Dean watched as Johnny entertained Ellie on the plane and had to wonder at what Judge Myers had said, and he had to agree; Johnny would make a great therapist, he should know as many as he'd seen as a kid. He knew that his parents had taken the idea to heart, but he was hoping that they would slow down a little before they scared him off the idea all together; somehow he knew that it wasn't going to be an easy sell. Watching how Johnny was with kids, especially ones with special needs, made him all the more determined to make sure that the kid lived up to his full potential; whether he wanted to or not.
Mary and John would sneak glances at Dean and Johnny, and they both agreed; one of their boys was going to college. Now if they could just convince a certain stubborn one that first: he was really Sammy and belonged with them, and second: that he had more to offer than being a grease monkey his whole life. John knew that is was hard enough keeping Johnny around until the second results were in, and he didn't even want to contemplate what would have happened if he had left without retaking the damn thing, but now he had Ellie to worry about and he just hoped that they could convince him that Lawrence was just as good a place as any to settle down.
Trying to keep Ellie calm during the flight was more than a little tiring, but he knew that they would be back in Lawrence soon enough and then she wouldn't be so tense. He had planned on getting a motel room, but the Winchester's had all loudly protested to the point that he knew there was no point in arguing; at least until he found an apartment, or the results were in. He hadn't thought about the test for days, and now that's all he could seem to keep straight in his head. These people had been great in helping him get to Ellie, then they had even helped the Judge see that they belonged together, he just didn't know what was going to happen when they found out he wasn't who they thought. He hadn't wanted to hurt Mary, she had been too good, too kind to him; he knew it would break her heart. Sighing, he held Ellie close and looked back out the window. If it was just him it would be no big deal, he'd grab his bag and go and then he could continue with his life, but with Ellie, she was starting to show signs of acceptance with the Winchester's and that added a whole new set of complications.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
Johnny carried Ellie into the house worried that she might be coming down with something, she hardly ever slept this much. As he thought about her last couple of days however he realized that with as much excitement as she had its no wonder she was worn out. He had been inside the Winchester's home before, every day in fact for the last three weeks, but he'd never ventured upstairs; there was no reason to. Now however, as he followed Mary up the stairs and listened to John talk about asking Mike to bring in a bed from somewhere, he was starting to get more than a little nervous; this was all becoming a little too real for his liking.
Mary didn't know whether they should put Johnny and Ellie in Sammy's nursery or not, but seeing as the little girl was exhausted, it made the decision easier. Opening the door, she stood to the side and let them in. Mike had been kind enough to come by and put in a full sized bed where the crib was, otherwise the room looked exactly as it had the night Sammy was stolen from them. Seeing the hesitation on Johnny's face, she worried that she had pushed too hard, too fast.
"Uh, you know we could just as easily stayed in Dean's old room, you didn't have to change anything for us." Johnny said staring at the room in shock.
"No can do buddy boy, I'm staying here for a little while – apartment, renovations, any of that ringing a bell?" Dean joked and waited for some witty comeback, but then
noticed that Johnny wasn't moving at all. "Hey, you know Ellie's worn out, and you don't look that hot either. Why don't the two of you call it a night and we'll see you in the morning?"
Mary and John both agreed and before he knew what was happening, Johnny was thrust into his own personal hell; complete with someone else's life. Things never ended well for him when he got attached to people; more precisely, it didn't end well for them. He didn't know what was different about Cade and Ellie, but he was thankful that nothing had happened to them. It hit him suddenly, his best friend was gone and the only thing left of him was his little girl. He didn't know why death followed him around, but he knew one thing, he'd kill anyone who came close to Ellie – anyone or anything.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
"So, what do you think? Is he going to be able to sleep tonight?" John asked Dean as they waited for the coffee to brew.
Shaking his head Dean could only respond, "Would you? Dad, no offense, but don't you think it was a little, I don't know… weird to throw him into Sammy's room like that? I mean, I could have stayed in there while he and Ellie took mine for the night."
John thought about it for a minute, "I don't know son. We all know he's Sammy, I guess I was hoping that something would click for him." He said then laughed a moment. "You know, Mike likes Johnny, but he still thinks we're all crazy to believe that the boy is Sammy."
"John, have you thought about what his reaction will be when he finds out he's really our son?" Mary asked, watching as both John and Dean looked puzzled. "Oh for… John, you cannot just think that he's going to get the results and then give us all a big hug and step right in as Sammy do you?"
"He's already stepped in as our youngest son Mary, you worry too much. Wait and see, everything will be fine." John said, purposefully ignoring the unsure looks on his family's faces.
