Dean had filled in a couple of his friends about his dilemma and they all agreed to cover for him while he snuck out occasionally to check on things at home. After all, everyone knew that having a little brother come back from the presumed dead should be considered an excusable absence; add to it that someone wants to kill him and his little girl too, it was really a no brainer of what their answer would be. It wasn't quite time for their lunch break but there was a rare lull in activity and Dean was more than a little anxious to get home. Having just reached his car a voice coming behind him stopped him in his tracks.
"WINCHESTER!"
Groaning, Dean knew that voice, he'd been hearing it enough lately. Steeling himself for the inevitable, he turned to face the man who at the moment held his future in his hands. "Chief Simmons, hello sir."
"Mind telling me what you're doing sneaking off campus?" the Chief asked, watching Dean carefully. "and don't give me the line that you're being gracious and getting everyone lunch, Wilson was foolish enough to try that last week. Now, what's really got you bothered enough that you're willing to wash out?"
That hurt… a lot, but it got Dean's attention fast. He knew that his performance hadn't been stellar, but everyone knew his situation and his instructors had even allowed for it, not that he had asked. "Sir, uh, there's a problem at …"
Chief Simmons held up his hand, "Dean you might think this a game, but right now we're preparing you to save lives. If you can't be committed to that, then you need to be where you are able to give your undivided attention. We all have situations that can distract us, but if you can't find a way to deal with them now while becoming a fire fighter, then how are you going to be able to deal with them when you become one? Think on that while you're at lunch."
Dean watched the Chief turn and walk back to the training center, leaving him to feel as if he just let down everyone he knew.
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Johnny felt like he had been hit by a truck, and the headache he was experiencing wasn't helping him think otherwise. Looking around he saw that he was still on the floor and by the looks of things he had slept the morning away.
"Great," he thought "not only a freak, but a lazy one too."
Making his way downstairs, he heard Mary laughing and he quickly wondered what it was that he had missed. Turning the corner into the kitchen he saw Ellie sitting on the floor covered in flour making what looked to be… snowmen?
"Johnny! Oh, I am so glad you're awake; let me get your medicine while you sit down. How are you feeling?" she asked while reaching into the fridge for some orange juice.
"Uh, honestly, like I just walking into the Twilight Zone." He answered, still watching Ellie mix the flour with a little water and try to roll the mix into a ball. "Uh, no offense, but why's Ellie making glue balls?" he asked completely missing the point of the exercise.
Laughing, Mary handed him a glass of juice and the medicine he had missed earlier. "Actually, Ellie was helping make some biscuits earlier, but kept trying to make shapes with the flour. So, after breakfast, I decided to try something and it seems to be working." She said while watching Ellie continue to make different sized balls
Still confused, Johnny looked between Mary and Ellie and decided to let the question that came to mind go. There was no way he was going to ruin this moment for either one of them.
"You know, I asked her why I couldn't just go to the store and by some Play-Doh or something." Caleb said walking into the kitchen. "You want to know what she said? 'This is much more fun.' She did, I couldn't believe it. I would have pegged her for one of those 'take your muddy shoes off outside before you track my clean floor' type person. Man did I have it all wrong."
Johnny looked between all three people in the kitchen, then wondered if it was him that was out of place. Ignoring their questions, he walked outside to the street, looked at the house and the address and determined that yes, it was the house he thought, but then wondered if it was them or him that had lost their marbles. Sitting on the curb trying to pull his scattered thoughts together he barely heard the car pull up or the concerned voice talk to him.
"Johnny, what's wrong? Hey little brother, talk to me!" Dean said as he crouched in front of his brother trying to figure out what had happened to make him look like that. "Stay here." He said as he rushed in the front door. "MOM! Mom, where are you?" he yelled while thinking that he was going to kill Caleb if anything happened… stepping into the kitchen he saw his mom watching Ellie playing in the middle of what looked to be wet flour while Caleb stood half in and half out the side door watching Johnny.
"Hi dear, we'll have sandwiches and chips for lunch as soon as your dad gets here, alright? Maybe you should tell Johnny that it's time for him to come in and get ready to eat."
Standing there for a minute, he watched his mom as she calmly watched Ellie play… on the floor… with wet flour… everywhere. 'Ok, weird' he thought as he debated whether or not to grab Ellie and run. Deciding that she was ok for the moment, he backed out the way he came and joined his brother on the curb.
"I really need a drink." Johnny said dazedly.
Dean only glanced at Johnny then at the house before he nodded, "Yeah"
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Caleb started laughing, and he couldn't seem to stop. "I have to hand it to you Mrs. Winchester, you really know how to freak your sons out." He said as he continued to watch Johnny and Dean.
Mary continued to smile while watching Ellie. The little girl was the key to Johnny's heart, whoever could make her happy would gain his trust. 'This could work out better than anyone had planned.' She thought as her eyes flashed black for a moment before going back to their normal green. 'Yes, definitely better than expected.'
