arms. Finally the case worker's assurances that she would find a good home for her, as if she was some stray puppy, and the look on Johnny's face that told the lady to get gone and never come back. That had been the first day of his little girl's life, and he was so thankful that he had someone, even if it was eleven year old Johnny, to help pull him through.
Now though he was faced with a dilemma. If he was right, then Johnny had a good chance of having a family who has missed him all these years, and even though it was good news, it didn't bode well for anyone. Johnny's nightmare and consequential 'freaky fit' had really made the kid wary about sticking around anywhere, much less somewhere that had people that he cared about. According to him, the people who have been watching him are starting to get nervous and will do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn't 'fulfill his destiny'. He knew all about the crap that people have been tossing Johnny's way off and on for years, his dad was a hunter and he even spent a couple of years with him before he didn't come back to the motel room one night, or the next, or then next, so he had seen some freaky things in his life. He had heard the whispered tales of demons who every now and again get a wild hair up their ass and try to build up an army, marking certain children who later on go completely insane and start killing people. He knew some of the hunters who believed that 'innocent until proven guilty' didn't pertain to demon chosen kids, while others believed that those were the very ones that needed extra protection. Now though, he was having to sit back and watch as his best friend was about to head out the door again to keep him and Ellie safe. 'I really need a drink.' He thought, thankful that the bar he was heading to had a decent selection of booze.
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It was late afternoon when Ellie stood in front of the door and Johnny grudgingly walked outside with her while she played in the dirt, normally he wouldn't have minded, but whatever Cade had doped him up with had him feeling more drowsy than he thought possible without actually falling asleep. As he watched her, he couldn't help but wonder about how she saw things, and if they would ever be on the same page. Leaning back against the house he was always thankful that Ellie liked to play in the shadows of the car, she could play longer that way which always seemed to make her happy.
He knew that the Winchester's were close, they had been practically hovering all day and it was starting to wear on him. After the nightmare and the following chaos that ensued, he was trying hard not to think about what he saw, but it was getting increasingly more difficult. How was he supposed to deal with the sight of his best friend being strung up and gutted with Ellie screaming in the background until…
A hand startled him out of his thoughts and he realized that it was later than what he thought. Looking over he saw that Ellie was in the same spot doing the same thing with the same expression on her face. As he got up and guided her back to the house he whispered, "So much for our good day, huh princess?"
Dean had been sent out to bring both Johnny and Ellie inside, and he thought it was going to be a simple task, until he saw Johnny looking as if he was somewhere between being asleep with his eyes open and caught up in some sort of unpleasant memory. When he finally got the young man's attention, he was half expecting some sort of acknowledgement, but was more concerned by Johnny's comment to Ellie about their good day. Something had changed and he had no idea what it could be, so instead of pushing, he decided to talk to his mom and see what she thought; she had noticed quite a few things today.
John listened as Johnny bathed Ellie in the kitchen sink explaining that for whatever reason she never got past it and into the 'big tub'; which was easily translated to 'bathtubs scare her.' He and Mary had been able to talk about the situation for a few minutes and it was evident that if they wanted more time with Johnny and possibly find out if he was really Sammy, then they would have to find a way to make it beneficial to Ellie.