Not sure what to do, Dean got up and quietly walked up the stairs wondering if his dad had totally lost his mind. There was no way that Johnny was just going to suddenly accept having an instant family to rely on, it was hard enough to drag him to dinner every night without it turning into a major battle; usually it was his mom who managed to get him there with some dessert or another. Now though, he had a feeling that not even his mom's cooking would keep Johnny around this time.
Walking down the familiar hallway, Dean knew that Johnny wouldn't be asleep, and he wasn't disappointed when he cracked open the door and saw Ellie curled up in Johnny's lap as he rocked her in the rocking chair. "Hey," he whispered, not wanting to disturb their little princess but didn't want Johnny to feel alone. "how's it going?" he asked, then wondered why he kept coming with the lamest questions.
Johnny had heard Dean walking towards the room but wasn't sure if he would really join them, he found himself hoping he would. It was becoming increasingly disturbing how attached he was becoming to the younger Winchester, he'd been fighting it, but there was something about Dean that made him… what? Feel safe? That sounded ridiculous even in his own head, he barely knew him, so it had to be something else, even if he didn't know what. Watching the door open slowly, he saw Dean peek his head in before asking how things were, and then got that look on his face as if he wondered why he asked that. "She saw the bear on the shelf, I didn't think you'd have a problem with her using it tonight."
Dean looked again at Ellie and saw the brown bear cuddled close in her arms. Smiling, he remembered that bear, he gave Sammy that bear when he had been allowed in the room to see him; he also remembered taking over an hour picking it out and his dad asking if he was sure that was the one. "Trust me, it's cool." Dean said as he walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "I take it she woke up again?"
"Yeah, just long enough to change into her nightgown and insist on the bear. You know, she's never been a big teddy bear fan before, I wonder what caught her eye about this one." Johnny whispered while he continued to rock the sleeping little girl. "Most of the time I can figure out what draws her to something, but…" Suddenly realizing what he was saying, he stopped. "Sorry, I tend to go overboard."
Smiling, Dean couldn't help but wonder about this Johnny, the one who wonders about how things are and how to make them better. The other one was handy to have around, he knew how life really was and how to survive it. But this one, right now, was the one that he had always pictured his little brother would be; curious, caring, and if able, willing to help make someone else's life brighter. Realizing he was staring, he cleared his throat and rubbed his hands on his jeans. "You know, Mom and Dad would love for you and Ellie to stay here, and I have to admit, I like the idea of having her around; keeps Mom out of my hair."
Johnny smirked at what Dean said, he had a feeling that that wasn't the only reason why he wanted them around, but he chose not to bring it up; right now he was too wired with all the thoughts that kept crashing around in his brain. As much as he wished he could sleep, he knew that there was no way it was going to happen. Instead he listened to Dean talk about his parents, his girlfriends, his first week at the Academy, and how much he still wished his dad would give him the Impala. As much as it sounded like babbling, it also sounded like a calming, and he allowed Dean to work his magic until his chaotic thoughts smoothed out and he found himself enjoying the moment.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
"Let me get this straight… you posed as federal agents using the names Barnes and Noble, and you wonder why they were suspicious?" Toby asked wondering how these two managed to stay alive this long. "You do of course realize that just because they're from Kansas doesn't mean they're stupid!"
The man named Craggen looked incensed, and didn't care who knew it. "Look, it shouldn't matter what our names were. They were helping the kid, and now you say that he's with them now. I say it makes our job easier."
Toby stared at the man and wondered if he had been hit on the head harder than what they all thought. "Look, you overstepped your boundaries, and I'm having to clean up the mess. You know that the main objective was to find him, not kill him!"
"Now look…"
"No! You look, until we know for certain what the demon's intentions were for the kid, and how far he got into fulfilling those intentions, he's to be considered as human as you and me. Got it?" Toby said, looking at Craggen with distain. "You've done your job, consider it 'Mission Accomplished' and go home."
The other man had stood silently for a moment then looked at the attorney, "If you're wrong about this…"
"Miller, if I'm wrong then none of us will be around to say 'I told you so'. I've been told to send you both on your way, and I'm having to agree with the wisdom of that decision. You're both too blood hungry; and you don't care who gets caught up in your personal vendetta. Go home, or you'll be put on the list yourselves."
Both Craggen and Miller couldn't believe what they were hearing. "You're siding with some freak of nature over us? That's insane! We've risked everything to…"
"You've been compensated for it! Now get out of here." Toby yelled. He knew what would happen if he got the call while they were still there, and he really didn't want to go there. He watched as they both left, and he hoped that they would cool off soon, otherwise he'd have a bigger mess to clean up. Why was he always assigned the crazy hunters? Finally his phone rang, and he knew that it was the news he'd been waiting for. "So, tell me about Samuel Winchester."