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John had been feeling off all morning, as if something was wrong but he couldn't seem to figure it out. Knowing that it was getting close to lunch, he yelled to Mike that he was leaving early to check on the family, then grabbed his keys and slid easily into the Impala.
Pulling into the driveway he wasn't really surprised to see Dean's car in front of the house, but he was shocked to see both boys on the curb with matching shell shocked expressions on their faces. Wondering what had happened, he decided to check inside first.
Seeing Caleb laughing like a loon at the door didn't make him feel any better, but when he walked into the kitchen and saw what could only be considered something completely out of the ordinary, that uneasy feeling started to grow. "Mary is everything alright?" he asked watching her for any sign of what could have happened. Hearing Caleb stop laughing suddenly, John wondered what had started him going in the first place. "Mary, sweetheart…"
"Everything's fine John. Can't we girls decide to get a little messy too every now and again?" Mary asked as she continued to watch the little girl. "I thought we'd have sandwiches for lunch. Caleb would you tell the boys it's time?" she asked as she started to walk across the kitchen.
Dean walked in from the dining room with Johnny and Bobby close behind. "Time for what mom?" Dean asked, as Johnny quickly grabbed Ellie out of the way and through the side door that Caleb now had open for him.
Turning, Mary smiled brightly, "For lunch silly, now are cold cuts alright for everyone, or would you like a quick chicken salad?"
John knew something was wrong, it wasn't too obvious but it was still noticeable for those who knew that Mary liked to keep her kitchen, her sanctuary, as clean as possible. She used to laugh that the rest of the house everyone could trash, but leave her kitchen alone. Now, as he looked at the paste that was now hardening on the tile floor and the cabinets, he knew that this wasn't his Mary, and that thought pissed him off.
Bobby quickly took in the situation and understood why Caleb didn't pick up on the demon right away; there were enough scented candles going to mask any sulfur scent that it was leaving behind. Seeing what they were dealing with, he was glad he hadn't decided to take longer at the parts store. "So, you got a name, or should we just start calling you 'hey you'?"
Mary turned to Bobby, "Oh Bobby, and they say you don't have a sense of humor. That's ok, we both know differently, don't we?" she asked then turned to Caleb, "Put that away hunter, I'm leaving… I just wanted to check up on things."
None were expecting the demon to voluntarily leave Mary, and when it dissipated against the ceiling they all watched in horror as she fell to floor unconscious.
"MOM!" Dean yelled as he pulled her close while checking for any injuries. Looking up he saw his dad sitting next to them just as worried, as well as a wide eyed Johnny in the doorway holding tightly to Ellie.
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Mary became aware that she was on the floor with Dean and John's voice in her ears. Not exactly sure what happened, she opened her eyes slowly before looking around. Suddenly everything rushed back to her and her only concern was her family.
"Oh my God, John! Are they alright? Johnny and Ellie, are they ok?" she asked franticly.
"We're here Mary." Johnny said quietly from the table, still trying to get Ellie cleaned up.
Looking between John and Dean, Mary knew that something was wrong, and by the look of her youngest, it was bad. "Johnny, I didn't hurt her did I?" she asked, afraid of the answer.
Shaking his head Johnny didn't look at her, he was still trying to wrap his head around what had happened; what could have happened. Sighing, he knew that he and Ellie had to leave, there was no way he was going to continue to put everyone in harms way, and having a demon possess you was definitely harmful.
Dean was watching Johnny and he didn't like what he saw. 'Damn it, I thought we had this taken care of.' He thought angrily to himself. Looking at the clock he knew that he needed to make a decision and it wasn't going to be an easy one. "Johnny, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, hoping that he'd get a chance to change his little brother's mind.
Nodding, Johnny picked Ellie up and followed Dean out the door. They hadn't gotten ten feet from the door before Dean turned around and poked Johnny on the chest. "So that's it? We have a little bit of trouble here, and you're going to pick up and go? What the hell man, how can you do that?" Dean yelled, wondering how their lives could have gone from pretty cool to pretty crappy so fast.
"Dean, it's not that someone spilled milk on the floor, this is huge! A demon possessed our mom and you're going to stand there and say what… it's not my fault? Are you insane?" Johnny yelled back as he put Ellie on the hood of the Impala. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to her? Of course not! I do, and it's not pretty Dean… it's better if me and Ellie find a place of our own."
"No!" Dean said firmly, "Uh uh… no way, if something's after you then it's after all of us and we can deal with it together. Got it?"
Johnny looked at Dean with disbelief, "Together… man you have no idea what we're dealing with. This isn't the movies Dean, people don't usually walk away from something like this, especially not normal sane people."
"So, which are you… abnormal or insane? 'Cause I got to tell you that right now you're sounding pretty nuts at the moment." Dean smirked, watching his little brother closely. Seeing that he wasn't going to get an answer right away, he sighed then nodded. "Fine, we'll get an apartment together. There's no way I'm letting you and Ellie out of my sight any longer than I have to."
Not believing what he was hearing, Johnny was about to argue when Ellie started clapping and said, "Dean!" making both men look at her in shock before Dean looked back at Johnny in triumph, "I guess that's settled."